Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-05-11

for the benefit of the Government. |
is the various corporations and larg
capitalists engaged in extensive manu-
featuring establishments who are en-
iehed by heavy tariff. Thus, q small
minority in the Government are pro
tected, to the injury of the tOiling mill
ions, who have little or no share in tht
direction of the great mOnied corpora
tiOns. But the evil to the masses of thu
people is not confined merely to the Un
equal distribution of protection in a pc
cuniaIy point of view, but the mOnieC
corporations, with exclusive privileges
through the corruption and bribery o
politicians, obtain the ruling power il
our halls of legislation, which they use
relentlessly and unsparingly to deprive
the people of their dearest rights, anC
reduce them to the condition Of abjec
servitude to enhance their wealth.
It is quite time that the farmer, me
Chanic and labOTing classes generally
would arouse to q sense of the heinou:
enOrmity Of the present OdiOUs system
of public plundering, which not only
rObs them of their earnings, but which
IS also employed as q potent engine tC
undermine their liberties.
An important truth that should evel
be inCulcated and never lost sight of, IS
that labor is the sole producer of wealth
or capital. Legislative enaCtments
high tariff or heavy taxes cannot create
eapital-th8t is the product of labor, anC
whenever capital, invested in manufac'
tories receives governmental protection
by heavy tariff on imports, labor has
to pay for that protection, For exam
Pile: The duties imposed on blankets is
two hundred and fifty per cent, anC
sheetings tiftY-eight per cent. Now,
this amount of duties have been impOs-
ed upon these WOOlen and cotton fabrics
of foreign manufacture to protect the
American manufacturer, and thus ena'
bic him to cope with his transatlantic
competitor. Labor, the producer OF
capital, aud also a large consumer Ol
those protected fabrics, pays to the
American manufacturer the two hun
dred and fifty and the fifty-eight pei
cent. Labor, than, the actual producer
of capital, under the existing obnoxious
tariff system, pays no capital, or, which
amOuts to the same thing, the manu-
faCtUrer. the above amOut for protection
to a robbing and sWindling monopoly.
By this system, capital absOTbs largely
the capital or wealth that labor pro-
duces, and the earnings of the millions
flow into the Golfers of the wealthy few.
Labor is oppressed swindled and rob
bed to protect the monOpOIiZing manus
fsGturer by the legislative enaotments
Of a Mongrel Congress, which does
nothing for the protection of labor
passes no laws for its benefit-but on the
contrary, throws every barrier in its way,
that capital may virtually control it as
its slave.
There is another important principal
involved IN the protective system,
which, when analyzed, exhibits the in
furious results of a tariff that is discrim-
inative in its operations. We have
seen that legislative enaotments cannot
create capital, and we now add, that
legislation cannot create labOrers, mol
increase the productions Of a country.
The principle, then, upon which pro-
lection acts, is to diminish the produc-
tiveness of one branch Of industry and
bestoW it upon another, as both capital
and labor are attracted to that portion
Of industry that promises the largest
profits to the capitalists and pays the
b; chest wages to the labOring classes.
Hence, what is called protection is act
TALLY a transfer of both labor and Oapis
tai from one branch of industry to en-
plOY and invest them in another, being
a change only in the occupation of la
Dor and the Investment of capital.
As it isra fact that protection implies
a transfer of capital and labor from one
branch of industry to another, so it is
a fact, that some other depart
ment of. trade, commerce, or agriculture
must suffer in consequence. If the
American manufactures of wooden and
cotton fabrics, or of steel and iron, can
not produce these articles as cheaply as
the foreign manufacturer, by as much
as from fifty to two hundred and fifty
per cent, a duty of those amounts are
imposed upon the foreign article, under
the delUsive plea and unwarranted as
of prOtec ting home industry.
AS. a result of these imposed duties, cap
Ital and labor are diverted from other
of business and Industrial pur-
suits, and their pToduCtiVeness and pro-
diminished in the ratio as
the other is Increased,
Under a system Of free trade. capital
and labor will naturally seek those pur-
suits which are the most productive,
md which yield the largest amount of
net gains, and healthy and equitable
be thus established And
f the manufacturer of woOlen and cotton
goods, for instance, is unable to produce
lis fabrics, n}iHlts the heavy duties of
tariff, it is because agricul-
juEe or commerce command, a more
profitable field for the investment of cap
tai and the employment of labor. Free
Eade invites and encourages an eE-
ihange OfproduCts between nations, and |
luilds up fiOurishing commerce. I'm
Ter its operations the agricultural pro-
.ucts Of one country are exchanged for |
ne manufactured products of another; 1
nut when q heavy tariff is levied upon |
Oreign products, that freedom of ex- |
hange is greatly abridged or totally de- |
troyed, and commerce is proportion |
tely injured,
SUCH is the workings of the present |
plundering tariff system,
7hich is in operation in this country to-
ay, The farmer, the mechanic and /
he lahOTing classes are taxed for all |
1ey consume to support New England
lonopOlies, while every other branch
industry is depressed. The agricul-
lral interest of the South and West par
are the sufferers by this Outra-
eOus and vile system OfrObbery. Their
roducts no longer find an exchange for
lie cloth, iron, steel, etc., etc, Of for
gn manufacture, in consequence of
le high duties imposed Their interest
ave been robbed to protect, and the
rofts of their pVrsHita transferred to
,stern monOpolies, and their products
ssened in value, while at the same
me, their is less demand for them, be-
luse foreign commerce has been driven
ON cut Shores to seek a market alsa-
here. ~~9ra ~r..s
The legitimate and inevitable conse-
lence of Il high protective system is