Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-02-16
goIitifal.
REVENUE REFORM.
TARIFF, ETC.
For the CHRoNIcLE.


and manufacturer are identical Thes'
several interests include the laborins
masses of this country, and cannot b'
separated by arbitrary causes withou
injury to the whole. Each separat'
branch of business depends largely fol
its prosperity upon the success OF al
the other branches of business carried
on in the country. The body polite II
this respect may well be compared t.
the anatomy of the human body. 4
person with broken limb, cracked
head, or even a severe toOthache, is no
usually regarded as being physically II
good healthy condition. The whole
body suffers from sympathy with the
diseased part, and is more or less con
trolled by it; SO with the country.
If any one of the great and necessary
industries of the country is in an un'
healthy condition, and depressed in
business, ali the other branches of bus
iness suffer with it. 1t is the duty
then of wise Government to afford
equal protection to all the various
branches of domestic production, to the
extent which may be found necessary
to their full development and general
prosperity, seeing that the whole de
pends so much upon the prosperity OF
each one of its parts. 1t is not meant
by this expression that an equal per
cent. should be levied on all foreign
articles imported into this country, for
that might not, and in most cases
would not, be equal projections; for
many articles produced here are suffi-
GENTLY protected by natural causes, and
need no artificial protection, while 9th
ers need but little. What is meant by
equal protection, is just SO much pro-
lection to each as may be found neces-
sary to the fullest development of each
one of our several domestic industries ?
Such system for levying duties, OF
course, implies the power of discrimina-
tion on the part of Congress; a power
which should always be exercised with
the greatest skin and caution, and
with direct view to the general good
of the whole. This may not be accom-
plished, but it should always be the OBJ
ject of the law-making power.
"A mutual interest necessarily exists
between the farmer, mechanic and
manufacturer, and neither can be pros
porous for any great length of time in
this country without the prosperity of
the others; nor can either be greatly
depressed without the others partaking
more or less speedily of the disaster.
This fact should be recognized by the
lawmaking power; and in the distribu-
ton of duties, be kept ever in mind.
The farmer has usually, ample protec-
ton in physical causes for most articles
of agricultural production to secure him
the benefits of the home markets for his
products, and what is lacking should be
supplied by means of the tariff. The
mechanic and manufacturer are differ
emily situated, coming as they do, in
direct competition with the cheap labor
of Europe, they must either have that
protection which is incident to tariff
for revenue, or abandon their business
and invest their means and labor in ag-
riculture, to the injury not only of
themselves, but of the agriculturist
and the country. The interest then of
the mechanic and manufacturer is the
farmers interest, and protection to the
one, is protection in an important sense
to the other. These interests cannot be
separa ted in this country without injury
to the whole, and disaster to our manu-
featuring Industries, which is disaster
to the country.
A theory is held by some, that pro-
lection to the manufacturer, who needs
protection, is unjust to the agriculturist
who does not need it to any great eX-
tent, and that the manufacturer realizes
an increased profit on his business to the
extent of the protection afforded, at the
expense of the agriculturist, and for
the benefit of the manufacturer alone
And this to thesuperficial observer looks
plausible, while it is in fact deceptive
and false. 1t is in the interest of the
farmer that the mechanic and manu-
facturer should be prosperous, because
they afford him his only reliable mar
ket for agricultural products, and en-
courages healthy division of labor in
the country, without which farmir g
would be overdone and the surplus pro-
ducts of the farm be without market.
But does the manufacturer, on account
OF the protection afforded him by the
Government, realize greater profits on
his business than ON other people? such
an idea prevails with some, but is not
well founded. Under steady system Of
duties levied with a view to protection,
Manufacturing would be prosperous,
but not, for a length of time, more so
than other branches of business. Com
petition in this country would prevent
that. IF manufacturing is more profit
able than farming for term of years,
the farmer will sell his real estate and
| invest the proceeds in manufacturing
and this will be repeated until manu-
featuring will be brought to a level
with the pursuit of agriculture, wheth.
er that lie up or down; and so will all
other branches of business.
Protection then, to such pursuits as
need protection against foreign compe.
tition, is virtually protection to the
whole, and the farmer realizes precisely
the same benefits from having the man
ufacturer sustained against the paupel
labor of Europe that the manufacture
himself does. Because if the latter il
not sustained so as to be nearly equally
prosperous with the agriculturist, hi
will of course abandon the workshop
and become a farmer, to theinjury of thu
agriculturist, who would in that even
be without a home-market for his sur
plus products, with half the necessarie
land conveniences of life to purchase il
a foreign market. A healthy division
of labor and pursuit, is indispensable t,
the independence and prosperity of tn
country, and should be maintained b,
the interposition of the Government
wherever any one of the great indus
: tries of the country needs such inter
position, ~ -uorrrr
To further illustrate the subjects of
proper division of business, we nee'
: not 90 out of our own County. Th
population of Belmont County has no
increased within the last ten years il
the agricultural districts. Yet there
an increase in the County of 1882. Thi
increase is all in the towns, and most
ly in the towns of Martinsville, Bridge
port, Bellaire and Barnesville. L
. these towns extensive manufacturing es
fahIiahnnanfa have SnrIInp I'D Whic