The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-07-15

Il
lection to which those in authority still in
sanely adhere.
'The pages of the learned Beckmsn," says
this journal, "are full of sad recitals Of in.
dustries lost through civil commotiOn, war,
plague, pestilence, and famine" but it turns
to the United States for example of prosper
our industries insanely taxed out of existence.
1t then proceeds to give one or two instanc-
es that shed a lurid light upon the wide
swath protective policy has cut through the
broad field of American manufactures.
About the end of the last war with Great
Britain, Seth Borden, (then young man,
just started upon that wonderful career of
useful invention which comprehended finally
for the Improvement of everything, from a
steam engine to a strawberry came across a
strip of German made patent leather. He
got trust in New York for side Of leather,
initiated the German process, and, carrying
his new made leather from Newark to New
York on his back, sold it there readily. Thus
was initiated one Of the most extensive man.
ufactures and most widely ramifying indus
tries of the country. 1t led to other supple
mentary manufactures, such as that of lasting
for ladies' shoes, harness and hundred other
things, and, in 1860, American patent leather
and all the various manufactures into which
it had been introduced, had command of the
markets of the world. In 1871, by the force
of adverse, improper and unnecessary legisla-
ton, and on that account alone, the foreign
market for these manufactures is totally lost,
and the domestic use of them diminished
more than one-haf. By the operation of the
tariff upon Cape woods, the manufacture of
hastings, and, perforce, shoes from lastings, is
irretrievably destroyed, and thus one of the
most extensive, certain and profitable of Amer
lean industries has been cut down in its prime
by the folly and greed of pseudo-representa
tives, pretending to undertake affairs of state.
In 1860 New England supplied to the West
Indies, and to all South America their entire
demands in the line Of woodenware. All the
chairs, tables, furniture, baskets, buckets,
brooms, &C., that those people used were OF
New England make, shipped thence in New
England bottoms. This was an immensely
profitable trade, since 1t was one of treble pro-
fits. The manufacturer was also the shipper
and not only had his profit in sale of exported
goods, but in freights to end fro, and IN his
return cargo Of sugar, coffee, hides, guano, or
the like. This trade, too, has disappeared en-
tirely in 1871. The New England ship no
longer sails; the New England manufacture
is now too high-priced to compete with rival
goods in the foreign market, and the imports
of coffee, sugar, guano hides, &C., which are
still indispensable to our waning industries,
are made in foreign vessels, or in our own
craft sent out in ballast. British steamer
now sails from Liverpool with cargo of NO.
tons for Cuba or Porto Rico or Jamaica,
loads there with freight of tropical products
for New York or Baltimore, and finally goes
back with q cargo Of cotton or tobacco, or
-four, picked up at the latter ports. Our for
eign importance is consequently reduced to
the standard of what we can produce in the
way of raw material and the Protectisnists,
who boosted that their policy was meant tv
raise US above England in trade, have not
stopped until they have reduced us to the lev.
Ell of Cuba. We have taxed ourselves helpless
in the insane hope of gaining power to man.
ufacture for the whole world, and the result
is, We are no longer capable of manufacturing
for ourselves. Our political doctors have
played the Sangrado with vengeance; irri.
tating the nation until it was taken with
nervous fever, to arrest which they have bled
it to the point of death, and now they sug.
gest filing the exsanguined veins with water
from the first puddle