Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-18
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W o R c f S I E R .
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 1s, 1871


WEuN ESDA n JAN 1e, 1871,
Mr. Harris on Protection.
Mr.. Edward Harris, of Woonsocket, r. l., re-
quests us to print the following letter. We add
some notes and comments, because they are
necessary to enable some readers to understand
the question to which he calls attention.
To the Editor Of the Worcester Spy:-DEAR
SIR desire to address the mechanics of Wor-
ccster and vicinity on the subject of the present
$50 calledl protective tariff; and | ask every
thoughtful and unpreiudiced mind to carefully
examine the tariff of 1870, which has been
changed eleven times since 1861, to suit the
views and supposed interests OF the protection
lists; and alter all, see if it protects You, or has
directly opposite effect ~ For instance,
many of You, both iron and wood workmen, are,
or have been, engaged in building wooden cards
and jacks what is the effect of this tariff on this
Industry? | was conversing the other day with
one of Your intelligent machinists, who has been
in the business many years, and can be taken
as authority. He says, iron in its raw state con-
stitutes about oue-half of the cost of set of
wool cards, also jacks, the lumber about one
fourth part of the cost, and labor about one
fourth part. (2.) Under the present tariff the
iron is taxed, say Seventy-6ve per cent, the lum-
Der twenty per cent; seventy-tive per cent on one
hat and twenty per cent on one-fOurth; average,
mikes SOL per cent on three'lourths of the cX-
pense of the whole cost of the card and jack,
calling the labor the same as the laborer of En-
gland gets, and the English machinery being
imported under duty of 35 per cent, a., de-
duct IS per cent. from 56k per cent, leaves q ]
per cent. against the Worcester mechanic, and
in favor OF the Englishman.
Does not this same tariff operate equally I'M
favorablv to other mechanical industries of New
England, and, in fact, of our whole country. |
ASK the boot and shoe makers to carefully exam
inc the provisions of this tariff las every
WOlkma nupbt have n of tlp same
and sec whether the duties on all the materials
entering into the cost of pair OF boots or Shoes
is not such as to prevent the manufacture of
these articles for export, which was formerly
done to a large extent, but which has now near
~ ceased. See ox-Commssi0ner Wells report
az. Respectfully yours,
EDWARD HARRIS.
Woonsocket Jan. IA, 1871.
~ II 1t be the purpose of Mr.. Harris to main
tain that the present tariff is not perfect, and
that it needs revision in order to make it more
completely protective tariff, we agree with him
entirely. Tie tariff is not perfect, because the
various interests it touches have struggled with
each other for special advantages, instead of
treating the subject with candOr and mutual
good will. If these interests, as represented in
congress, would take the matter in hand, with
the right spirit, the present tatiff could be made
much better for the purposes of protection; but
this is not reason why it should give way to
the destructive policy of the free-traders. In our
view, tea, coffe, sugar, and the like, should be
made duty free; and we would remove the tariff
on wool, because it really protects nothing.
The very fine wool, and rhe long and coarse
wool, imported from other countries do not TO
much if any extent, come into competition with
the wool produced in the United States. Our
aim is TO protect American labor; and the more
labor is represented in the wares imported, the
higher would we make the duty For instance,
the tan iff on manufactured machinery should be
higher than that on iron bars and rods
Co. We hesitate to accept this estimate as
correct; but, waving this point, we must ask
what is meant here by iron in its raw state"
Iron is a manufactured article, and receives
most of its value from labor. 1t is in its "raw
state' when it is lying quietly, as ore, in the un-
opened NINE In this state, its value is compar-
atively very small. Labor opens the mine and
digs out the ore. Labor smelts the ore and car
ries on the manufacture, through all the neces-
sary processes until it becomes iron or steel wire
or bars, ready for further manufacture into cards.
jacks, or other machinery. Scarcely any other
product depends so much on labor for its value,
as iron. Even the coal used in this manufacture,
depends chiefly on labor for its value. In reali-
ty, the value of the materials, in their "raw
state" constitutes an exceedingly small part of
the value of completed machinery Iron ore in
our soil, land we have it in great abundance in
many parts of the country, is certainly worth
no more than that in the soil of Great Britain
but British labor is much cheaper than ours
because British workmen are not properly paid;
and the duty on iron is intended to protect the
American labor employed in the manufacture of
iron.
tsl If the duty on completed machinery is
lower than that on iron, let us seek earnestly to
have it raised. The policy of protection re-
quires that it should be higher. Let us have the
thrift revised at this point, and made more con.
sistcnt with itself.
a. Mr.. Harris appears TO assume, through.
on his letter, that tariff on any given product
imported from abroad, inevitably raises the
price of the corresponding American article, in
our markets. The facts do not warrant this as
sumption. The tariff on wool unwisely enacted,
a few years ago, did not raise the price of that
article among wool-growers. On the contrary,
they have, ever since, received lower prices. In
other cases, the tariff on manufactured articles
does not destroy competition among our own
manufacturers, and, therefore, does not regulate
the market prices of their products. The pur-
pose of protective tariff is to defend the labor
employed in our manufactures against disas-
trous competition with the cheap, starvation
system of labor prevalent in some of the Euro
pean countries, and leave our home markets to
be regulated by the competition of producers. 1t
assumes that our workmen should have higher
wages and better condition than are allowed
by the industrial system Of England. 1t does
not interfere with that home competition which
is sure TO control prices.