New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-05-08
LABOR REFORM.


hro noe new Of the question laid down by Adam
smith Adam smith says; Every 9Sa 0st aS SSn
ta,,scus employment for whatever capital he can com.
snd his own sdEantsse ndeea sna not no ~, a nc .,
aJontaoc naturally rather necessarily, leads him 10
rcfr nat employment 1hieA - most advantageous 10 me
II i is best my money should 90 70 build canal,
w. he sees It, and that will be the best use for society
II he makes money by it, IL ia the best possible use Tor
money so as to Increase his own gain and yet thereby
seriously damage the public veal Therein my doctrine
differs from them Judge between them. -
have endeavored to show what Protection is Protec
the force power Of the community or STATE ap
se certain things very many things wherein each man
can for himself There other things wherein
grrat public or general benefits which could not be Sc
cured by individual action as we have seen ID ts g
affirm that in the Of those great public ends 70 DC
81 pnbc force must act and that is legitimate action
proper action, because benehcent action.
THE NEED OF PROTECTION.
Now then will consider what is the need Of Protection
~ applied 10 a nations industry Why is it needed
will read remark Of Gen. jackson on this subject not
at an giving any mans authority for truth-truth Is
anthority-but as showing the particular idea with
which in the earlier and, think the better DAYS OF hs
Republic Protection was invoked for the industry OF que
coanTy says Gen. Jackson in his letter 10 III. S1e
man. ls2-a celebrated letterjust before ne NCtea
is he real situation of the agricuturistsi Where has the
American farmer market for his surplus IloueI luz
home market. Does this not clearly prove W .h1
there is market either at home or snr1su, , nd
that the channels Of labor must be multiplied 0Op
points out at once the remedy, G mnioX IL in
mechanism and manufactures thereby creamy honie
,f nroStste account and benefits the country will
rrsult rake from agriculture in the United states
Soc srEct Sor more breadtus than all Europe
furnishes short sir we have been TOO long suyeT3
~ the policy British merchants IL Is tne We souu
become little Americanized and lnstea0 Oh leeu
ing paupers and la6orers OF Europe iee1 our oM
or else in short time by continuing our present pocy,
We shall he paupers ourselves III is therefore, my
opnion that careful tariff is much wanted TO pay our
National debt ana anQrd Us the meds " , thas t or
within ourselves which the safety and liberty OF our
country depend and last. though not least give
distribution 10 our aoOr winch mus. p lTS ~ ,6 cnn,
the happiness, independence, and wealth Oh ule col-
Now qroe this not TO argue that he right in his
economy, TO defend myself or him but to show tne
invoked. Here community composed entirely OF
farmers There was scarcely any ny pusu rn INV and The
representative of a nOnmanuiacturlng community en-,
tiTey Now he says what That We are all farmers ana
have no market What do we needi Other pursuits
which will afford markets for agricultural products IN
huCurate Government policy when VIII WthIa"
so 600 people from agriculture and employ them in man
ufacture and you viii create greater markets Or those
was a statesInsnke, broad generous conception The
founders Of our nation the men VINO Ionsht III tne
uuonary wal, with scarcely an exception au'ocated
ORIGIN OF THE PROTECTION IDEA.
Now Won will see the assumption put forward that II is
The manufacturers that want tariffs; they want high
duties: they want more money for their goods That
idea did not originate with the manufacturers, for We
Did not have them but il sgriculturiss inquiry
considering how by what means they should so dis
tribute and employ the labor of the country as 10 give
themselves the largest return and the surst return Tor
Their labor They were the authors OF TINS ponCy ana
The great central agricultural States stood against New
England. which was commercial, ON the one hahd ana
The extreme south, which cottOngrowing, and
Therefore had market, the other The great central
htates VOTE ana 70 ga marFt for fser arrcn
tural prOducts-a home market which should De stable
We are making rom 500 to 10000 miles of railroad
year and running in debt partially for them wish We
running in debt for them. believe We might
do otherwisedo work at home and buy less goods
abroad than do. But after all trying 20 dlmin
Of exchanges between producers and there
ny 20 producers much larger dividend out OF the
general products Of labor That is exactly what Protec-
lion in its main view contempstes-to diminish the
number OF eXchangers and thereby insure very large
Wealth If the man who makes steel in shefeld for
Minnesota were making IT in Chicago he would get more
wheat for his steel and the wheatgrower would ger
steel for his wheat That is the end We seek, and
these are our means.
THE REGULATION OF PRICES.
Well what about prcesi You say these are regulated
~ as 10 benefit few. We all understand that prices are
relative If the who is getting 81 day for his work
can get 81 60 he afford pay little larger prices for
what he buy On the other hand, if he is get
ting 81 day and cut him down to ST. unless you
diminish the price of what he buys in large proportion
you not improving him by that change. II Is not
higher, though II probably Is iOu VIII nhd
great difficulty in convincing man that cutting down
considerably reduce the cost OF what he needs TO buy
A. rule he would rather there would be good wages
now than It was a year ago. In my trade tits about
double what il when came to New-iark. ] don't
when Carpeuters in this city turned out for
s. day, which more than they had been getting
Wages are higher, aud other things are higher too i
don't argue that because wages are higher therefore men
lt. better of than they believe however that
IA I'll cases where you have classes OF producers who
must interchange their products the nearer you can
bring them together the more you Will inevitably prOnt
both of Them whether wages shall thereafter be higher
or lower
works for and the one who pays that the one VIII
G all he can and 4e SIff R Psg 60 u not be-
cause employers are especially generous but because
The abOrers are willing take less but because they
cannot help IT, We understand perfectly that wages are
governed by what we call the law CT necessity.
WHAT one man must pay he will pay, and what the
other must take will take there is trade Take
aTre d%es oS WOODEN Goods Tbey are made heavy
the intent TO bring their production into the conn
f-y from abroad ! asked leading brakeman in this
city a short time ago what had been the in
ee 3 wears Of and he said he Ss
prices about Is per cent more il greenbacks now
fee trade That sprecisey the result given the table
made by Mr. A. T. stewart for Mr.. David A. Wells few
goods carpets &c. The question is not what the duty
H. but what the price is. The amount OF duty does not
was standing in the House of Representatives when
last struggle was made on the Tar think m 1861
and said TO Senator from Missouri who was voting on
The Free Trade SIDE g" surprised at mssours voting
thus | can understand why Massachusetts, is not
strongly with us she has got everything established,
hui YOU OF the have everything 10 do, mines to
ri your vote" "Wen," said he, al can get
along with Hew-England, but Pennsylvania is too
gTeedy She wants too much iron" But" said l,
suppose the duty iron was 500 per tun to-day ana
never could be less what would then govern the price
AT IRON 10 consumers this COuntryf Il suppose the
cost of making it," THAT is enough. When you can
answer the question correctly an that am sure yOu
know better than vote you are voting here You
may put the duty up TO 1900 tun and after al iron