Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-12-14
Protection VS.. free Trade.


One CT the correspondents of the
Industrial League, a nottingham,
contributes the following admirable
article to the Illinois Republican:
TO read the bitter, malignant at
lacks of the various Free-Trade Re
publican journals upon II present
beceticeEt tariff system, u would
suppose that they had formed a CO.
%alition with the Democracy tor the
express purpose of crushing out
American Industry. Their frantic
denunciations OF the American man.
utacturer, as a hloatcd monopolist,
robher and greedy Spectator, seen
to indicate a deer-scated hatred TO all
classes Of domestic manufactures.
Under the guise OF Revenue Reform
crs they propose to abolish the pres
ent system of Protection, and raise
the revenue wholly from tea, coffee,
sugar, etc, articles which we DO not
produce, admit duty free iron, wool
lens, and other articles which we do
produce, thus discriminating IN favor
Of the foreign producer against the
American. In this they are strongly
supported 10y the Democracy, who
clanor for a return to the good old
times OF Democratic mlsfu!e, as ex-
emplitied in the years 1857, SO, 80,
when Free Trade had reduced the
nation almost to the verge of bank
ruptcy, and prostrated business Of all
kinds,and lowered the !aborers wages
nearly to a paupcr level. Such is
the invariaUle result Of lowering the
tariff to the Free Trade standard
Yet there are those among us who
wish to repeat the disastrous expert.
ment. Free Trade. n its neal kin
revenue tariff, would, if adopted, de.
s.roy the greater part OF our homo
industry. With our furnace fires
put out, our factories and toundries
stopped English manufacturers woulC
control our markets, and raise the
prices to suit themselves. Expert
encc has proven that wherever they
have had control of our markets
they have not tailed to reap tie ben
eft. AS in the case of railroad bars
in 1916. in order to crush out oul
mills which were making them to-
$50 a ton, they sold Is two hundred
thousand tons for $40. Having by
this means, destroyed American com
petition, III Il great measure, they
raised the price and sold us II mill
ION tons at $50 a ton. This, anC
other similar instances, created The
panic of 1857. Yet, this was under
a low ven tariff, which our he
publican and Democratic Free Ira
| ders would have us initiate. Blu
says some intense Free Trader, "tht
wooiien and Gotten manufacture
have a monopoly OF this line OF bust
ness, and are making money too fast.
How can they have a monopoly
when every mar is free to 60 into
the business that lie wishes to: Their.
is no law to hinder him from making
and selling goods as cheap as posi-
BILE. Monopoly is an exclusive righ'
to sell or manufacture any article. /
was formerly granted by Kings t.
their favoritcs, but it is impossible il
free America. Gle rly, then, thu
wooden manufacturer is not a monop
olist. Pennsylvania is often quoted
as having a monopoly OF the coal anc
iron intcrcst-yet there arc millions
of acres OF mineral lands (both Goa
and irony lying outside OF her limits
much OF winch is yet in the posses
sion OF the General Government. II
can be bought at a nominal price
an3 is awaiting capital and labor to
open up it's wealth. Z Yet, Free Ira.
ders prefer to invest their capital in
u. S. bonds, or IN contributions Ia
the Free Trade League, instead Of
making that enormous profit Which
they declare every maker of pig iron
obtains. They seem to lack that
earnest faith in their own declara-
tons, which every rgh.-minded MI
should possess. Some object to Pro
lection on the groui.d. that it cnhaces
the cost OF the article to the consum-
ers. We admit that it does IN some
instances, at first, but the ultimate
result is exactly the reverse-tor the
competition cngendered by the tariff
reduces the paice below it's former
standard, and renders the reduction
permanent. AS, for instance, IN 1867,