New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-01-04

Below We give an extract from the report of
the Committee on Manufactures to the last
House Of Representatives, showing {" what pro-
lection has done" to promote the prosperity of
the country, it's relation to our national indus
trial interests, and especially its influence upon
+" the wages of labor !" all of which we com.
mend to the earnest consideration of our read
ers. They are subjects that come right home
to the hearths and pockets of all who earn their
bread by the sweat of their brows, as most
Americans must, whatever their color or condi-
ton:
WHAT PROTECTION HAS DONE.
That country only can consume manu- features
sbundantly which has the means of producing
them at home. If the masses of the American
people are the beet fed, tho beet clothed, sae
best educated, and the most comfortable in their
homes of any people on the face Of the earth,
it is due to the wisdom of our fathers, who
founded system, in the main thus far pre-
served, which has elevated the prices of labor
stimulated ambition and thirst for knowledge
among the toilng millions, who elsewhere have
no hopes or desires beyond their toll, which
has fostered diversity of employment, which has
at the same time chespened prices and increased
the capacity for purchasing, and which has
brought production in this country to it's
highest power by preserving profitable home
market for ell the products of diversified do
nestle industry.
THE PROTECTIVE QUESTION AT HONE.
AneIperience Of over eighty years has shown
that every individual withdrawn from agricul-
ture to manufactures, and each of his depend.
ents, remains consumer of exactly FIVE bushels
Of wheat, or a barrel Of -four, the produce of
our own agriculture. The farmer loses com.
petitor for the sale Of his surplus produce, and
at the same time gains a consumer and saves
the cost of transportation of just SO much to a
foreign market The same experience has
shown that every furnace and mill constructed
by protected industry has been to the waste
land surrounding it what the spring of water is
to the desert. producing not fguratively, but
literally, an oasis Of verdure in the most arid
waste. While the produce of an acre of land
would buy but a ton Of iron from abroad, the
same land producing vegetables. which could
not be transported, will purchase Eve tons of
iron produced in the vicinity of the farm 1t
has shown that the value of land is doubled and
qusdrupled by the vicinsge of manufacturing
that while the manufacturers
as a whole have not realized even half the legal
rate Of interest upon their investments, the
poor granite lands of Massachusetts, in conse.
quence Of these investments, are worth $57 an
acre, as much as the rich cslcareous lands Of
New York that Massachusetts, and Philsdel.
phia consume more Of the products Of the Uni
ted States than all Europe; that taking any
average year. 1860 for instance, when the az
gregate value of ell the products Of our agri.
culture was 81 500, OO0, 900, and our exports OF
these products was $272, 600 600, including cot
ton, which amounted to s24, OOO, 900, the home
is nearly seven times az much as
the export demand, and excluding cotton from
the totals Of production and Of expert, on ac-
count Of its exceptional character, our home
consumption Of the products Of agriculture is
more than twenty times as great as our exports
10 all foreign countries. In fne, il has been
sxempli6ed here, by comparison Of the pres
emit with the period when Mr.. HAMILTON wrote,
'"Ss tno Po'ShoSAnS Po"OA Vi pcopicl WuU uhfc
duly mingled manufacturing with agricultural
industry, is tenfold that Of purely agricultural
community. The producers In this blended
industry purchase from each other, and the
only limit of the power of purchase 10 the !
power Of production.
WAGES OF LABOR.
The first duty Of governmrnt = fer the |
people" 10 to sustain the wages Of THAR labor,
and q government by the people will never
all to protect their most vital interests. Free |
rade aims to diminish prices by reducing the /
wages Of labor. Its advocates unblashingly |
lvow such sentiments as are found published |
o leading New York paper OF the current
month:
"One Of the immediate effects Of high |
arif is to keep up the price Of labor, which 10
more than four times as high in this country -