The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-04-10

labor, Instituted q movement IN laVorOl pro
lection; and. mainly through the popular ha-
tied Of the Dutch andtheir policy, the previ-
Gus hee-tra5s Legislation was overthrow.
AtsrH almost as restrictive and illiberal as
that OF the United States was adopted, and
It's effect is described by a leading Belgian
statesman, Mr.. Corr Van Der Malren, IN
words which would serve as a correct pic
ture of the present condition OF affairs IN
this country. He says:
"The manufacturers being In full possession
| of the home market, neglected 10 Keep pace
| with the improvements in productive! macnl-
nery which were going on I'M other countries:
and. produced only for the consumption OF
| their own limited market. Rendered Aus m
CAPABLE of competing IN. foreign Markets WIFI
their neighbors, they .lost.the commercial SUI,
port OIL, the: mercantie a11dts. S.nv NJ ihe
principal trades combinedtogether In order 10
maintain high prices, which weighed heaviiy
upon their unfortunate consumers; ouI luis
and every other means which they put 10
practice to profit. by the monopoly CONCEDED 70:
thencby the new legislation, could not iaso'
Producers and consumers, smut up IN one cs sgpd
found 1t too small for their movements, anu
trade continued to decrease. VIII give S94
an example, illustrative of the SITUATION. FOR
.eipn coal was taxed with q prohibltory duty;
The glass and other manufactures eslaollsneu
In the neighborhood Of the coal dlstrlcts WeIs,
of course, obliged 10 pay Inc prlce go aA min ~
until at length these manufactures actually
stopped working, because OF, the bIgh pFlce OF
fuel. They claimed. on their side the tprotec-
tlon' of the government against the monopoly
of the coal-masters; and The final result was
that, in order to. save the industrial 'estaollsn.
ments from ruin, the government was o9lge ef
the duty Professionally On the importation OF
coal. In ehort, the protective legislation, WIZ
Its privileges and monopolies, produced suc9
effects as his every day In various ways and
by conflicting interests."'
The Minister OF Finance, In 1851, de-
nounced the whole policy Of protection, and
the government then began to reform the
legislation. The manufacturers contested
every inch Of ground; but a new tariff was
passed in 1855, and, in 1885, the present
tariff, framed entirely on the basis OF reye-
nue., and without one feature OF protection,
was enacted. This tariff is the most liberal,
excepting that OF Great Britain, of any
civilized country, and Is framed solely for
obtaining revenue. No public man, author
or journalist q, any repute is in any degree
identified with protection, and the effects OF
the revenue tariff are entirely satisfactory to
all political parties! Nay more, the various
Chambers of Commerce of the Kingdom,
within the last ten years, have unanimously
voted resolutions In favor Of the desirabillty
Of the governments devising some financial
scheme whereby 1t could be enabled to dis,
p pc 8 with f. the raising Of revenue through
the, customs, and 30, by snppressipgg them
altogether, attain the position OF perfect free
trade. -5Etaf- - sli" rad
Under the protective tariff oi.ls54, the
duties Of Belgium produced TO-
,2S, 535 francs; but, under the free-trade
legislation Of 1865, the revenue Increased to
is, 764, s0s irancs-a gain Of nearly forty-ave
cent. This is the lesson to be learned
Belgium, Under free-trade, it has
aourished; but protection, whenever
t existed, has proved most disastrous to
The industry and commerce Of the country.