The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-20
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GhegntelIiqeuttr:
FREE TRADERS ANSWERED..
Letter from tbs Venerable Andrew
~ stewart, of I'niOntOwn' ia.
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l'SIOSTOwN, Pa Apfh w. 10

SlH-ICTMlt AZ VIu pOAoSnNA
oil,css to, and through you TO Others,
,cw hricl reflections on the subject OF INT
,srilF now under discussion in the lloOs'
aver which you so ably preside
FTrst-It seems 10 me, Sir, that llietc y
aisputed fact on which tho whole taeo y
Office Trade, with all the speeCneS w ~
lha, subject depend for support, 'ha'
ought TO be settled before the debate can
prSperly proceed. Theiact, or ralher as,
sumption Is this, tina, all prOter'Ige, as well
~ ra1oDu" duties are mhied to Tie price q
he donS,Ir ~ rM as foreign goOis, ana
paid b., tie consumer" This has Away
neen 6snied-the proof repeatedly called
for bI,I never furnished, because upon ex
animation The reverse was found tobc TIT
truth. ,..,
tn settle this disputed question, whether
protective duties in the end increase or re-
luce prlces, let Mr.. Kerr send q resolu
lion to the Secretary Of the Treasury, to
furnish the price Of hOm6 manufactures
where the duties were first imposed fol
their protection, NnG the prices since
IRON time to time, as The supply has beer
increased by homo competition, expert
enCc and skill, which Mr.. Young, tht
able chief Of the bureau OF statistics car
soon supply, and thus settle now and for
ever, this important question o! fact, upon
tho truth OF which the free trade theory,
speeches and all, depend entirely for sup
port. .'. :,ooo -; :,
a. IS, il will be seen that 1t was then
proved by the prices current and mercan
Tile books, that protective duties levied on
articles We successfully manufacture al
home, had in the end, by the investment
Of capital, competition and,increased sup.
ply been invariably reduced in price, yet
in the face of these established facts gen.
emen went on then as now reitcrating
every day this false theory on which their
whole case depends that protective duties
Meadded to the price and paid by the con.
slllnCr.
Revenue duties levied on articles VIC
10 not produce, ii Is true, ore often added
to the price and paid by the consumer,
hut pr0tectire duties levied on articles We
can, and do successfully manufacture At
home have always been, in the end, II.
dlr,d in price by the increased supply
resulting from home competition, imprOv.
ed labor saving machinery, skill, expe.
reRCc, nc. The immediate effect how.
ever, Of high protective duty by cxclul.
lng foreign supply, is temporarily, to
,urrnnon tin nrirn LV ,;u,;u;sLiu, tho en,,
Ply; but this very increase Of price hastcns
its reduction by attracting capital from
other less profitable Cmploymenls, thereby
increasing home competition and supply,
aad 0t course in the end reducing the
price, Its admitted that this effect may
sometimes be interrupted by temporary
causes, war, famine, deprecated or re.
lundant currency, extraordinary demand,
&c. but these exceptions do not impair
the general truth OF this theory.
Now Sir, this whole matter is COntrOll-
I'd by one great law, generally ignored,
htIlHcr dcmGhd and supply, a law that
regulates the price Of all the necessaries
Of life with as much certainty rs the law
that regulates the Cbbing and flowing OF
the tides. Whatever Increases the SWpDly,
reduces the price, and whatever reduces the
SUPPLY increases the price. Hence it fol.
lows that the ultimate effect of protective
dAtles is TO reduce prices by increasing
home competition and supply.
In the debates of '44-'4G it, was shown
that in 1916, there was q duty,of about Z
cents II square yard imposed on cot.
ton goods then selling ut twenty.
i've and thirty cents per yard, by
abll reported by Mr.. Lownds and I'D.
vocatcd by Mr.. Calhoun, OF South Caro-.
lima, and thAt afterwards u duty OF 81 per
box was put on glass, 81 cents per pound
On nails, Nc, which ut the time of the de.
bate appeared TO be selling, cotton for 0
cents yard, glass 1t s. 80 n box, nails ut
u cents u pound. &c. Yet it was still
commended, then rs now, that the duty
was added 10 the price and paid by the
consumer. That is, that the consumer
who bought ayard of domestic cotton for
6cenls, paid cents duty; on box Of
glass he bought Tor 50 so lie paid 81 90
duty; on a pound OF nails he bought for
JtCcniS, he paid a duty Of 81 cents, These
facts were not denied bnt the theory Ind
obc maintained, that The duty was added
to the price, or ali their specches about
taxation, oppression, &c, would lave yan.
shed into Inc air. '''' ' ''N
Now have u few other questions TO
put to Mr.. Kerr, The able md astutc lead.
erof the Free Trade party which / hone
he will answer in the speecl he has nrom, rom
isCd TO make when the WAYS and Means
report the Tariff bill 10 the house, Now
Mr., Kerr, in speech few days aro 90.
tlmated the home manufacture Of iTon n,
$2O9000OOO; wool n, $l7G 600 md
cotton at $l70OOOOOO, making toTc,hcr
$HS0OOO0O. Then suppOsc Nr Kerr
who boasts that he il free trade from Tho
crown Of his head TO iLo sol" nr'b;s toot
succeeds in his efforts 10 rpIncc tls dn,iSS
On iron and wooden woods Lclow i%o NoiS,
OF adequate protection and ib"s Jc.ir T'"s
1878 900 OOO' The present homo .nnnI" Ia
says of iron and wooden roods Vh"t
would be the effect Of ,hia nm t%o r.; ""'
OF these articles in Tho mNrkois ~ ' ,,,o
world? Would thev M, hn Io, ", aTy