Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-01-25


TO suit the fancles Of theorists. DR.. Elder,
In his "Qucstlous Of the Day" has some facts
and figures not unworthy of consideration at
this time. In 1850 England sought to make
another ireland Of America by forblddingthe
manufacture Of any article produced In the
old country. Iron In the rough might bo
gotten out and sent home" ne charcoal was
we'll nigh exhausted in England, but all roll
ing mills, tilt hammers aud establishments
for the manufacture Of steel were specially
forbidden. 10 the same year great British
statesman became alarmed, and declared the
colonies should not be permitted to make
even a nall The navigation laws were also
enacted to hold this country In commercial
and Industrial yassalage to the mother noun-
try. During the revolutionary war our man
ufacurcs per force, were protected" and
at its close we were found considerably ad-
yanced In those skilled industries which make
a country self supplying. From the success
attained, Alexander Hamilton, In his ccle-
brated report upon manufactures In lTsl,
argued the wisdom OF protecting and encour-
aging our home Industries. He enumerated
seventeen grand departments which were
then well established, ~ well In the Southern
a. in the Middle and Northern States. OF
textile fabrics he reported that In several
kinds the domestic fabrication was not only
sufficient for home use but vas exported to
foreign countries.
After the treaty Of peace In l7S3, during
seven Jears our manufacturers received 0
check on account OF want OF power In the
old confederation and there being no con
currenc Of policy among the several State
| According to a member Of the irst Federal
| Congress, we bonght-as the modern theorists
would now have us buy-where we could
purchase cheapest, and were soon Inundated
with foreign commodities. Our manufac-
turers were ruined; oar merchants, even
those who had hoped TO enrich themselves
by importation, became bankrupt, aud all
these causes united had such an effect upon
agriculture that general depreciation Of real
estate followed. and failures became general
among landowners. In i7s6 the scarcity OF
money was so great that riots aud comhlna-
tlons took place to resist the laws enforcing
payment. .
chief Justice Marshall, referring to shay's
rebellion, gave the above reasons for all the
| Troubles OF tue uhes. ihs conoliou VI NJ
fairs caused the States TO adopt more per
feet system OF government and the eonfed.
eracy gave way to the uuion OF the states, by
which Congress was empowered TO establish
al effective system Of commercial regulations
for the nation. Suffering had made our peo-
pie Of one opinion on the subject Of protec.
ton. In hearty sympa,hy with this feeling,
Washington wore a coat of domestic cloth
MS lnauguration' .....
| In lf9l--two years after tho adoption OF
the FIRST protection act-the President refer
red to the happy Effects OF the action OF the
General Government In promoting useful
manufactures The rates oil tarlh adopted
were too low to act unaided, but the wars In
Europe and our own embargo and non
Intercourse acts OF lsOI and lsO9 gave an
impulse TO our infant Industries. A Con-
gressional report In lsl5 places our cotton
and woolcn manufactures at more than sixty
million per anuum. After the battle Of
Waterloo and the treaty OF peace, the tarih
OF l5lowas found TOO inadequate TO keep out
the Hood OF importatons, aud from 1917 tC
1884 general distress prevailed aud th'
patriots OF both parties united 10 Impose
higher duties ou imports. This was I'm
proved In ls2S, aud the happlest results 70
lowed. In lsSs2 the duties werc nodded and
tea and coffee and number OF articles eN'
empted which did not Interfere with do
nestle production. The country was 30
prosperous, and the treasury so full, that
theorists began to teach free trade fallacies,
and the compromise act oil 1883 passed.
The Imports In the ilrst three years aver.
aged one hundred and twenty-five millions
against an average OF seventy millions for th'
last fye years OF the act OF 1888. At the enc
Of 1896 there was surplus In the Treasury
Of forty-siN and half millions This wa
considered proof that lower duties yield large
revenuesl The fact Il, that forty-iour and I
half millions OF this amount came from tn
public lands, which never before had yielded
more than three millions In any one year, bu
, the destruction OF manufactures had driVei
so many west that the land sales increased
, from i've millions In 1854 to hiteen In ISIS
and In 1885 nearly Twenty-Five millions. Tn
revenue was less In every one OF these thre
years than II had been since 1870 move
ment, collateral and concurrent, ran alon
with these changes In tho Industrial policy @