The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-08-21
Ghs 9ailg Atsns,
Thursday. August q, 1878.
FREE TRADE VS.. PROTECTION


College, Williamstown, Mass, read a paper
on "Quid Pro Quo before the Liberal /
Club in New York City, in the course of
which he spoke Of the tariff as follows
In conclusion, and very briefly, / want
10 show you that what is called 'Protec
ton in tariffs is delusion and a lie
that its principle, if once admitted into the
science, would overthrow the whole struc-
ture Of exchange 20 its foundation-stone
The principle of Protection is that n few
people may dictate 10 all the rest what
they shall buy and where. We meet the
principle as we do the burglar at the
threshold we deny admittance 10 it as to
him, and for the same reason not more
surely will he, if he gain entrance, rob us
Of what is most precious than will this
principle il admitted destroy a most sacred
right of the people. My quid and your
quid and our neghbOrs quid-sense and
science say it, and sense aud science are
the voice of God-may find each its own
chosen quo without let or hindrauce But
Protection says, No That quid shall
take my quo, which / admit is AN inferior
one, or go without And then, like those
of old frames its mischief into a law. II
my neighbor the miller eau get law pass
ed that | and the rest of my neighbOrs shall
buy all our flour and meal and buckwheat
and hominy at his mill, although we can,
aud because we can get better articles at a
cheaper rate at another mill the other side
OF the town Il may be very well for him I;
but as men Of sense and spirit-as know
ing our rights, and knowing dare to main
tain them--we do not propose to stand it,
That law is unjust Ii robs us of our pro
pcrty: it makes our quid fetch less, when
God and nature would give it more That
law shall 20 under This simple ease illus
trates the whole thing perfectly That
miller IS prOtectiOnist, my neighbors and
| are free traders. This so-called PrOtec-
ton, however.ik everything that is crafty
and devilish and dangerous in this world,
knows how 10 put on plausible exterior.
IL DISCUSSES itself rs much rs it can. 1t
steals II name that is no more descriptive
of its nature than the name "honcy-dew
properly describes that brand OF tobacco.
A tariff is a combination of taxes, the
name derived from Tarita, an old town on
the Straits OF Gibraltar where the Nloor~
had u castle under whose guns ships were
stopped and compelled % pay tribute ac-
cOrding u the estimated value Ot their car
20 As tariff taxes on imported goods.
properly levied, are perfectly uueVcep
tlOua mode of raising part OF the rev
euue that government requires, thl. falls,
Protection sees "A chance tn hide itself anJ
vet work out It's ends II says, Just la,
these duties now on foreign goods whitl
CORRESPOND n the goods which make her,
at home which will raise the price of th1sD
goods t. the extent of the tax %
more aud ! can then raise the price ut m,
goods here at home 10 the extent of tn
tax or less. Aha let us look at il
the tax gu the foreign goods be 50 high a
thereafter 10 exclude them and nnthini
pleaSe- the protectiDnist so much rs that
government gets no penny of revenue from
"a tax which yet makes the people pay
great deal in the higher price of the cor
responding domestic goods Tariff taxes
like all other taxes, are osteusibly laid tp
revenue IL the goods. on which they ar
laid are thereby excluded government get
nothing, the people pay much in the high
or price OF the domestic goods which hay
now mo- competition. and Protection Is il
rs glory Everybody must bring his girls
~ my millers mill You see that th
perfection of Protection is the death u
revenue. Millions OF money are paid cy
cry year hy the people ut the United State
IN consequence Of tariff taxes which reulil
tO the Treasury not one single penny
Revenue is received only as the good
come in Protection L. perfect only a. 'h
goods are kept out u the goods are sep
OUT not only does government get no rev
nue. not only are people obliged 10 pa
artificial price. for the home goods CORE,
pondng but where Is the market for tn
native products that would otherwise b
exchanged against the foreign product
now excluded "Quid pro quo Is tn
rule of foreign trade Just rs il is OF dume,ti
trade. Foreigners never bring auythiu
hither except for the sake of carryin
something home II the law filings it, fl,
In their face a. they are coming u no ICES
rudcly, by the same act, fling it, list /
the face Ut IT, own citizens who were wait
iuc for their coming u make with then
profitable exchange II their quid is ez
cludcd what becomes of our duuP [
loses its best aud trecly-chosen market
It's value Is partially or wholly DESTROYED
To make an artificial market for one elias
Of citizens Protection necessarily destroy
the natural market Of another class /
the death of revenue follows the pertectip
OF Protection it Is Just as true that tn
perfection Of revenue is the death Of Pr
lection. II lower tariff tax but PARTIAL
excludes the foreign goods, then govern
meut gets some revenue ON the goods tina
still come in but the people pay muc
more IN consequence Of the tax than GOV
crnment gets. They pay the tax on al
that is consumed, domestic as well as tur
eigu. The perfection Of tax is one tina
realizes To government all lhat the peopl
are made 10 pay in consequence of il
But the sole aim Of Protection is 10 rails
artihclally the price Of certain domcsti
goods by means Of a tax levied on iOrCig
goods Therefore revenue and pr1tcctiD
are Incompatible with each other Whor
Protection begins there revenue begin
tu diminish, where Protection ends Their
revenue has ceased. In one word. tar
i'll taxes are most productive and are in,
right when they are laid at low rates. So a
not essentially to interrupt natural trade
on comparatively few things only. So a.
disturb trade at As few points as possible
and on things whollyimported from abroad
so as 10 raise the price Of nothing but Tia
things themselves and the government
consequently gets all that the people nav
Such tariff taxes as | have Just describe
have England and Germany, aud Belgium
and partially also France England take
in her tariff but eighteen articles and Ger
many but 1872 at low rates, aud these ard
cles for the most part not produced a
home. These taxes are productive an
they are satisfactory Our own tariff a
present taxes BY actual count 2.3lT differ
articles, many of them at unhearl-of rate,
and by preference those articles the likcu
which are also produced AT home. Itthu
violates every principle OF a revenue tart
and becomes a gigantic tool in the hand
of leagued mOnOpDlists for the uppressiu
of the people The very salt we eat. th
blankets that warm Us while we sleep tn
carpets we tread on when we wake. th
iron and steel rails we roll over in our iouJ
neys, aud unnumbered things besides hav
paid extortion taxes, not the government
but to swell the income Of millonaries.
DO you say we are young country an
must encourage infant industries? re
ply the protective duties Of to-day are ju,
three times higher on the average tina