The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-09-08

revenues by taxes upon imports is not, however,
to be abandoned, and IL will not be possible,
ev. n IL it were desirable, to frame laws which
will yield such revenues as will be required from
this source without giving home industry liberal
protection.
Now, what think the people should earn
estly and consistently contend for is a tariff in
which revenue should be the object. and not the
incident; that a commission, fairly represent
ing the Inherent sections of the country, be ap-
pointed by Congress TO prepare bill, the aim
of which should be TO raise the NE cessary reve
nues from the smallest number of articles, dis
should De so clear in its provisions and language
that common people could understand il.
suggest that such bill should be prepared by a
commission, be- cause il seems TO me the only
means by which an Ineligible, symmetrical,
and consistent bill can be secured. AS long as
tariff bills are prepared by committees thai do
not com nand the confidence of the House in a
sufficient degree 10 insure their passage through
such bills are subject TO still further alteration
by the Senate, and receive their final
| ences amid the haste and confusion di.
tingushing the closing hours of the session
we shall have inconsistent patchwork, difficult
TO unders and, and fruitful o. fraud and litiga-
ton, instead of sy mmetrcal, consistent, and In
telligible laws. Ii is true that the work of a COM
mission would be subject to the same ordeal as
would the reports of the ways and means and
ancial committees; bu' as the commission
pairing tariff it would be more likely to fairly
repre- ent the different sections of the country,
than committee: It would have more time fo-
II cofapo ed, as 1t ought to be, of allie and up
right men-not partisans, nor the r personalities
of par ocular interests-I believe such a commits
sion would pre- pare a bill that could be carried
through both houses without change.
,n II can noI De t deqed, aPPaehend, that by
THE PEOPLE ARE BADLY CHEATED;
that it is in regard to articles pr ohibitory
that it increases the cost of many things with
out yielding revenue enough ,herefrom to cover
the expense of collection, thereby probing home
anufacturers TO the amount that increased
| by its heavy duties upon some kinds of "a " ma.
terials Ii has rendered improbable and gradu-
ally destroyed industries that, before the war,
thatsit is dif1cult of interpretation an Il on some
points inconsistent thus opening the door TO- if
not inviting, fraud on the part OF i'm porters and
giving opportunity for oppressive and dishonest
practices to the Officers of the customs Whether
| the protective principle be retained not,
there is no question that the present tariff should
| be subjected TO a thorough revision; and be-
which 1t ought to be done-through the agene v of
| a commission. The policy of protection should,
in my, Judgment, be abandoned, because it
avors by direct legislation particular interests;
| because IL induces the manufacturer to rely
upon the government In contest with foreign
competitors, instead OF cultivatfng skill, econ
omy and a spirit of self reliance, which are so
important for success in all branches of business
| because, as we can not sell literally unless we
buy literally, ii diminishes the foreign demand
| for on agricultural and other products, and,
consequently, lessons the price of them because
| Ii is inconsistent with The spirit of the age,
| which demands that all unn, ceSsary obstacles in
the way OF he reest exchange of pr ducts be-
because its ends, IL not its aim is to enrich the
| few at the expense OF the many. In its essential
a tariff may be defended for a lime. like eS an
| irredeemable currency, on the ground of
necessity, but not as permanent, national
RaVe been PERIODS IN Re 6ist to of o naI
features when protection was necessary
in order that inducements might be
| offered N
| them, and that labor might be properly edu-
eminent, no longer need prot elton against for
eign capital and skill. they were not able in
! but even this thew will not be required do as
they will have the advantage over their for reign
transpOrtat on afford. That this will be suf-
ficent not only 10 enable them TO continue bust
| handsome prOnts there can be little doubt. If
! there be any kind of manufsc turlng in the
United States hut can not live with such adj
] vantageS as a u Iii iOus revenue tariff and the
| costs of tranSpo tation from distant countries
| give il is very clear th-t it is untitled 10 the
ought not TO be encouraged / have so high an
opinion of the faculty for invention and apti-
tude in the use of machine yOt my countIymen
| that am satisfied there is no branch of manu-
features suited to the coun that has pros
pered under existinz laws which would not
continue TO prosper even under a system of abso-
lutte free trade. tits very certain that under a
wise tariff many new industries would come
l.,
| or are languishing under existing laws, would
be restored to life and quickened into prosperity.
have time TO mention but once instance. Iron
| steamships can even now be built as cheaply in
the United States as they be in Euro re.
With reduction OF duties upon the materials
which are used in their construction they could
be built cheaper, so that the great ship yards for
building iron ships, not only for the United
States, but for other nations would be found, at
no distant day, on the Delaware instead of the
Clyde.
The great state of PENNSYLVANIA, an empire OF
|
| depended upon IL, but she will never know how
great her resources and power are nor what her
people are cap BILE of accomplishing, until she
ceases to look TO the government to protect her
interests and
LEARNS TO RELY UPON HERSELF.
There is no more reason why she should ask
| the government to protect her iron manufactu-
rers against foreign competitors than against
the competition of Missouri, Virginia and Ten
nessee The plea that American abor must be
protected against what is called the '.pauper
labor" of Europe Is, If may use the expression,
furnaces of Europe Is myth. Skilled labor is
in as reat demand, and is as costly, estimating
other side OF the Atlantic as on this. Ii 1t were
not so the difference would be more than equal
rer cy In % ha aTe in e
United States the best cotton mills in the world,
with all the capital that is needed to run
them and we are producing more cotton than
| can be grown elsewhere. Is it possible that the
cotton spinners of New England need protection
agaluSt the cObtOu SpluutIs VI OItdb DIltdlu9
II We have iron literally cropping out of the
earth-mountains of it, in fact-of the best
i quality, and coal for smelling and manufacture
4 ing IL in its immediate neighborhood. In Great
| Britain iron is only found hundreds, if not
thousands of feet below the surface, large por-
ton of which has TO be transported at great ex-
4 pense to the coal districts to be manufactured,
and at still greater expense when manufactured
4 to the markets of the United States. Do the
iron makers o. Tennessee, Missouri and Penn
sylvania need to be protected against competi-
ton from England? Coal, the producer of the
4 great motive power of the world-coal, when is
found in sinexhaustible supply throughout this
4 ing, and in the older States is used by almost
every family for fuel. should coal be increased in
price, tariff which prevents the introduction u
IL from the Dominion of Canada? Is it right
that every family in the United States should
pay extra price for the salt it uses for
the benefit of the few who are man ufacturing it.