Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-29
THE TARIFF AGAIN.

prices of to-day, we invited it to insti-
tute similar comparison with the
prosperous years"Of Republican tariff
rule. Here is its response:
As figures afforded by the workings
of our present tariff seem to answer no
purpose in convincing our contempora.
~, let us illustrate with the price OF
bar iron under the influence of the tar
if from 1918 to 1880, taken from the
price current In Boston. In 1913 the
duty was SO per ton, and the price, in
Guiding the duty, S104. In 1926, duty
SIS, price, including duty, 500. In
1880, duty S2240; price, includ-
ing duty, 500. This makes a good
showing in favor of protection, and
the reason Of it Is perfectly plain.
When the tariff wasfrst levied We had
but little, or probably 40 domestic, pro-
duction, and depending entirely upon
the foreigner, he charged us what he
pleased. But the chief advantage of
protection is that it diversiies our in
dustries. renders US independent of for
eigners, and causes us to produce the
necessaries and luxuries of life from
our own material. and with our own Ia
Dor, which under the other system, we
should be compelled to purchase from
foreigners.
We need hardly remind our readers
that the tariff of 1850 did not cause
a 1.-THE of the exactions now imposed
on us, nor work one hundredth part of
the injustice to which our agricultural
sections are to-day subjected. All the
convincing" figures, paraded above,
utterly failed to convince such cham
pions Of Americas infant industries as
Henry Clay, who, IN 1888, consented to
the gradual extinction Of that tariff, in
nocent as it was, compared with the
present monstrosity. Figures that
failed to convince the giants of that
generation, cannot bolster poor argu-
ment at this late day.
The policy of encouraging infant
industries is not the question. The
manufacturers of the Northeastern
States are no longer infants, but giants
giants Of monopoly. 1t is not for
eign competition, but that in our own
country which affects and retards Ten
nessee's development. 1t is Pennsyl-
vania capitalists who buy our ore lands
to lock them up In idleness. 1t is
Northern mOnopoists of various grade,
from plow-making to match making,
which stiae struggling enterprises
among us by stocking the market and
underselling. We have abundance of
iron, but let any man dare start astove
foundry or a nail factory. He will
soon find that Northern capital has
glutted the markets of his section with
their wares, TO sell them at losing rates
till they starve him ont. Meanwhile,
they make up the loss by advancing
rates IN distant sections, and of course
can do likewise here, after their rival
has been driven from the field.
This power of manufacturing combi-
nations to crush out new and strug-
Cling enterprises among US, results
largely from the protection" of the
past which has built them up. OF
course it is greatly intensified by the
immense amount of capital they con-
troll, while we have none to back home
industries in the prolonged struggle
necessary to establish them on a firm
basis. Besides, these Northern industries
have gradually become systematized.
The entire field has been explored and
occupied. Large factories and ample
capital have reduced the cost of pro-
duction to a minimum, with which
smaller establishments, designed to
meet the wants Of smaller area, can
not compete. By neglecting to consider
these great obstacles to our indus
trial progress, we often allow oul-
selves to be blamed for want of
enterprise and foresight, when all we
lack is opportunity. Reverse the rela-
tive positions Of Massachusetts, and
Tennessee to-day, and even the cute
Yankee would find it an uphill bust
ness to buck against protection, or
gained industry and capital all at
once
Tennessee is pre-eminently an agri-
cultural State, and, as such, all its
interests initiate against protective
tariff. From the considerations above,
it viii be seen that, even as a manufac-
turing State, Tennessee has no interest
in protection. 1t Is not our policy to
vote Pennsylvania a thousand dollars,
in order to vote ourselves one dollar.
The rivals of Tennessee industries are
not in England, or France or
Belgium; they are just north Of
the Ohio. A Federal tariff gives Ten
nessee no protection against them.
The humbug is transparent. The
Chattanooga Commercial talks glibly of
producing "the necessaries and lux
uries of life from our own mate
rial and with our own labor"
Would it take the shortest cut for Sc
curing that result in Tennessee? If
so, let it advocate an amendment to the
Federal Constitution, allowing State
tariff that would give the premium to
Tennessee manufactures. Such course
would be the perfect logical sequence
of its Chinese-wau policy of protec-
ton.
No, the true policy of Tennessee, as
a manufacturing State, is to join in
abolishing a system of protection from
which other States reap the lions
share, while we can get only a few
crumbs system that's daily strength
ening the giant lnonopolies which are
our real rivals.