New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-04-09
Continued from second Dage.
The Value OF Protection TO Far.
rsaers and x;sbOrers Where
TRcfr Trt.e Interests lie.

congress the present session so pregnant
with facts and information touching the
interests of the farmers, working-men, man.
uiacturers, and indeed every other industrial
portion of the American people, as that OF
the Hon. Moses w. Field, upon which we
make some comments in another place to-day.
Believing we can render the industrial classes
OF our people no greater service than by
doing what in us lies towards removing
whatever misconception and prejudice may
exist in their minds in regard to the policy of
protection, we publish below an extended alb
stract ofthis speech which exhibit remarkable
research and industry. 1t can leave little
doubt on the minds of any honest inquirer
alter truth that the welfare Of the farmers and
laborers of the nation, as well as that of
manufacturers, is involved in this question
OF protection to american industry. Mr..
Field cnumcrates in detail the effect of this
policy of protection upon the various pro-
ducts of The country:
The last fcal year the importations of
butter were 4,l76,222l pounds, which, with
the duty at cents per pound, yielded
SlG', IFS revenue. Now the price Of butter
in our markets was not affected by this i'm
portation; but the Canadians or others who
shipped this butter took the American price,
the same price our farmers got for Il like
quality, paying 4 duty, however, of ! cents
per pound before the butter could be sold in
our markets. If We remit the duty on batter,
the foreign producer would realize just that
much more.
Cheese was imported amounting to So 440,-
1876 pounds; paying a duty Of Genes per
pound, and yielding in the aggregate $I37 ,GlS.
This amount was paid into the Treasury by
the foreign producer Of cheese.
Poultry was imported amounting to :93, 1GT.
The duty being 10 per cent, the Canadians
were obliged to pay 50, so into the Treasury
before they could sell their poultry in our
markets.
The duty on hams is . cents per pound.
and llS,Sj2 pounds havin" been imported,
the Treasury received $2,3T in gold on for
eicn bacon and hams.
The duty on tallow is | cent per pound,
and the duty on lard is } cents per pound,
yielding Il handsome revenue to the Treasury.
Fire-wood was imported in 1872 to the
amount of $29l 800, paying duty of 20 per
cent, and yielding to the Treasury !: 20 800;
but on the LIST Of August, 1872, this duty was
repealed. and since that no revenue has been
collected or received from this source.
After the lst of August the Canadian dis
posed of his wood in our market, and, there
being no longer duty upon it, he went home
with the entire avails, receiving the same
price as the American for the same quality
of wood. The market price was not altered
by the reduction of duty. The price in the
market continued, with slight variations, for
a short time, and then the price went up.
The Fort y-Slcpnl il,
repeating the duty on iirc-woOd, generously
put into the pockets Of the Canadians at
least $4,000 in gold per annum.
The duty on hay is 20 per cent, yielding
to the Treasury last year sSl ,23J, and in
1872 the revenue derived from this scarce
was $li0,i32. Some may think that the
price is made by reason Of this duty 20 per
cent. higher all over the country. But such
is not the case. The quantity imported as
compared with the domestic production is too
insignificant to affect the price in any case
or at any point. Total value of the hay inn
ported last year was less than 100000:
whereas the value of the crop of the United
States is estimated at 800, 900 900. There
fore TO assert that the quantity imported has
any effect upon the prices in the American
markets would be as absurd as to contend
that q glass of lager-beer thrown into the
river at the Point Of Books would produce
such 4 food in the Potomac as to sweep the
Washington Monument into the Chesapcake
Bay.
The duty ON hops is five cents per pound
1t should be raised to ten cents per pound.
Why should we allow the Canadians to come
into our markets and slut them with their
hops, paying only five cents per pound for
the right aud privilege Of selling them here,
when by imposing ten cents per pound we
weuld double the revenue: The farmers Of
Wisconsin, of Michigan, of New York, and
Ohio, can supply our markets with hops. The
production of these States during the past
year has exceeded $50 200, 900 pounds, but if
we are 10 allow foreigners TO crowd our pro-
ducers cut OF our own markets by reducing
the duties or making the duties Intellectual
and non-produtivc, then our own farmers will
be compelled to throw up their hands, and
we shall, in this way, stimulate aud aug
ment foreign labor to the detriment of our
own.
On the lst Of August, 1872, the duty on
potatoes was reduced 10 cents per bllshcl
thereby putting into the pockets olthe Cana
dams and the people of bermuda 10 cents in
cash Oh every bushel Of potatoes which they
have sid i'll our markets since that time.
The revenue derived from this source in 1871 :,
when the duty was - cents per bushel, was
$l01 ,9Sj. 1t cannot be claimed that the
price of potatoes is reduced in our markets
by repeating the duty. Those who live on
or near the frontier know that this is not So
The farmer from Canada, when he sells po-
tatocS IN our markets, accepts the market
price, and when we exact duty that
duty must be deducted from the price in
estimating the net avails of his crop. The
quantity imported has never exceeded 500
600 bushels, while the product Of the United
States is over l30,000,000 bushels per an
mum. Free-traders contend that the duties
imposed by the tariff arc paid by the Amcr-
can people; and they sometimes 90 even
beyond that and claim that the amount of
the duty is not only added to the price simply
OF the quantity of the commodity imported,
but that the duty has the effect to advance
the price Of the entire product of the United
States to the fulleXtent of the duty.
While a doctor Of divinity whom they had
hired for such work was dilating in the city
OF Detroit, OH the Canada border, on the en-
ormous wrong done the American people by
the tariff advancing the prices of commodi-
ties all over the United States to the extent
of the duties imposed on the quantity I'M
ported, he happened to speak of potatoes,
saving, "Look mt this outrageous duty the
m0nopolists have laid, of % cents per bl,shel
on potatoes imported. 1t has the effect"
he said, "to advance the price of potatoes 81
cents per bushel all over the United States.n
But it SO happened that at that very time the
price of potatoes in that market was only %
cents per bushel.
The duty on dressed hogs is | cent per
pound, and the amount imported was 90, PA
pounds, yielding s9,902 revenue. You will
II. At