The daily gazette., 1875-01-05
. Indirect Tdscation,
From The Chtcaao Ti.ib,tne..

From The Chicago Tribune.
The good the tariff does to the favored
Few Is concentrated ana felt. The evil il
does to the mulcted many is felt, but not
appreciated. A man who suffers from
the duty does so without, in many cases.
knowing why. He buys q suit Of domes-
tc-made clothes for $G5 and grumbles at
the tailor Tor tho price when he should
lnvelgh against the tariff. If his bill
were made out in this way:
Cost OF suit, plus profits $40
bounty to protect manufacturer. =. rs
Total .....................................Sss .Sss
ne would at once appreciate the tax he
was paying. He would begin to doubt
tne wisdom o. allowing one III his fellow.
citizens, because the latter manufac.
tured cloth, 10 collect S25 extra of him
whenever he bought coat, vest and pan.
falcons. If all his tailor and store b;lIs
were made out in this way, he would
spedliy become the voeiferous opponent
OF what Is called protection :" But be.
cause the tax is collected indirectly and
seml-secretly from the many, while il
streams steadily into the pockets of the
lew, the zeal shown in defending "pro.
lection Is ten-fold that displayed in de.
lending it. If the conditions were re.
versed, the practice of putting pre-.
mum on scarcity would cease. As it is,
touching confidence that truth is sure
to prevail without any outside aid is
SHOWN, while error has many hackers
fennsylvanla supports q number OF So
calied worklngman papers, in and out of
tnat State. These sheets preach "pro-
lection and irredeemable shinplasters.
twin relics Of ignorance, untiringiy. In
editorials, in extracts, in machine-made
verse and story, they hammer prejudice
into the heads Of voters. One OF them
prints pathetic tale. purporting to be
told by a shlp-carpenter. He comes to
the yard and finds it closed. The fore
man says that the tariff has been low
cred, and that work has therefore ceased.
lhe carpenter starves slowly through
several columns.
AT the last moment, when wife and
children are drinking tea made out of
shavings and hot water, while the hus-
pahd ana rather turns away to hide his
Tears, the foreman runs in, crying =
Haven't you heard the news2 The
tariff has been raised. Come to work,
and you'll get 81 a day, and 80 cents
more when the tariff Is raised a peg
higher The story closes with grand
tabieau OF the happy family repeating
IN unison some pathetic fallacy to the
effect that high tariffs make high wages.
lhe verse OF the Protectionist muse ia
in this style:
protection gives us work.
IL makes our wages high
free trade. 1t means grim want
Low wages, misery,
Such twaddle, put before uneducated
minds, tells. In such ways, subsidies
LOT SPECIAL classes are preached with un-
tiring energy to thousands of Journey
men who hear little or nothing of the
other side. 1t is not surprising then,
that they, who suffer more, perhaps,
than any other class from the taxation
effects OF high tariff, are its earnest
supporters.
In England, organized energy carried
freedom OF production, just as it here
defeats 1t. The Free Trade League COW
cred the surface of Great Britain with
tracts, and put lecturer in every town.
The work was long and at first apparent
ly hopeless. The London Times thun-
dered against the theory. Suddenly, it
took, up the cudgel in its defense and
the day was won. Toll was finally unfet-
tered, unhandicapped and triumphant.
British trade was freed from its fetters.
English prosperity has scarcely been
checked for an instant since, and the
nation now rolls in wealth, and thou
sands OF English artisans who come to
America to enjoy Protection after
Trying it for time are returning home
sick and disgustcd Herewith.