The New York herald., 1876-03-10
THE FREE TRADE ALLIANCE.

PAPER READ BY PROFESSOR W. @. SUMNER
UNITED STATES.
The usual monthly meeting of the Free Trade Alliance
took place yesterday evening After transaction of
routine business and the election of new members
Professor W. G. Sumner, OF Yale College, read the
second Of series of four papers Protection in the
United States" He opened by calling attention the
that the War of Independence a revolt against
UNJUST taxation and said that naturally followed
complicated laws made to control trade and drive
il into the forms which men thought wiser and better
than those of nature Export duties LAID on raw
materials to make them cheap; bountes laid on
exports OF manufactured goods IN order TO
increase exports; duties laid on i'm
ports diminish them; prohibitions were laid on
the expectation of Specie the expectation
chnery, or the emigration of Iaborers Navigation
laws including discriminating duties tonnage taxes,
passed to encourage shipbuilding educa-
ton OF sailors. All these things belonged to the great
system and the effect was isolate nations to rob
them of each others gains in literature and the arts
and Sciences and To cut OF all that highest development
which comes from the action OF States on States
The lecturer touched upon the treaty of Franklin,
Gerard and Dean, l77S between France and this
country and described its effect upon our commerce
and Industries zone nation" he said (which adopts
free trade gets more than II would II 1t put restraints
though all other nations may have restraints IL
gain Is multiplied at every step; but while they
hold back 4 gains much IL and makes the
OF bad state of things, while waiting for them TO
a better mind II II adopts freedom What would bo
thought OF grocer who refused trade with halter
who would sell him the best hats the lowest price
because the halter did not buy -four and sugar
himr The Professor proceeded to describe other
treaties made with foreign governments and entered
into long description OF the leaousies existing be-
tween the States Of the Confederation the question
OF Tree trade, quoting very largely from Madison
and Fisher Ames The duties levied under the tarif of
3 equivalent Dcr
cent; they raised next year III per cent ad
valorcm and IN 1892 to l31 per cent between the
tarn OF 1859 and 1916 passed
affecting duties, generally raising them
The Professor reviewed the points OF Alexander Ham
on's History OF the Manufacturers, y made December
o, l79l quoting largely from ~ aud characterized many
Of aamntons views as erroneous and untcnabe. le
had lately been told that protection brings the manu-
iacurer and the farmer nearer together This Is de-
uson. IL is much more important 10 bring the var-
manufacturers together because they groups
winch assist ana sustain each other, and u rs impor
tant To bring them 30 the country place where tho
conditions of success exist This place Will not bc
where the prohs OF capital and the wages OF labor IN
either agriculture commerce exceptionally high
Hence to carry factory by lorce INTO agricultural
district viii be TO ruin the factory and not help tho
farmer Where the pronts OF one industry FAR exceed
those of all Others have that only Whore the
profits Of equal We have the n all The adj.
yantages and disadvantages OF either state OF things
about equal
Amer paying a fitting tribute to namillon's candor
IN the discussion OF the subject the Professor closed by
giving some valuable statistics pig IRON" BY the
census Of 1870 the laborers engaged manufacturing
amounted 10 Sl2 400 600 The capital employed IL re-
turned at S56, 100000 We are pointed TO this as a
great industry grand thing 10 have. The duty was
when the census was taken so per ton. aud the
ket price OF American over imported iron showed that
this sum was directly added to the cost OF all used
The product OF the home manufacture was ? 600 900
tons, ON which the tarin SIS OOa of which
the public treasury got not seven per cent
on the capital pig iron manufacture would bo
$3,NO,OO0, which, with the wages paid TO aborers in
tat trade, would make $500 OO0 H. therefore We
had made bargain with the pig manufacturers to
uuViu mo thprt
", and with the people employed stay idle
while we paid them their iu wages, provided
that we might have iron free, we should
have made f2O00O0O per annum to say nothing
OF the fact that at the lower price, we might have
afforded much larger consumption OF iron. We
should, moreover, have had 500 engines apply
70 other work. We should nave saved 81 900. 900
worth OF coal, charcoal aud coke for other uses,
we should have left 1000 900 tons OF iron
ore IN tho ground for those who alter
us 70 use when they can do It pruhtahy. All
this IS on the protectonst hypothesis that this indus
try would not have existed but for the tarin,
hypothesis which / by means admit Now, u We
had had bounty instead Of tarin these facts
would be far more generally known than they are In
spection laws have been gradually laid aside. because
they interfere with trade They OstcnsOly IN the
public interest. and tar less Objectionable than the
other means ncntioned; but here the cry has been
raised TO be ''lct aiouep Patents we have extended
more and more, until any ploa winch may be made for
them Is overwhelmed under their abuse. The other
dcvices government banking and subsidies, wc are stun
struggling with"