Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-01
NOTES ON THE CUSTOMS
TARIFF QUESTIONS.
Are Prices Increasing Under
A Judicious System OF
Pr0teotion2
Are the Farmers Injured by
A Protective Tariff.

| 0E-#N oS~S - wi IL ,nHu
the chirping of the spring chicken
Owen King, on the tariff question,
published in this paper, we give
place to the following:
This is an important inquiry, Froe
traders draw long bow upon the
assumption that protection does raise
the price OF every article affected by
it, both of the home and the foreign
product. Hero is a statement taken
from one of the publications of the
New York Free trade league
1.-THE tariff raises the price of both Ameri.
can and foreign articles. This neces sariIy fol-
lows from the foreign article selling here for
if the American was not raised to the same
price it would undersell the foreign and the
foreign could not be Sold"
This is sheer sophistry Every -day
observation proves it to be so. Down
to 1862 We. made no silk goods ex.
cepting a few tassels and fringes.
Now, owing wholly to the protective
features of the tariff, we xsnufac-
ture annually 1927, 900, 900 worth of
silk goods. which is one half of all
the silk goods used in the country.
Are tho prices of silk goods higher
now than they were under free trade
tariffs, when the entire consumption
was imported from abroad? An ex-
animation from the price lists shows
that silk goods never were cheaper
in our market than they have been
for some years past and are at the
present day.
Nearly all descriptions of goods
are produced and sold to day under
protective tariff at lower rates
than they were under free trade
tariff and a democratic Administra-
ton in 1857. Yet Mr.. Wood, in sup
porting his proposed tariff in Con-
gress, claimed, as did Mr.. Tucker
from Virginia, that the protective
policy enhanced the prices of manu-.
featured and other goods. Mr.. Kel-
ley in bis speech in Congress OH the
9th of May, replied to these gentle
men and exposed the absurdity of
the position they had taken on this
point. He said
"Time will not permit me to fur
Their examine details. Let me, how
ever, hastily consider some of the
doctrines of the chairman of the
committee. He advocated through
out his speech, and so did the gen.
tleman from Virginia, that duties
add themselves to the price, not on
ly of imported articles, but of like
articles produced in this country.
Let me ask them, Do competition in
the market and increased supply in
crease prices Are the prices of cot.
ton, wooden, worsted, or silk goods,
of locomotives, iron and steel rails,
machine tools, agricultural imple-
monts, mechanical toys, or any 9TH
er Of the thousand articles we now
produce, as high sc they were un-
der the FREQ trade tariff of 1857, or at
any time prior to the increase Of the
rates of duty in 1861? No sir all
kinds of American goods can be
bought cheaper under the higher du.
ties of to-day then they could be un-
der the lowest rates ever fixed by
our tariff laws and it is the very
madness of theory to assert, as the
gentlemen have done, that the du-
ties which stimulate production and
add to the worlds supply enhance
prices"
These are tangible facts and may be
tested by everyday experience. Sir,
Alexander Hamilton in his famed
reports as Secretary of tie United
States Treasury, said: "When a
domestic manufacture has attained
to perfection. and has engaged in
the prosecution of it q competent
number of persons, at can be afforded,
and accordingly never fails to be sold
cheaper, in process of time, than the
foreign article for aohich 1t is a substi-
tute." A century's experience has
since confirmed the truth of this DO.
sition. Protection tends invariably
to reduce prices.
The Democratic party, in their set
speeches in Congess, stump haran-
CUES prior to elections, newspaper
editorials, and campaign docume Is,
endeavor to deceive the agricultural
population into the belief that thew
are oppressed by the operation of a
protective tariff. in that it reduces
the prices of their own products and
enhances the cost of all goods they
require to purchase. But every in-
telligent farmer knows that he not
only gets better prices for his pro-
ducts now than he ever did under a
low tariff experience, and that he
can purchase iron. and steel and
wood tools and agricultural imple-
ments in improved form and make
and at cheaper rates now than he
could prior to 1861, the dividing
year between low and high tariffs.
The Chicago EUeniaag Journal recent
~ stated that in an interview with
the manager of the largest manufac-
tory of the Northwest--that of
Messrs. Furst & Bradley--he said !:
ut is impossible TO compare the
price of plows in 1857, 1859, and 1860
with the price during the last five
years. There is no more resemblance
between pillow of those years and
now than there is between daylight
and darkness. A pillow, such as we
sell now would have cost 100 per
cent. more to manufacture it than it
costs now with such facilities as we
then had. As general rule the
prices of agricultural implements, are
nearly the same as, before the war,
but the goods now sold are worth
100 per cent. more. They are of bet.
ter quality, more convenient, will
last longer, are better adapted to
the wants of the farm, and are in ev-
cry respect cheaper than the goods
sold before the war"
The farmer profits by cheapened
transportation, and the reduction of
rates naturally follows reduction
of the cost of rails. In 1862 no steel
rails were made in this country !;
they came from England and cost
5000 per ton. A duty of one cent