The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-27
THE canadian TARIFF.

While the Democratic party In the United
States Is medtating an ameliora,lon OF the
tariff and decided step In the direction OF
free trade. the Canadians have taken con-
trsry tack and concluded to test the merits OF
protection. According to the Toronto Globe,
the first fruits OF this new departure are al
ready being realized In the Increased price OF
nil the necessities OF life The dealers In pro-
duce and manufactured goods Immediately
displayed their thorough understanding OF
| the altered condition OF affairs by raising the
prices of their commodities In exact ratio to
The increase Of the tariff and the extent to
which they we're protected.
This Is but the first experience, and Ii shall
not be long before the Canadians will find
themselves shut off from competition In all
other than home markets by the increased
cost OF manufacturing, which will entail q
loss hardly to be compensated by the salts
faction OF consuming their own products OF
high prices.
| This action OF the Canadian Parliament will
doubtless affect disastrously number OF the
| industries Of the United States. Yet we do
not see that we have any right to complain
| because our neighbor chooses to adopt the
same policy that we have been pursuing for
years. Canada has certainly more to fear
from competition than the United States
have and II there is really the merit In pro-
lection which It's advocates claim for It, Can
ada certainly has much and more
reason than we hai Q to apply the doc
| trine TO tho fostering OF her comparatively
feeble and Insignificant Industries 1t is quite
true that such policy tends to destroy COM
petition, raise prices and to institute unjust
and harmful discrimination In favor OF GER
tain preferred avocatlons and n small class
and against oil others; still II the protection
lists are right In their theory OF building up a
great commercial people, we see no reason
| why Canada should not erect Chinese wal
around her and exclude everything from hel
soil by law which she cannot keep out By
competition.
II the principle can only be carried out tt
It's latest and legitimate dedcution the worlt
should not be troubled to any great extern
with commercial intercourse or reciprocal
trade OF any kind.
The mother country, however, Is very bit
terly opposed to the new protective tariff of thu
| Dominion, and 1t is more than probable tina
the Queen will refuse her assent to thu
measure, I'm which event it becomes In
operative at the expiration OF two years
England takes the very reasonable posi-
ton that her colonies are valuable to he
chiefly as furnishing her markets for he
home products and industries, and II they ar
to be permitted to discriminate against her II
the matter of trade, she will not be iustIfe'
In holding them lpnger or giving them tn
benefit Of her protd ction. SO far ms the gov
eminent itself is concerned, the colonies cos
the treasury more than they pay into 1t, AM
1t is only their trade which makes them valu
able at oil. Under these circumstances tn
home government Is not likely to permit tn
Canadian tariff to exist any great length Q
time particularly at this day, when the ten
dency towards the enlightened comm ercia
policy which England has pursued for year
with such unprecedented success is growini
stronger and more pronounced In all th
great countries OF the world