The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-10-23
Professor sumner on the Tariff.

ancc, and that he Is going 10 take care Of you.
Hence whom Il Is said that msnuMctufcs are 10 W
protected that We Of New England are manufnciur-
srs mechanics, that therefore something nlce is
to b. done By the Government for u.s. il is sey
plausible and populAv inference that this action
must be beneficial to working and business men.
The iesi Of Il Is to come 10 facts.
The proportion Of the population which Is engaged
Ia labor ls no don T. the same noa as Ia 1870 aud
the population q distributed between the occupA.
tons substantially now q then, out Of 100000
l2ooeoo were then reported as engaged Ia all occu.
paiions. These i2.oooOoo were the working and
business men and women q sSsansl ofihe county.
Each Of these 'slaborcn Therefore, had 10 support
on an average, , i-5 persons Forty seven per cent
Of these were engaged in agriculture. twenty-five
per cent Of them wcrc engaged Ia professional and
personal services which class includes unskied
lAborers and professional men Nine per cent were
in trade aad transportation. twenty-five per cent
wero In manufactures. mechanical and mining In.
dus,res" Out Of all the productive laborc1 Of the
country therefore, there nearly four IN other In.
dusireS for every one IN manufactures" Taking
The whole country over. therefore. four working
and business men arc victims OF the tariff, while
one belong to the class who possibly gain by H.
submit that when four out Of i've would DO relieved
Of grieyous burden by oyoEthrowing protection and
laying only taxes for government support. an Of
Which mas ee paid H0U IA addition 70 N proiofioa,
have shown the ebenedtr OF The change. Taking
the New England States by themselves there were
in 1850 2ss 900 persons in all occupations OF whom
55700, or 40 Per cent, engaged IN mnnufactnl-
ing etc So that even here there were persons 9th
ervise engaged than were engaged In manu- assuring
hat when we look over the list Of occupations
elasSed as manufactures, and employing 10000 la
boFen, we fn' that they are by no means All pro.
lected industries, Carpenters masons. painters.
plastcreys, printers, plumbers, mers saw mill ope-
rativcs. eoopcrs. tanners, engineers and hremen,
fishermen, tailors aud seamstresscs wheclwrlrhis.
milliners and dtessnakers, blacksmiths largo part
fthe machnists aud mechanics not specified
and halfthe miners must be stricken out as persons
who either cannot be "prosectedp by tariff on ac-
count ofthe nature Of their industry or as only In
exceptional cases affected by IL. maehinist In
railroad shop ora job shop, can get no good from
protection, On the contrary, all these CLASSES tn
lurcd by the enhanced cost OF raw materials. II
glass, nails, paints and hardware cost more on ac.
count Of the tariff Il is harder for people to build
houses, or they must build smaller ones Hence the
building trades afe hlndeTed OF their full growth.
So Of other occupations. As for merchants the
chant not only bears his share Of the burden Of the
,arih, but It also eripples his business For every
merchant knows that ii IS the good OF his lradet TO
handle as good goods as he can on terms rs favor
bic possible TO the customer Everything which
forces poorer goods the market increases price
hurts trade. As TO where the goods arr made. that
does concern the who buys and sells them at
all.
Now the classes just named selected from amongst
the manufacturer" include over a million and
quarter ofworkmen. The masons aud bficklayers
alone ouinumber all the employees in all branches OF
the great protected iron and steel industries sD0o1)
There are also other great branches OF mechanical
industry which are entirely beyond the power Of
protection to DO thcm any good such are Inanuiae-
tuns ofcaniages and wagons boots aud shoes blinds
doors and sash clocks cigars ali Yankee notions
haI,lNaT Of all staple descriptions shovcls axes
nails, and should add cot0ns as conceded and al.
hrmed by the best producers although denied by
others, wish here to mention only what cannot be
at all reasonably questioned. II IS absurd to speak
ofneeding protection ON hardware, bras goods or
Yankee notions. The supremacy Ia these branches
as regards processes Of manufacture. economy OF
material with all requisite strength grace Of form
and design. ingenuity In machinery, is completely
demonstrated. The enhanced cost Of raw materials
b. protection to pig irUn and copper is heavy clog
which prevents those industries from expanding to
the proportions which they ought to have especial
IS IN the dirocton Of an export trade 10 the West In
dies, Mexicoand South America
1.-THE number OF persons engaged in the last men.
toned industries be taken into account il will be
found that the number OF persons who can be NJ.
garded as profling By protection cannot be put at
more than oncquarter OF those who are returned in
the census as engaged in the mechanical industries
Ii follows that out Of twenty working and business
men ia the country ono only is benefited by pro.
lection, and the other nineteen would be benefited
BY getting rid oft. and II follows that even in New
Iupiunu her ft,a ~
portion Of the mechanical industries than il does on
the average Of the whole country. and where there
fore, perhaps half the persons in that class may
profit by il, there are four business and working
men who would be benefited by getting rid OF pro
lection for one who would profit By retaining IT,
The politicians who are forcing ths issue aud bring
ing public attention % the facts may take notice &C
eordinsy. II the appeal to the seidshneSs OF the
protected to vote 10 hold their advantage on or
their noighbars Is legitimate appeal then il is le
climate 10 appeal to AL the othors to vote 50 as to
defend themselves.
! do not drop the matter here, however. turn to
the protected" themselves and maintain thatpro.
tsetion for them is delusion. ! maintain that it
brings no true and permanent benefit, and that free
trade would be far better for all ofus Protection has
been adopted, and II has forced vicious twist In all
the industry OF the country. Under the existing
order Of things the protected industries prey upon
the other and profit by IT, l maintain that they
would prosper far better ifthe whole industry Of the
country were brought back 10 4 natural state and
len 10 run IT, course Ia all is branches with the ut
most freedom. affirm this not general prinei.
pies bceanse liberty Is the very atmosphere OF life
10 industry, or because We are sum OF doing the best
We can do with the means we have IL we use the |
means freely, but come down 10 fact aud detail
again here. Il isatosal erTor 10 suppose that man
who Norks IN . shop where protested industry Is
carried on psolts by protection. lie gets no more
wages IN that shop than In any other reserve the |
wages question, howeycf fF separate treatment aud
herc viii assume thata woolsn weaver gains by |
protection. When he goes to buy hat however he l
finds that il Is protected and that he must pay an
enhanced price for It. He must do the same for all
The carpet the blankets, the tools he stoves the
sehoolbooks the paper the glass the underwear and
almost all the other staple objects for which he ex
changes his earnings. The same Is true OF the riass
rpaprr or iron workmen In his turr when he goes |
70 buy WOODEN cloth ofany Of the other articles IN J
the protected class
Even Is write The days paper cpntai the report
ola meeting nj Boston Of ship owners etc. 10 devise
meats 20 revive the American shipbhiiding and |
carrying trade These Industries have been crushed
by The protective system aud this meeting proves
itcfa new combination to prepares new assault on
Congress. What Is the means proposed for reyiying
the industries mentionedl Nothing but demand |
on Congress 20 tax us all-protectcd and unprotert
e-in order 10 collect money to be paid in bountes
10 the men who own ships. First commerce was |
sacrificed 10 manufactures; now manufactures and
agriculture are to be sacrificed u commerce.
VIII put Tito the common sense Ofeyery lnteIli |
gent man Do you believe that il q wise arrange
mention Is to Try 10 abstract something from each
other In this wayf ia abstracts something from d
aud y, and , abstracts something from A, c and
p and IL his turn from A. D and d, and D finally
rom and c, do you think they viii all gct rich
aud prosper BY ~ Do you notbelieye thet they as
wise men should say ;-Let Us have do ne with this
system altogether Lrt each work for himseIf. get
what lac can and keep what be gets. There eannot
be doubt that, IL they should make this change,
they would prosper far better ON the whole and in
The long run. Forall systems OF mutual plumber or
cheating or impossonef any kind involves iss ana
waste. and ininre both trade and production The
four men In the illustration above would no, abstract
llfile each from the Others without resistance and
Kind Of friction which would waste capital Impair
their energy. check their checrfuiueSs in labor and
% lessen the production Of wealth.
This mutual plumber o. ono another BY the mo-
sseied iuieseaN 4 not the end Of the matter. As
group or body they do enjoy the plumber OF other
.rrur