The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-31
THE TARIFF QUESTION.

ITcSs anu DCloIc tuc pcopic vi VIC huotiuSS "
the coming election campaigns, the tarii
question will be the leading and commanding
theme until 1t is settled on new, better AM
very different basis from that on which it nov
rests. The present tariff, its friends admit
} had Its origin when the country was IN tn,
throcs of civil war when our foreign trade wa
almost entirely cut off, and when every interes
, stood on different footing from that it nov
occupies. A tariff adapted TO such state o
} affairs Is necessarily now an anachronlsm
4 Then tins country exported comparatively NJ
cotton, grain, pork or petroleum. Now 1t sup
plies the world with these articles The
t.y-was absorbed by the army, and our cur
rency was al an enormous discount yet 1t was
necessary to have vast supplies OF manutactuI
red goods aud TODD products to feed and clotht
the army, aud as our foreign trade was stop
ped and these had to be produced at home
government "protectlon" to the last limit had
to be resor,ed to aud was justified to cncour
age home production,
| w uiIC tlt vi thC wal CutCu tuC ucCtscl-
| ly for most of this protection" no correspond,
ing changes i'll our tariff legislation were
made The result was, as trade revived and
our currency improved in value. an enormous
increase IN the profits of the manufacturers,
leading to enormous ovcr-producton, enor-
nous credit expansion and currency initiation,
and terrific financial crash Then what ?
Thousands ION thousands Of operatives
were discharged from the New England and
Pennsylvania cotton, wooden, and iron faCto
ries and driven upon the farms or sent rowing
over the country rs tramps. Meantime the farm
ers went to work to raise the grain and cotton to
send abroad and bring III the gold to enable
the country to resume. AS Henry J. Philpott
puts 1t: "The protected factories were closed
The American laborer was turned out to
tramp, to riot to burn buildings. The farm.
ers now had to feed them gratis. And while
they were doing that they were pinchng and
toiling to earn the British gold with which to
resume They had to bear the burden of re-
sumption. The protected factories, instead of
sending their products abroad for gold and
helping them to right things, only made them.
selves greater burden tnan ever. They lay
idle, went into bankruptcy, and the money
they had sailed in flush times was loaned To-
their victims on 10 per cent real estate col
laterals"
And now that the patient toll of the farmers
has once more brought about peace and pen
ty and good times, these protected" factory
men again leap To the front and demand not
only u continuance of the protection of war
times, but an increase, to be followed by anO
hcr round Of initiation, over production and a
grand smash. Meantime having stimulated
the farmers to the production OF 100000, 600
more bushels of wheat per year than our PEG.
pie can consume they are putting arguments
INTO the mouths of Europeans to cut our far.
mers oil from u market tor that surplus. Sen.
alor Beck put the case admirably in a recent
speech IN congress, from which the following
is an extract:
The protecllonist insists that each nation
ought, so far as possible, exclude the products
OF every other nation in order To protect home
production. He taunts England, whose people,
now buy % per cent. OF all our exports, with
folly for allowing our wheat, pork, beet, butter
cheese aud other products of our farms to enter
her ports duty free He says to the English
"iair-trader:"
Disseminate against us If you are wise
Project your bone industries. No country or
system OF government can succeed that allows
free competition"
The American prOtcCtioDist makes war on
our export trade. HIS theory carried INTO et
feet tends to the rum Of our farmers while pro
trcting manufacturers. Those laws of Eng
land which give us an equal chance with nerl
own colonlsls IN her markets he in effect dc.
nounces, and II is to DC remembered that all
arguments are heard and weighed AZ intelh.
gently in Europe Ms they are here. A system
that is enforced here and auded as the best Tor
this country must be, they might say abroad,
the best Tor other countries. Ii the arguments
ana deductions of our protectionsts should
prevail in England what would be the effect
upon usy To illustrate: Leaving out of the
question all OF her great colonial POSSESSIONS
IN India, Australia and elsewhere, and her
dependencies all over the world, England has
great colonies on this continent whose people
are entitled To her protection, il protection and
restriction are to be again resorted to as true
national policy.
Mr. Beck then gave as result of his own
observations in u trip to the Wlnnepeg coun.
try last summer brief account of the vast
grain and cattle country which the Canada
Pacific railroad wast opening up north of
the American line, capable of producing
enough TO glut the market of the world, and
could be delivered at tide water at 80 per cent
less cost than the like American products; and
he added:
The American proeclionists not only tell
English statesmen, but denounce all of US who
do not urge that policy, that il is their duty to
protect Canadian products against American
competition IN England. assert, without
fear of successful contradiction, that If Eng.
land takes their advice, and, in order to have
"iairtrade" and protect home industries, shall
impose a tariff tax of 10 or 20 cents per bushel