The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-12-15
PROTECTIVE TARIFF
Denounced by Mr.. Beecher as
Organized immortality.
The Initial Lecture of a Course of Nine
Before the Brooklyn Revenue
Reform Club.

Reform Club.
The first of a course of nine lectures
| by public men on Protection and Free
| Trade" under the auspices of the Brook
| lyn Revenue Reform Club. was delivered
last Thursday evening by the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher in the First Baptist
| Church of Brooklyn. He said that his
| duty was to discuss the subject only so
far as related to the moral aspects of
the question. The protective system at
| present in this country was contrary to
| good morals, and in the long run would
work mischief; it was directly contrary
to the spirit of Gospel; protective tariff
was organized immortality. The AmeTi-
can can buy whatever he likes in all
the markets of the world. but he cannot
bring the articles home. The Govern
meat says, you can't bring these things
home unless you pay rOundly for the
privilege. You must buy them at home"
But l can't buy them at home" Then
yOumust wait until you can" QLaughter.)
NAnd we are told" he continued, that
this tariff Is TO protect our home manu-
facures; but how about protecting the
liberty of the citizens. An immigrant,
If his clothes are dirty, can bring them
In free to New York; (laughter(-bu if
his stockings are clean. the Government
suppOses that they have not been worn
and he must pay duty on them. Be-
tween all the States there is free trade,
and it works well; everybody admits
that; but the moment we try to have free
trade with Europe we are told that we
must not do it. 1t is a selfish policy; it
Is separating this nation from the rest
of the world, and this is contrary to
good morals and contrary to liberty.
American commerce has been we'll nigh
destroyed; ship building is almost an
extinct trade. What are the people
thinking of? What has commerce done
that it is obliged to walk i'll bondage to
manufacturers; no longer flying like
the eagle, but walking like the barn
yard fowl. The few ships that are left
are besieging Congress for subsidies
sturdy beggars about than any that
come to your doors. Taxes are levied,
State, and county, and city, and the
citizen knows what he has got to pay
and what Is going to be done with it--it
he can find out. Uaughter) All taxa
tiOn should be direct. The tariff draws
larger sums by indirectiOn. There are
two kinds of tariff, the revenue tariff,
and this may be borne, or tolerated, bat
when tariff Is proposed that proposes
not only to raise revenue, but to raise
1T in order to protect some special in
dustry, that is wrong and mischieyOus.
IL Is one of the most vicious agg lOmera-
tlOns of denominations that CO De i'm
| aglned. Our tariff excludes MI ~ art
cles which our people want, ana 4y,OOO,-
600 of our citizens are oppressed, that
100000 labOring men may be protected.
Protection at first is a spur to enter
prise, but in the end it destroys it and
leaves it in the position of rich mems
sons that have no necessity for eXertiOn.
A man that is weak may use a cTutch,
but the weak manufacturers that have
had the cTutch of protection for these
last twenty years are now clG mOTing
for three legs, two natural and one
wooden. (LaughteT) The whole the
Ory is false; industries thrive best with
out protection; 1T may taEe them longer,
but the growth is more lealthful. The
energy and intelligence OF ne people
are all. that are necessary for success,
and they need no protection. 1t is said
that the protective tariff faYOrS the la
boring man. If this was true we
should have no right to increase the
wages of the American labOreT at the ex-
pense of the foreign labOTer; but it is
not true; the very reverse of this is
true. 1t is not the protective tariff that
raises the price Of labor, but it is the So
cial and political surroundings of our
wOrkingmen. One full third of the
wages of our laboreTs goes to pay the
added price of all that they consume or
use-added by the duty on imports.
The unprotected labOrers are vastly in
the majority over the protected ones;
the blacks.Of the South, the agricultural
labOrers in the West are far the most
numerous. Only about 100000 laboreTs
have their wages raised by this so
called protection that they are said to
be receiving. The whole machinery of
this tariff system is demOTalizing. At
this hour what are pTOtectiOnists dOingP
Is there one protected industry that is
willing to let go? Is there one that will
consent to a reduction of the duty? Not
one. They propose to take off the in
ternal revenue taxes. They propose to
take off the duty on matches and patent
medicines, and confronted along the
whole line with the cry that our ship
ping is ruined, they propose to take the
Ships into their scheme of protection;
and they say: run your ships; we will
pay the expenses and leave you little
over" While Great Britain is enjoying
prosperous trade with South America,
we propose to pay John Roach for run
ming few ships to Brazil. Just now
the majority may be against us, but we
have truth OF our side that believe in it
with their whole souls, and who are
determined that their light shall not be
hid under a bushel. The whole force of
the Gospel of Christ is on our side, and
these things are inVincible; and they
always are invincible when patience
and courage are worthy of the truths
which they advocate. prolonged ap-
plause.S New York World.