Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-02-05

never less than thirty per cent, ex-
cept for five years out OF sixty. IL
was over forty per cent. from 1873 10
1888, and from 1861 until now. But
this does not tell half the tale. The
duties vary SO much that cheap
blankets such as poor people want
eli their beds, pay one hundred per
cent. duty, while fine blankets, for
rich people, pay only seventy.
"Well, we have been paying for
sixty wears one-third to one-half more
for all our iron, cutlery. blankets,
clothes, hats, crockery. window
glass, ETC.. than we could have
bought them for in Europe. In this
period we have imported much more
thau S13 900. .OO0. 900 of foreign goods.
On these, 81 ,OO0, 100000 have been
paid in duties, which. with the mer-
rnan,s' necessary profit Oh their out
lay for duties, comes to fully one
third Of the cost, as we have sald.
Our home manufactures have aver
aged five or six times the amount OF
our imports. Say five times, and that
will be S65 900, 100000. The prices
of these goods have been advanced ou
the average by the same rate as the
uutS Ou luC SVSNoS Va SAsS
| the imports would not have been
| made. Therefore, the American
/ people have paid, in sixty years past.
over 500, 600. 100000 (twenty thou.
sand million dollars) in the hope OF
getting better goods by aud by. 1t /.
NAV be said that the duties ought
not to be included, as taxes to that
amount must have been raised in
some way. Not more than two
thirds Of that amount would have
| been spent if taxes had been levied
SO that the people should know just
what they were paying; but no mat
ter-;ake them off Still the nation
has paid over SIG, ,00O, ,000, 900 (sixteeu
thousand million dollars) already,
for the chance of having cheap man.
ufactures by and by. This money
has done nobody any good thus far
for cheap manufactures have not
come. and the manufacturers could
have made as much money in some
other way, if they had not been
driven by taxation, under the name
Of "prolection, into manufactures.
And the simple fact is, that if all the
manufactures of protected industries,
were given to US for nethlDg, for the
next twenty years it would not sui
tice te repay half the sum which we
) as ~ nation have lost already by pro-
lection. 80 lt ASS,
But there is not the faintest
chance of our ever coming to time
when the protected classes will be,
: doubtedly some articles are made
!, more cheaply here than abroad
but those articles throve better
under low tariff than under
IL high one. Those manufac-
lures which are protected by
heavy duties now are the same which
have been protected for ninety years;
aud, if you believe what the home
manufactures say, they are no more
able to compete with foreign manu-
fac;urers now than they were at drst
Instead of having things cheaper, we
are paying heavier tax foc the sup.
port of home manufacturers than
: ever before.
t "But the preuectionists point to q
a few leading articles which have be-
4 come cheaper all over the world, aud
claim the credit of having, by their
system, brought about this redDc-
d ton. Screws, pins and steel rails.
n they say are fer cheaper now than
n they were mauy years ago, when tho
!, duty upon them was net large. But
e the reduction in the cost OF these
:. things is the result of Inventions aud
:. improvements in the mode Of manu-
b facture and competition 10 the great
;. stimulus to Invention. Why 10 gas
so poor in quality and dear IN price
d throughout this country Because
D competition in the businese is prac-
e tically Impossible. No city can af-
J. ford to have fifty independent lines
!, of gas pipes in each street; and 90
/ each company buys Of the others the
/. monopoly of a certain district. Being
IL protected" in this monopoly the
r company has no motive for invention
n ar Improvement, and makes none.
d This il the tendency of protection
e everywhere and under all circum-
is stances aud it has discouraged i'm.
provements in our manufactures, in.
d stead OF encouraging them, as itl
l. friends claim.
> ''If protection had any real ten.
q dency to reduce prices, protection
itself would long ago have become
Q unnecessary for we should have be,
Ii come fully able to compete with
IT Europe. But III fact it has such tau
q unhealthy influence in accust0mine
v our manufacturers to look to COLI
gress instead of to their own inven-
tive genius for support, that We 60
Is Oh using o.d-fashioned machinery
e and methods long after they have been
IS discarded by countries where free
!, competition prevails. ,f..geas aee
a This last statement will seem to
'f many readers Incredible, III View of
tho peculiar genius Of oar people for
IT. invention. But it is fully sustained
l. by careful Investigations which wore
r made by, Commissioner Wells, while
IS be was still protectionist." ss7g
is Let the people read and pondcr
e this, aud in due time We will effsr .
@ little more for thsir considerAtioA
: Protective tariffs will never ,nlAke
l. goods cheap, and why continue ts
r Oppress and burden one class Sf pee.
q pie, farmers, laborers, ETC.. in order
= to enrich another class no better than
s they?