The daily gazette., 1881-11-29
From the N. Y. Herald.
The Tariff Convention.

Inc ldTlH CONVENTION WHICH Will
assemble in this city this morning
will differ from similar meeting re-
Gently held at Chicago in this that it
is not body of volunteers, bat a
meeting of delegates selected by diff
ferent trades and Industries through
out the country, whose object is to
bring influence upon Congress for
such rearrangement of the tariff as
shall secure more of what IS called
"protection" to the industries repre-.
sented.
Certain of the producers of this
country believe that they cannot pur-
sue their callings with reasonable
profit unless they are secured in some
shape bounty from the taxpayers at
large. They hold that it is for the
general benefit that the articles they
produce should be made in this coun-
try, and as they are, or profess to be,
unable to sell them at such price as
! foreign made articles could be sold
for in this market after paying ocean
freight and charges, they demand that
they shall be secured against such
competition and thus enabled to
charge much higher prices.
Take, for instance, the producers Of
| pig iron. They assert that they can
not make pig iron as cheaply as it can
be made in Europe, with freight from
Europe added that the American
people ought not TO be dependent on
Europe for pig iron, and thai, there's
fore, heavy duty on pig iron made
! abroad should ''protect" them and
enable them to charge to the consum-
ers Of iron here much higher price
than these could buy it for if they
were permitted to buy it in the cheap
est market.
AS this demand might seem To the
public unreasonable those who ask fol
..protection'' do so Oh the ground that IL
is reasonable to foster an "iniant indus
try,n and the Tariff Convention, which
is to meet to day, is therefore to b,
regarded. as an assemblage Of the repre-
sentauves of "iniant IndustTles.n /
would be well for each delegate /,
report to the chairman at the opening o
The meeting how long the industry b,
represents has been established, and TO-
how many years longer 1t Will remait
an "infaut industry The fifty million
vi AlutilNaho WIN pay IIBbtl price
than they need to for nails, axes, han
! mers, pots, pans and kettles and all th
! other lnnuInerable articles made OF ifOi
, to ''protect the infant industry" OF max
Q ing pig Iron, would be interested
Il knowing when this is To reach the Ion
y promised stage OF maturity and cease
= be an tintant."
h Meantime, 1t must not he forgole
L. that the American people have righ
or If they choose TO do so, TO pay out
9t their pockets bonuties, no matter he
l. large, Tor the furlherancc of America
ff manufactures. They have agreed
1f do this for many years pasl and tt
At country is so rich in natural resourc
n. and has 50 vast an area devoted to abs
n lutte freedom Of commercial iuteTCOur
Il. that II has not been absolutely lmpoye
r lshed by this policy, as any country
/ Europe would have been. We have lc
by it seriously but we have been alb
TO bear the losses. We pay, for instan
'is yearly great many millions more
VI freight on our railroads, because the
10 roads have been laid with IRON aud 81,
sold to the companies at needless
high :ates by "protected' Manufacture
yh and we shall 60 on paying these nee
ed lessly high raLes for freight, al whl
-, are added TO the cost OF the article
~. the consumers, so long as we agree
OF "protect" the "infant" iron business,
-.
The gentlemen who meet to-day as
tariff convention are all jealous a
To- well informed men. Suppose IL
lot should begin their appeal TO the pub
-, by formal list OF the "intant manu-
=, tures" Of the Uaited States, with
TN date Of birth OF each of these infal
lr- and the date, in the future, when Ell
Of them will reach the promised mat
+. ity. Then we should know at lie
I" where we stand, aud what we ought
ers protect. Protection has cost us a gr
ar. deal and continues to cost very heaV
-. 1t is only fair to tell US whom We are
:" protect, what for aud how much.