New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-15
A FREE TRADERS OPINIONS.

TECTIvE SYSTEM. 49, ~
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 14.-Before the lariu
Commission this morning the American Cement Asso-
ason presented the claims of that industry The cap
tai Invested was stated to be 100000 the number OF
men employed 000 and the annual product 3OOO,ooO
barrels worth So 600 000 They asked that the tarn
on Portland and all forms of cement be made w Genus
per hundred pounds, or about so cents per barrel
John Boyd of Philadelphia, asked a substitution OF
specific duty Of 25 cents per gross for the prese"' "
valorem duty imported clay pipes ana reuuc'ioh
or abolition of the duty foreign cays These onanVes
Mr. Boyd said, would make pipenaking one Oh 'no "''
fourishing industries in America.
A paper asking for the removal Of duty on loreikn
newspapers, magazines and periodicals was reau W
n Boyee of New York, in behalf OF large huuoei "
dealers ia such periodicals. Samuel s. BLOOD nanase,
of the International News Company New-1orK anu
David Abercrombie of Baltimore, manager OF the news
COMPANY added some remarks in support OF the ue-
zpand. The point that under tine lhtelhH'ioh".
postal treaty periodicals pass through the mails ec VI
duty while those passing through the hands OF ueeis
are taxed
Professor Sumner. of Yale College, NewHaven, Conn,
read paper the relation of protective axest to wages
From tue reports OF the proceedings before the Commits
sion said. people might believe that protective
taxes made wages hlgh and at the same time thaV hSn
wages made protective taxes necessary. lhese t"o
notions cOuradictcd each other ana produced an ao
surdity They were both false Protective taxes low
and those of the man who received them were an'ag
onistc The protectionst legislator pretended to step
n between them and 10 satisfy both at once whenever
taxes were laid for any other purpose than 10 proVe
civil order peace and security government approache"
by Just SO much toward the Turkish pattern such was
the ease wherever protective taxes were LAID fro'eo
tive taxes did not aim to produce good government or
IN accomplish anv civil purpose az all Their aim was
industrial They planned 10 help some people TO
Get a living. Anything that lossened the num-
Der OF persons competing for wages, or TINT
increased the amount of capital increased wages
High wages meant simply that the soil Of the continent
was rich the climate excellent and well varied the
rivers large aud convenient the mountains full OF ela
and coal the people industrious and energetic the pun
lie order fairly secure and the general Intelligence good
Ii was OF the humOrs of the tariff tna the poltch
appeared this stage and said; You are quite wrong
in attrbuting the prosperity of the country TO those
causes 1t was l who did it with my little taxes IEe
country has pros pered because taxed 1t Vigorously
had not put on my the country would have been
ruined"
further touch of the ridiculous added by those
politicians who detained about the dignity OF the
American ab0rcr The protective system involved the
following expenditures Custom House expenses,
wages and profits to those employed and losses incurred
by the protected industries All these outgoes had TO be
borne by the non-protected classes How then could
nrotccou increase wages There could not be more
fagran error. Ii impossible to raise wages ny OPP
fom essene1 wealth and enhanced the cost Of all articles
Of clothing furniture, crOckery, utensils, tools and ma
cnnery. Business men had to bring mielSence 70 near
ON the organization OF labor But The proccuonis lgla
tion had never brought any mteliigence
could Protective had never been laid in view OF
any true knowledge Of industrial circumstances ana
never could be- thousand commissions for ten years
could not win knowledge " the industrial system OF
the country ana they could acquire such oWieuse on
the next day account Of new INVENTIONS discoveries
processes lines OF transportation lhasols aitn5e
r.. try IL "A q
tlcns Of industry on such nation as THIS was most
A1v"ne who talked OF reaching permanent ADJUST
Ipcnt OF the tariff fit the needs OF al interests ana 70
90 Injustice te none. talked the widest nonsense The
lion Industrial interests They tired only those mat
won influence They never brought any lItfngence 10
sion that the tariff ought 10 Offset the difference between
American and European wages IL that eouiu oe uohe
and wele DONE it wouliu take away from the Amer
lean laborer those superior ADVANTAGES which made MN
his ancestors come across the ocean Iere was oy
one thing that could reduce American wages TO Euro,
Pean standards ana tha Tas RfQIeie '"AeS' "Ppneu
Mr. took ana undertook to refute the argu-
, I'm, Si'f Imrsnits and would thus re-
duce wages and all other remuneration for
ali other In iustres and therefore if under free
trde the whole population would take TO agriculture II
was mathematci1y certain that agriculture wonld sup
nom Them all better directly than under the present
arrangement IEe prOtectionst system required new
set proverbs. such as these ." Want makes wealth;
DESTROY and prosper; taxes wages 70 nave nucA
produce little; blessed are the bad wolkmem ana the
fool IA capitalist, they shall get abundance IL was
andy alleged that American industries needed pro
lection because Atneret Wases az ifrs',ca -, IS
inadc aaate premises There was no ascertnhaDe red-
non btTween wages and profits The employer tried 70
Eeep wages down. Just tried 10 keep down the cost
and waste of Il, the wear OF macMneTy
Profits ana WAGES might both he nigh both low al the
same time; or one might be high ana the other low.
Instead Of being dis laced by the other lhey almost
always went OgctherbOjh high or b0tn low at the same
time. IL much more TO the point TO notice that
profits higher IN TIL country than III Europe The
talk about wages AL for effect II was only so much
smoke and imported into the est to obscure
the The nearest approach TO pauper aborrrs IN
Europe was in agricultural aD0rers ana YET american
farmers. payins high wages and transportation beat
tbs be done II the criterion OF possible competition was
the comparative rate OF wages .
When Professor sumner had concluded his paper, Mr..
Kenner asked You propose to abandon one systems
what otaer system would you suggest
Mr.. SumneT-Give All the free trade that you can:
Remove all the protective you II
YOU can abolish them all All protective taxes are mis-
chevous and you ought 10 get them out OF the way III
ANYBODY comes and tells you the protective taxes raise
wages here as political eeononlstto say mat
they DO not tha5 they lower wages.
MIR Kenncc-We do not propose 10 raise or to lower
wages. Dul TO fluid out the best system OF revenue.
MIR. Sunner-rHen trust you VIII abolish all protec-
tive taxes. .-.,- 49,. n-.....- ...,.
pote leave the Commissioners and CyIu. Elder OF
Johnso Penn, lawyer read extracts from letters
of .tudenIs complaining hat .ley could not ma az tner
and lie aimed at Professor Sumner she sarcasm
,bsI ~ was no wonder that professor who could not
answer the questions OF the students OF his owucass
unable TO answer the questions put to him by the Com
Worthngton c. Ford, of Brooklyn, read paper
revenue tariff and ta1atOn presenting facts ana hgures
10 show that the small number Of per ons engaged In
the principal manufactures OF the country did not JUSTIFY
OF taTin duties Another Tree trade agu
plent wa, read by Charles Nj. sauson, OF Aew-York
Arguments made as follows; BY Samuel
Edgerly OF New-YoIk, against Increase of duty on
eolfon lies; by H. H. Coquitt, of Atlanta, Ga, In favor
OF an Increased duty Spanish pyrtes; by George C.
Potts OF NewJersey asking On the sorghum sugar in
teres for the maintenance OF existing duties on sugar
by stockton Bates. Of Philadelphia, aud William A
Burke, Of Lowell Mass. 10 favor of existing duties on
cotton and textile machinery by George Fuller. Of
Lawrence Mass, asking speclhc duty OF 70 cents per
square foot card clothing by W. b. Hackenburg and
Others representing the silk wOrsted, hosiery carpet,
goods, aid WOOlen manufactures of Philadelphia,
an aVIr Of protection TO those interest; by ia
Mill KEN of Philadelphia, I'D vaorem duties ald the
warehouse system.