Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-03-10
THE BENEFITS OF A PROlEC-
TIVE TARIFF.

A few days ago IN attempting w
the great wrong to the American peopi'
inflicted by the system Of Individual ~
called Protective Tariff we
ran parallel between that and the system
of African slavery. Our contemporary, tne
Virqsnian, which is a Protective IarlH
journal, in excepting to it CONFIRMS Cne
aptness of the comparison. In past Gays
the visitor from free Stats would %
shown the Industrious slaves. the ploom-
ing fields, the warm cabin and be told to
look at the content and prosperity that
the system of human bondage
And so it is with our contemporary VINO
points out the beauties of Protection. Inc
visitor was not told that the wages OF the
slaves were only partially given to the
men who earned them; that the blooming
fields were no part of their inheritance, and
that the shelter of the cabin could be with
drawn at word from the masters lip
But such is the attitude of Protection TO-
wards the labor of this country.
The Virginian in reply to our claim
that the question of Protective tariff is
not rarty question. but merely one OF IN
dlvidual or local interest, claims it as
measure of the Republican party, and cites
the successive platforms of its national
conventions since 1850 and the votes on
that issue in Congress. AS to the platforms
we hardly suppose that our contemporary
proposes 10 test a mans Republicanism by
them. Grant was elected on a universal
suffrage platform, and yet IN message to
congress recommended the desperate ex-
pedient of excluding all illiterates from
the right of suffrage by constitutional
amendment. Hays received the Republi-
can vote for President On a Protective
tariff platform and yet his Secretary of the
Interior, (Mr. Schurzl was ore of the
ablest advocates of free trade in the Union,
and is so to-day. Another, his Secretary
of State, (Mr. Evarts) defined his position
by saying that "what we want is not pro-
lection or free trade, but full trade
Doubtless there are other cases as marked
going to show that the platforms of the
Republican party are no guarantee that
the men it shall select to administer the
general government are in accord with
them. Nor do the votes in congress cited
by the Virgiaian refute our position
that Protection and free trade are more
questions of occupation and locality than
of party. The Democratic members who
olr,oo OF n oIu ,hD%
have been the purely agricultural States
voted as matter of course against Pro-
lection, lit would be very strange if repre-
sentatives of farming constituency did
not SO vote) while the Republican men,
bers came with almost the same solidlty
from States in which manufactures form
very large part, in many cases superior
part of the occupation of the people. We
have not the vote but if the Virginian
has and will examine it we are pretty sure
it will find that the nineteen Democrats
who voted against the Wood tariff bill and
the seven Republicans who voted for it.
we're also voting for their local interests.
AS a matter of fact some of the very found
ers of the Republican party were free
traders. VIM. Lloyd Garrison was free
trader. Gerret Smith was another, VIM.
Cullen Bryant was another, Park Goodwin
and more if we could call them to mind.
Nevertheless we will concede to the
Varginian what it assumes, that the Re-
publican party Of to-day has charge of the
interests of Protective tariff. And with
that concession we will remark, that the
exports of this country for the year just
ended amounted to within a fraction of
5000, 600 900. that the men who furnished
over $500 100000 Of those exports were the
farmers of this country, and that these
farmers get no protection, but on the con-
trary are. through the operations of pro-
lection taxed heavily to substitute manu-
facturers. The crops raised by these men
and sold abroad in the last five years made
it possible to resume specie payment. The
manufacturers OF the country did not sell
enough abroad to pay the wages of our
custom house officers. and yet they are to
be protected" which really means paid a
subsidy, at the expense of the agricultural
population. len years ago the Protection
list would have replied with the old story
about giving them the oft-repeated "home
MARKET" but it is not so now The mar
ket which regulates all the products of this
land, which are gotten out by the plow, is
two Thousand miles across the water. Eu-
rope fixes the price OF Wheat and cotton,
that the American plowman sells-and as
low as it can; while the home Protectionist
fixes the price at which he shall buy
and as high as he can. The farmer gets a
protection on sugar; now how many raise
that?; OF rice. how many raise that?; and
on wool, and how many compared with thr
great body of farmers raise that? And
for this what DIES he pay? We cite some
of the taxes he pays, from speech made up
from the official list of protected articles.
When he builds house he pays tax Of
IS pei cent. On the paint it is painted with;
Of 80 per cent. on his window-glass; of 81
per cent. Oh the nails; of So per cent. on the
screws: of 80 per cent. Oh the door-locks;
of from IS to 40 per cent on the hinges; of
IS per cent. on the wallpaper; of from &C
tn 10 per cent. on his carpet: of 40 per cent
On his crockery; of .3S per cent. On his iron
hollow ware; of IS per cent. on bis cutlery;
40 per cent. On his glassware; of from 35
per cent. to 40 per cent. on the linen he
uses IN the household; Of 81 per cent. On
the common CASTLE soap he uses; 48 pei
cent. ON the starch. When he goes into
his stable, barn or workshop he will find
that he pays So per cent. on the iron he
uses; SO per cent. on the halter-chains; 45
per cent. on the files and rasps he may use;
Al per cent. on TIE bucksaw; 40 per cent
on cross-cut saw; SO per cent. on the hand
saw, and IS per cent. on any sheet Iron he
may require. On his medicines he pays 81
per cent; on the quinine pills he swallows
20 per cent; on blue pills, 40 per cent. and
40 per cent, on any medicinal preparations.
Tho fop,,lo portiop of hic honua cannot