The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-01-26
Protection.

olies, and was espet tally severe in the conclu-
sions reached on the protective. tariff policy.
After some, what we consider Illogical ana
superficial statements, it says, lit is estimated
| that by these Ubiquitous tariff laws $780,
eco, 900 is annually robbed from the people
OF the United States and divided among
about two hundred thousand manufactu-
rers." Did it never occur to our cotempo-
rary that there are others directly bene-
| fitted by manufactures than the in mediate
! proprietors3 1t is safe to conclude that
200. 900 aDufactureTs employ at least two
millions artzans and laborers and that each
of these represents at least three persons,
dependent for support. making at least six
millions Of people who receive their daily
bread and support from the operation OF
the factories. The expenditure of the
wages thus paid builds up other branches of
business, creates home market for the far
mer. advances the price Of lands and prop
critics. and above all, contr ibntes to the
| Industrial and material independence and
| prosperity of the whole country. The diff
| ference In the prices of domestic goods, I'M
| der the respective systems of free trade and
protection, Is the price paid to labor. This
| all goes back to community. By diversity
OF industries, under the protective system.
every department of enterprise is made to
prosper. By flee trade we would destroy
our home manufactures, build up foreign
! industries, and thus drive out of manufac-
turing enterprise. the millions of people
| employed therein. Where would they go
except to the lands? And il there, over
production would be the result, with no
home market to be supplied. Stagnatlon
would follow. As an illustration. ireland
presents striking instance. Before the
Union with England, imme nse manufac-
lures existed in Ireland. Linens, woolens,
| carpets. blankets, silks. calicoes. fannels,
stockings, &C.. were the products of their
industry. and thrift and wealth pervaded
| the island. Previous to the adoption of
the act Of Union. English goods were ex-
! Guided by duties sometimes almost prohib-
| tive; but after the subjugation Of Ireland,
English capital, still protected at home,
| made short work Of the industries OF Ire
land. Between the years 1900 and 1910,
T Irish industries, with the exception OF the
linen manufacture, made powerful by for
| mer protection. were pract icaily annihi-
lated. The Irish people We're thus driven
| to The exclusive occupation OF agriculture.
with decadence and pove rty as the necessa-
ry andlogical result, for no country, with
| out diversified industries, can prosper. Such
would be the result in America. under a
tariff for revenue only policy.
| Our contemporary seems to be ignorant of
the fact that the whole live South is turning
| its attention to protection. Not only the
South. but the West realizes that without
diversified industries, there can be no
marked and assuring progress. In Virginia
| the sentiment Is growing so rapidly that
We venture the assertion that no man will
any Congressional District. who will not pro-
| claim for the policy of protection, if he de-
| sires to be elected. OF the nine men,
bers now, seven OF them are known to IA
yor protection, and only one, who is known
to favor the tariff for revenue only The
| Times is not up to the progressive thought
Of the age. 1t hugs Observation-Disclosures
to the exploded dogmas of past age. and
is fight ing against the inevitable. The argu-
ments it uses did very well for slavery times,
when that institution made it necessary that
| the agricultural pursuit should be the con-
trolling industry. But the peculiar.institution
| is gone. Free labor is before US, and other
policies must be adopted and encouraged, to
give it employment and diversity its opportu-
| ties.
We apprehcnd that our contemporary has
not given the present situation that study Of
which his we'll trained mind is capable. He is
| controlled by the education and the methods
of the past and loses sight of the fact that
| noliNcal, industrial and social revolution has
taken place. Let him come abreast Of the
times, and devote his capacities and energies
to educating the public mind to the acceptance
of the important truth that American indie
pendepce in lis full sense, can only be achieved
through the enterprise of American industry.
| 1.-THE Boss
There has been great deal written in
condemnation OF the boss In politics. and
in execration OF the boss system. Wheth-
er such criticism and censure are Just. de-
ponds entirely upon the ends the boss seeks
to accomplish. In Virginia it needed a
''bOss''-an organ III ing mind and a will to
execute-in order to crystalize the forces
which might be marshalled against the DIES
potic party that has ruled Virginia for the
past ten years almost to her ruin. So long
| az the objects the boss seeks to reach
and the reforms instituted are in the inter
est Of the people and good government, to
that degree will the boss be tolerable.-
When these shall not be the controlling
considerations, but purely selfish ends. then
the boss will soon find his mission to be
failure. Arbitrary methods are sometimes
| necessary to secure essential reforms. Di-
versi.y Of counsel and division of author
ity not unfrequently create confusion, and
In this condition parties are evils, only for
menting jealousies, neutralizing energies
and diverting purpose. No.public good can
be accomplished under such circumstances
Oneness Of purpose is necessary to success,
and when there is any one who may be
| properly recognized as a leader. because of
his peculiar fitness for such recognition.
then public policy will justify it.
| The Bourbons have bosses too numerousto
mention. They have whiskey bosses, family
bosses, office-holding bosses, office-seeking
bosses, prescribing and prosecuting bosses,
negro-hating bosses, Yankee-hating bosses,
! and all Of them together would not make a
successful Boss. If it became necessary
to get rid of this host of pig-headed bosses,
to accept and recognize live, effective
Boss. then we do not know but what it was
right to do so. Certainly affairs of State
could not be made worse. The people
could not be more wronged, and the Com
monwealth more completely robbed and
outraged by the one Boss than by many.
We know what it is to be ruled and Coy
erned by many bosses. The people have
expressed themselves as to that. They will
wait for the tests OF experience to Judge of
what is termed the "head boss If it be
true such thing exists, let comparison
!, b.,tu, tho