The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1882-07-27
A Free Trade That Protects.

At the outset of the labors of the able
Tariff Commission lately organized we de-
sire to call the particular attention of its
members to one branch Of thc 4doject upon
which its deliberations should have wider
scope and its coAolusions deeper philoso.
ply thar are demanded by any other. And
we will preface what we have to say with
the remark that in the general sense of the
term, wherever there is a fair issue Of COM
petition between American labor and the
labor of any other country, in any depart
ment of skill where such competition could
under any conditions affect the wages of
workingmen as primary consideration,
THE CRITIC may be set down as to that ex-
tent champion of the Protective doctrine.
But we hold that the matter to which we
now particularly refer involves conditions
ofvast and permanent public Importance to
all classes unto all times, which lie alto
gether beyond the pale ofquestions or theo.
ries affecting labor or wages. We refer to
the lumber interest, in respect to which it is
our sincere opinion that the best interests of
the whole people, both for the present and
the future, demand absolute free trade.
When we say lumber we mean simply the
first product of the saw MILL excluding. of
course, all subsequent stages Of the manu-
facture of wood into articles Of use. But
sawed lumber at best represents the maxi
mum of product by the minimum of labor,
which fact should be borne in mind in any
intelligent survey of the subject.
The reason why we advocate free lumber
is not because we desire to see foreign COM
petition admitted for the sake Of competi-
tion, but simply as measure of protection
to our own rapidly disappearing forests;
protection the need of which takes rank
ment of society. We state it as n broad
fact that the United States would be far
better off to-day if she had absolute assur-
ance that not live tree could be felled
within her borders during the next gen.
Grafton From all sides come complaints
ofclimatic changes, drouths, springs dry
ing up and water courses vanishing. In
all the older and formerly timbered States
of the Union the climatic and meteoro-
logical consequences of thoughtless and
wholesale destruction Of forests are rapidly
becoming momentous enough to touch the
very vitals Of human existence.
This is consideration before which all
others must wither in an instant; con-
sideration whose validity no man can dis
putc, because all men are beginning to feel
it in the air they must breathe, in the
water they must drink and in the products
of the earth upon which they must be fed
for treeless country means desert and
desert means death. The United Statei
is very rapidly becoming treeless country
Thirty years more of destruction like tn,
last thirty would leave nothing of the
once splendid forests of the United
States except memory as to wher
they were and frultless wish Il
have them back again. Therefore, as
measure of protection" in Its broadest ant
most imperative sense, we are for Fre
Trade in lumber, in order to protect wha
remains of the forests of America. We hop
when the Tariff commission reaches con
sideration of this vast and vital question
its deliberations will not stop at inquiry a
to what the lumbermen of Michigan, Wis.
consin, Minnesota, and Oregon want in tn,
way of protection against the competition
of the lumbermen of British America; bu
go ON to the wider and infinitely moro OK
igent field of inquiry as to what the climat
and meteorology of the whole United Stats
need in the way of protection to the forests
which are the great conservators of botl
Better perish by fire or flood every saw
mill in the United States than that til
Wholesale waste Of the last thirty year
should be repeated in the thirty years t
come. These are strong words, but the
are true. We hope their subject will rt
ceive from the Tariff Commission tina
earnest, thoughtful attention which is nc
only its due, but the due Of all the futur
that isin store for our country. If by I'll
sacrifice Of every home lumber interest
this country to foreign competition I'll
remnant Of our woods could b, spared,
would be blessing worth thousand tim,
Its price to this generation alone, not
speak Of those that are to come.
RerhaDa Mr. MatiiuoIv Can a.