Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-07

1 AuC LEWs
Professor A. L. Perry. Of Williams
College, Massachusetts, where he fills
the chair of political economy. delivered
8 lecture before the Revenue Reform
Club of Btooklyn on Thursday last,
which, according to reports, was one Of
the finest and most lucid efforts against
the evils of protection which has ever
been presented.
He proceeded to discuss the subject
by first considering it generally under
two heads, viz {: "What free trade is? p
and f'What protection does?" and
answefed the question 'fWhat is free
trader" as follows: Free trade does not
compel any man to trade with another.
1t does not even recommend that they
should It simply says that if two men
find it profitable to trade they may do
50" and then he asks: "Who is the
MN or who is the set of men who have
the right to step in and say You shall
cot trade as you choose?'"
Equally as succinctly he proceeded to
show what was the character of pro-
lection. 1T" says the lecturer, ode
clares to all classes of non-protected pro-
ducers and consumers, You shall not
sell your commodity or your labor in the
market where it will bring the most, but
in that market and at such prices as shall
be determined for you" In a word, he
took the plain and indisputable ground
that protection makes the poor man reap
but part of the harvest which his lsbors
ought to bring him, and forces him to
sell in a cheap market when dearer one
is open to him, and buy in dear mar
ket when a cheaper one is at hand. And
then he sums up the whole matter thus
terselY: Protection is theory bad in
principle, wicked in practice, faulty in
results, and with nothing good about it. "
The learned lecturer does not rest
satisfied with thus generally stating his
case, however, but next proceeds to
show practically how a protective tariff
Is intended to benefit neither the govern
ment nor the masses of the people, but
simply and solely the favored protected
mOnopohst As proof of this, he cited
the case of the manufacturers of Besse-
mer steel rails in this country. In 1870
there were seven companies in this
country engaged in rolling these rails,
who had control of the business. In a
confidential" communication to Con-
gress, these seven companies stated that
they desired exceptional protection"
for their rails, as their industry was
new TO the country, and asked for a duty
Of two cents per pound on all imported
tails. The committee to whom the petit
ton was referred-high tariff protection
SITS though its members were-did not
dare grant such a tremendous protection
rs this, but taey did place Il cents per
pound on imported rails, and what was
the result? The protection thus granted
announced to sos per ton, and since the
duty was imposed, the manufacturers of
these rails have pOcketed SIR times as
much money as the government has re-
ceived from customs duties on imported
rails. and this sum has been realized to
them from the pockets of the peo-
PIE at large, inasmuch as railroads
using these rails had to pay the manu-
facturers tneir prices, and in consequence
had to charge increased rates on their
liFes, and so travellers and shippers had, in
the end, to bear the tax. Nor was this
all, but as these companies proceeded
with the manufacture of their rails-and
as. through protection, they were shut
| out OF other markets-sOOn an OverprO-
ductiOn was threatened, and weaker
cOmpanies-notably the Vulcan Steel
/ Company of ST. Louis-became panic
stricken and embarrassed, and finally
these specially protected Bessemer mo-
nopOlists paid the above mentioned st.
Louis company the enormous sum of
| $4,000 a year for one or two years to let
their shops stand idle and cease compe-
tition. And psrtinently remarks the lee
turer on this point:
''Their profits must have been enor-
nous to permit of that payment. The
| money did not come out of the govern
ment. but out of the pockets of the peO-
| pie who used the railrOads-Ouu of your
pocket and mine and our neighbOrs-
/ and it came in this indirect and wicked
way The system was devi1ed to give
the privileged few a favored market, and
the great mass of the people were COM
PEELED to pay an artificial price. Is it
| strange that we who study this subject
are stirred to indignation by these
things?"
Here, we maintain, is a practical and
conclusive example of the unjust and
ubiquitous working of a protective
tariff, and it is an example applicable to
all protected articles, inasmuch as the
experience of the country with protected
Bessemer steel rails is exactly similar to
its experience with the wooden, cotton
cloth or any other protected manufactu-
rer. The prOtectiOnists have grown enor-
mously wealthy at the expense of the
poorer and less favored classes of the
| community. and so are able to control
Congress and secure allies. Neverthe-
less when we see men of the learning
and experience of Professor Perry
boldly antagonizing them, and exposing,
so irrefutably, the Injustice worked by
protection to the masses, it is not unrea-
sonable to hope that ere long, the eyes of
the people will be opened and that, de
spite the wealth and monied influence of
the monopolists, they will demand from
the National Legislature just relief from
their oppressors.
ct is gratifying to observe" remarks