Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-19
Protection Demanded.
Ne1U York Times.

When we set up protection for our home
industries we do It to exclude the products
of other nations from competition with our
own products. This is only just and gener-
Gus to people who improve American soil.
Thus, when we found that the Canadian
fishermen, who are a discOuragingly thrifty
and economical race, were sending canned
and barreled fish into our market,
under the treaty of Washington, we
were very much annoyed. We had con-
ceded to the Canadians the right to send
their fish into our markets in return for GER
tain fishery rights conceded to us. And
when we observed that they were actually
profting by that permission we taxed the
tin of their tin cans and the woodenware OF
the kegs and barrels. The Canadians grum-
bled, to be sure, but there was the tariff,
that triumph of American ingenuity and
skill. How could we protect our tinsmiths
and our coopers IL cans and barrels were TO
be allowed free entry into the United States?
Then we stopped down behind our protec-
tive tariff and laughed long and silently at
the discounted Canadians.
But it happens that there is also a pro-
tectiye tariff in Germany The beauties
and blessings of protection are by no means
confined to this free and happy land of ours
To our great modification and surprise, the
Germans have laid duties on American
hams. OF course, Germany would no more
tax hams than we would tax fish. But the
hams are IN cloth coverings, and these COW
erings are taxed as manufactures of cotton,
as they undeniably are. Then, again, the
canned meats, so much In demand In Ger
many, are found to interfere with the
manufacture of fine hardware. The tin
cans are fine hardware, although the meats
are not. So the tins must pay duty. This
is by no means as entertaining as the Ameri-
can decision in the Canadian cases. 1t illus
trates very forcibly the difficulty of invent
ing a protective tariff that shall enable the
nation using & to protect its own infant in
dustries and export its own goods freely to
every other portion OF the habitable globe
There Is a suspicion In the minds of many
that the Germans must have been studying
the American tariff when they found that
tin meat cans were fne hardware and the
coverings Of hams were manufactures Of
cotton.
Indeed, the zeal and industry which
other nations display in finding holes In our
protective fence are really, to use COM
mon phrase, worthy Of better cause"
10 sooner do we have one industry well
protectf than another sets up cry OF dis
tress. During the late civil war, when the
soldiers were wearing out vast deal Of
cloth and shoddy, thoughtful patriot was
nettled by the reflection that the teazles
used in giving a finish to the surface of
wooden cloth were imported. He planted
four acres of teazles, and began to raise
them for American consumption. In the
very next tariff bill drawn by the House
Committee of Ways and Means IL was found
necessary to protect the thoughtful PATRIOTS
patch of teaZles. The war might stop, and
the palladium of our liberties go down In
ruin and gore; but that mans teazle crop
must be protected by a duty on all teazies
OF alien growth. still later, it has been
discovered that the Canadian hens have
been firing over the border quantities Of
duty-free eggs, to the extreme disgust and
modification of the hens OF Vermont,
Oswegatchie and ChaDplain. Clearly. the
home supply is not large enough for the
home demand. II 1t were, Canadian hens
would not venture to compete with the valu-
able and patient fowls Of New England and
New York. This must be stopped. Amert-