New-York tribune., 1882-03-09
ADEANTlGEs or PROTEcTION

a LECTURE BEFORE THE BROOKLYN REVENUE RE-
FORM CLUB BY PROFESSOR r. Z. THOMPSON.
Professor Robert Ellis Thompson, OF the
University Of Pennsylvania, delivered lecture last
night before the Revenue Reform Club Of Brooklyn, on
"The Advantages Of Protection" IS
Nothing. said he il more admirable in the public Life
Of England than the large which opponents may
meet as friends 1t should be endeavOr to establish
such an an area in American public
life In accordance with that idea, let me
enumcrate a few Of the points which
PrOtectionist and Free Trader alike agreed. We
both desire the welfare Of country We are
Americans first all aud first respons bity il for
this good land which the Lord has given us We are
both agreed that wise policy may often demand
many sacrifices 70 attain some ultimate good. The
Government may have to give away much Valu-
able land to the railroad companies II
order to induce them to develop the
West We are agreed that our country
needs diversified Industries; the the better The
failure Of industries wouli be national calamity
their possession a national gain Adam smith the
first point out the great importance Of this, and every
political economist has followed him. Again, are all
agreed that there is economic order in the world
which duty to learn and our interest TO observe
I know you may think this is strange ground for
a Protectiouist to take but it Is not mcon
si.tent. The more we observe tits economic
order, tho greater viii be our prosperity This was the
doctrine Of the late Henry c. Carey, exponent o! pro
lection whose writings authority not only in
Engish-speaking but foreign l,nd5. And he general
uo good 10 some hing better. And whore this law o.
tain. diversified industries result. Aud lastly are all
agreed that cutal interference IN ludIstl mat
rI.o W tica MINIS not ~ CaIyani,m ,ut OF acr.e-
ment. are our common area: TO the cross
roads where srpirtre and the point Of separation Is
reached nv that phrase Governme1 tal hndrncns"
We ProtcctOuis,s say thar IL IS possible for
great, rrh and powerful nation. without using
illegal coercion, without drawing the sword from
IL scabb5rt. 70 -tife and -trange and crash
death tine infant industries Of young poor and weak
nations. Her very strength, her very Intelligence and
far-.igtedne-s make IL possible for her ~ into he
markets OF he world and destroy al manufacturing
industries of new lands. And not ony = this possible
bur it j. fact. We have heard much of the tyraunous
power Of the sword; here i sucI Thing as the yIan-
developed abnormal industries II Obliged 70 crush out
the "a ne ln9lstI.e- ~ o3'a 80 a. @ 80 ~ H.. LIS tI
them, and therefore would have them develop
~ No. IIftr nation. are rfrht. that IN H. In ia r te
sacred duty these nations ~ rie i'm their might and
say the manufacturer Iut your machinery IN your
min We viii nave h.se industries ia our own and and
10 foster them the pow the wiz be eXertcd II
need be-" Perhaps this + not an 9a hetc way Of de
Ing with the dicy, such "a tne doetrinrss propose
I, - only rolgn and really but / Is effective.
Three Instances may DE given IN illustration. The first
f. England. In the Mid lie Ages L'g ana was dl'ti!,
guisned Tor barbarism, pai La.ln and Free Trade
Edward III ss cssanst4 ms He He lfoIljjHed Lne
aged the immigration OF Flemish WoIduen
La]aostn to7t ia ' M 1Ie nome arpa tbe H
suarts protected irou and the Georges cotton England
lsl9. Ana the Ir,ec i've policy resulted, as II always
does I'm stimulating labor-say ~ lnv"nIons lhus Ing
land reached tul tide uf her rvtAouS teyc Oqment
under Otesou seventy years he Ore the repeal Of the
Corn Laws and ibeu when Project had done it, per
feet work w4en had become the worlds workshop,
when she had mOIOpo Lcd or closed the markets az tue
globe the re. rcti0Ds were magnauluOu-ly removed,
and ENGLAND invited the world 70 FOLLOW me ned
OF Free Trade. To-day her machluc-pOWer
ia equal about hundred millions II
people. Ghu- this nuperOu- ma-tcrrm people
have armed tu, ,msciyes 10 prosecute thor
Industrial warfare. secondly look at india Before tie
BRUSH came t. IL was cotton manufacturing
country; every man, woman and child was employed.
In Isl t was Otected! NO East Indian cotton could
enter In i sh markets; but English cotton could enter
East indian markets. such was tie law. The
Bengilese begged Tor equal terms, but could not
get them. Nlat has been the result The clues
have become JUNGLE the people are reduced 10 one Oc-
During the reign Of the present Queen Of England
3-OOOOO people have died in East India from
famine. This Is Protection. Tie people were
rich before the English came; they are IN aD-
let poverty And. lastly, glance al Ire
laud before lsUl Ireland had many manu- dctOries and
was comparatively prosperous. Bur England stopped
them and forced al the people a. TIL TIE aud And he
result that famine afrer Hmiue mas swept over
the country and the people to-day are poorer ana worse
oil than Jnty were before. Our own country
was ina very similar condition before It's independence
Eut hen We brcalue found that tAlngs would
not adjust Free Trad p Thought In 100
years We have changed our policy nine times We have
he'd lsI policy, PlOteCtion, ror twenty two
years. and the indications are that we are not quite
ready to give IL up yet AppiauSe.I