The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-30
TARIFF g'AsiE&.
PENDz.AEoS ssEs-ass2NSE& EsFs
VIEWS.



Projections os CapisasIatsat snC sGx-
pcnSc ga s.ssDsrs
WASHINGTON, d. G., Marcn il, 1850.
Senate" GeorXa ii. iendiet0n matte
u speecil on the Mortiil hill for 4 civil
commission 10 revise the tariff IN Tie
Senate to-day. As Mr. !'endlej0u is
alleged 10 have prrsidcnii8l aspirations,
his utterances on tAe Important subject
of the tariff are OF value. III ali eX-
haustive speech he advocated an i'm
mediate revision Of the tariff, and be
lieved proper bill could be prepared
by 4 commission Of Congress. He said
the real difficulty consisted in the ad-
justment of the vast and complicated
details. He contrasted absolute free
trade and absolute rotecti0n-irre-
spective of revenue-and said if it were
possible to reduce the issue purely aud
simply to absolute free trade on the one
side and absolute protection on the
Gther-if we should discard altogether
the idea of a tariff for reveuue-there
would he no necessity OF considering
these details, and much OF the difficult
ty would disappear. On such an issue
he thinks it would not be difficult to
show that the simple rule which every
man applies to his ordinary and private
transactions" to buy where he can
buy cheapest and sell where he can
sell dearest would be an equally
wise tenet OF economic philosophy
when applied to the whole people.
1t would be easy to show that tariff
for protection only does not differ in
essence from the grant OF a bounty to
the producer of the protected articles
Bounties are paid out of the treasury,
and the treasury is supported by taxes
levied on all the people. A tariff for
protection, the Senator argued, enables
the protected producer to charge ali his
customers larger price than if he COM
peted with the foreign articles. If a
constitutional argument exists against
the grant of public money as bOunties
for the benefit of individuals, on the
production of certain articles, the same
argument exists against a tariff for
protection only. If the whole body of
the people may not be taxed i'll order
that the money collected may be given
under the name Of bounty to some who
are pursuing special industries for pri-
vate gains, so also the whole peOpie
may not be compelled by legislation in
any way, however Indirect, TO pay a
larger price than the same producers
for products Of those industries. If
every article and every industry should
he protected and every person be made
to pay larger price for every article
he consumes, the extra price he pays
for everything except his own product,
would be fully equal to any advantage
he might derive from the protection
afforded him and any person has a
right to demand that his production or
industry shall be protected to Il reIa-
lively equal protection. But we can
not have this issue. The Federal Gov
ernment must have revenue, and the
people will raise it hy tariff duties; and
the rule should he--the largest attaina-
bic revenue, with the least burden on
amy industry.
Mr.. Pendeton illustrated tIIe far
reaching effect Of tariff duties, and
showed that the duty on tin prevented
our dairymen from having the nIon0p-
oily of canned milk in the world. If we
shut our markets to the prOti;Icts Of
other nations, they viii certainly shut
their markets to us, and generally i'll
the same proportion. AS We SOW, so
also shall We reap again. cit is often
and loudly asserted" d" said Mr.. Pendie-
ton, that we can repress, OF even for
bid, the importation of foreign pro-
ducts, and retain Hnimpaired entrance
for oar products into other countries
Tie claim il uniounjied. Reason and
experience alike refGte H. !iunau
nature rebels against il. The necessii =
of the sale OF the fruits of labor MAX a4
it impossibie. | know OF uoiiing
which more zralously insists on tht.
enforcement OF tha golden rule: " A.
ye would that men should % unto you.
do ye even SO to tiiein.' Tile friends
of extreme protection assert that their
system produces ri once high wages To
W0rkmen and cheap prices for COM
modities. This is Il paradox. 1t ia
without reason on its face. Il has moth
ing to support it. The result cannot
he cheap ii the elements are all dear.
Labor enters largely into the cost of ali
manufactures. if the wages OF labor
are high, the products Of such labor
cannot be cheap. If the products are
cheap, the labor must be cheap aiso.
Mr.. Pendleton said he despised the
words "cheap labor" They mean
wages low luXuries, none; comforts,
none; home, house, food, clothing. ed
ucation, scant and failing; the heart,
courage, high hope OF he laborcr faint
and falling, and his family suffering
They mean penury, misery, failing
health, failing strength, feebleness,
vice, and finally disregard of social
and moral obligations. But labor is
cheap not by reason of what ii receives,
but by reason of what it must pay for
all that the labOrer ought to have. II
the necessaries of his life are costly
beyond their due proportion to his
wages, then his labor is cheap aud its
rewards are scant. Mr.. PendletOn said
he never knew ardent advocates OF
protection who worried themselves to
protect labor. They go on the princi-
pie that gov e ,nment should take care
of the rich, and the rich will take care
of the poor. They protect the pocket
of the manufacturer. He said he new
er heard that they require the manu-,
facturer to divide the contents OF his
pocllet-book with his employees. Every
addition to the price of home products
except the necessaries of life, falls frs
and most heavily on labor, and til,
very essence of protection is an in
crease of price in the article protected
We have lately heard that capital il
very helpless and timid. | suppose
continued the Senator, we shall sOoI
be told that labor is very bold and ag
gressive.
In conclusion. Mr. PendletOn said
"The wonderful developments of phys
ical science have changed the face o
the world, the relations of the people
and the duties of craftsmanship Tn
steam engine, the postal system, tn
telegraph, have brought the wOrit
closer together, have facilitated com
munication and have developed TIL
Interchange not only of thought an'
sentiment, but of productions also
Commerce has become not only th
means, bat to n great extent the ain
of international intercourse. Its de
mands carry our productions to ever,
country in the world, and require tha
the sails of our ships should whittier
every sea. 1t tempt4 cur citizens t.
brave every cline and enter every ju
risdiction. We should protect then
there. IL has awakened into new Iif
7 the countries of the American cont
nent, and stimulated passions which
after war and possible conque,t, vii
exhaust Themselves in marvellous in
dustrial activity. Our diulonao,
should invite their contitirnce in us Il
their friends, at once powerful and dis
Interested. Our commercial re|tIt:t
ti"ns should "oiinlan" their trI2l; iy
reciprocity uf benefits"
Ali. pcillilelHu cited many staIi@ti"