West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1882-03-10

Professor William q. sumner OF
Yale College, lectured on "Protec-
tion and Free Trade" before the
Revenue Reform Club Of Brook.
lyn, few evenings ago. The
audience was large, aud lre-
quently manifested it's approval Of
the lecturers arguments 10y hearty
applause. Professor Sumner in ap-
pearance and manner is totally uu-
like the traditional college professor
He spoke without hotes, easily and
huently.
Our adverssries, said he, assert
that the theory OF free trade is built
on assumptions But everything
must have some assumption to start
with. You must begin by saying
Given such and such conditions,
what will follow That is what
the political economists has to do.
And he is met by the difficulty that
he cannot create an experiments he
cannot put men on an leland to try
his theory, nor can he always get
cases from history for the bad legis-
lation OF tho past has discouraged
social laws. But l will state II case.
The Pilgrim Fathers were man OF
grit on land of granite. They
tried TO live under the conditions
given them; built ships and TILED
the soil. Then q protectionist came
along and said; They are not under
the right conditions to succeed; there
iG way by which they may get more
Let us lay tax on them, to make
them rich Laughter. That is
bis theory Of wealth, But it is
poor theory. II Government puts
one cent in my pocket 1t must either
make it or take it from some other
mans pocket, 1t does not make it,
for that 10 not what Government s
for so il simply takes from somebody
else. II taxation causes some indus
tries to flourish Others must decline.
1t ~ in accordance with scence.
You cannot make something out o.
nothing. The alchemas;s tried it
AMI failed Labor AMI economy are
the only found ltion of wealth. Ii A
gets rich through the tariff it must
be because B geta poor. and protoc-
tion has made a great many Be.
ILtughter. Mr.. Ksley has told
you that the tariff has built up Pater-
son. Yes, there are crowds Of As
there, but where are the poor b?
There are only three ways by
which nay property may leave me.
A man may buy it Of me; Of / may
give it to him; or he mry steal it
from me. You must pat the tariff
under one OF these three heads. aud
tfdlh demands that il shall bs put
under the third. [AppIause 1t is
fair TINT we should ask The protec-
tionists to give US soma guarantees
that they know what they are aim
ing at. On their theory we are to
submit to a present loes n order to
reap future gain. What is the
gain? It is all clear enough that we
will be out Of pocket now, that the
tax will be collected, and then the
whole thing runs into the ground
and We have only the vague hope
that some how or other we will come
out all right 1t is lika throwing
money mp in the air and expecting
to get rich by the operation. Laugh
teri So @e ask what is the eco
pomic force in protection"2 Then we
ask, "wuat has protection done for
us'2 TLoy cay, "The United States
bts prospere4 under protective
tariff, and therefore Of a protective
tariff" You might az well say that
the United States prospsrod under
slavery, and therefore because Of
slavery. II is shallow lallacy.
Again We assert that the protection
ists have not acted with good faith.
The tariff vas imposed in TIE excite
ment Of the Civil War, and we were
told that il ws7 ou'y temporary.
that it was jast TO foster our infant
industries. Twenty years have
passed, s8j those infants haven't
grown yet laughter, and never
will under protection. Remember
this ,tr,G wss laid on us wbsn we
we're already burjeped enough. All
possible excuse for protection he,
psssed and yet two recent tsrif
conventions have been shameless
enough to demand more tariff stl
and TO ssk that certain people shall
] levy tax on ustO enrich them