Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-02-23
THE TARIFF.

70 III" Hnn. Sdm""i H. RdndW:
When you recognize the fact that Their
cannot he free trade between nations who's
scale Of wages differs, assume that 70,
mean that they cannot trade together IN
less one, il not both. shall levy taxes upol
the ll"riurt> of the other Evidence of til,
existence u such y fact is impossible: there
i conclusive evidence 10 the contrary. w
have thi:ly-ei9hi States. which, for all thu
purposes ortrade, are different nations every
one exchanges products with every othel
without any tax: and on page 2O2 of tht
Agricultural report for 1880 you will fine
that the scale OF wages in seven OF them is
but little more than half that of the other
States
You want To make the tariff so that we
can cover the gap between the scales oil
wages How will you cover that gap
Don't YOU think Your people will soon
want protection against the cheap labor oil
those States2 And when your protection
shall have so impoverished the masses, that
they cannot buy your protected articles, and
the manufacturers break and turn protected
labor out upon the world to starve or tramp
and beg or rob, how will you cover the gap
between our labor with no wages and even
the scanty wages of the pauper labor OF
Europe? With the musket? or what +?
Nous Ferrons, a. Ritctie used TO say
have promised to prove that no honest
man with spare half dollars believes that
protection is right An honest man will do
what he believes is right, even at some sac
ritice of what the world calls interest. IT
will require no time 10 make him do il. y
merchant shall have on one end OF his
counter 900 pairs Of shoes made in Europe,
Asia or Africa; on the other end one pair
made in Lynn everybody shall known
where they were made; that they are all
precisely equal in material workmanship
and appearance and therefore precisely Of
equal intrinsic value the price Of the one
home made pair shall be $3.50, the price of
the others 81 per pair. Surely some man
ought to be found who would gladly sacri-
flee half dollar to carry into practice his
convictions of right There is not a pro-
tectionist in the United States who would
buy the $3.50 pair while one Of the 50 pairs
was left Men "show their faith by their
works.
Mr.. Randall. | have investigated this
thing called protection" for sixty years,
not with reference to its effects upon one
section or the other. nor upon one or anoth-
cr people, but for the single purpose Of try
ing to find the truth rs to lis effects and in
iiucnces upon the human race. and the re-
sui Of my invest i%atons has been the con-
riction, unclouded by the shadow OF doubt,
that knavcs and tyranls in their purposes
and efforts 10 impoverisl and enslave the
lnhoring masses Tor the qualification Of their
greed for gain and lust for power, never in
vented another scheme so perfectly fitted
for The accomplishment Of their purposes.
You are not, as am, old enough to re-
member that in its origin in this country
protection" was asked not for labor, but
for capital; the trouble with them was
that labor was too high" That is the OBJ
ject Of the clamor now. What do corpora
tons care about labor? lfthey would spend
for the benefit of labor half the money they
spend in trying to bride legislation in their
own favor, labor would need no protection
Have You happened, Mr.. Randall to notice
that recently some of these clamorers for
'protecLion' for our own labor have been
importing foreign paupcr labor?'
Will ii startlc you 10 be told that every
dollar paid for what is called protection is
paid by and at the expense Of labor? | will
prove il beyond all contradiction inmy next
JAMES y. BETHUNE
Warrcnlon, Va. Feb. 81.