National Republican., 1883-08-21
Fncts and Figures.


cral public as well, in that prices aro thereby
reduced. This thesis has been questioned
and assailcd in so many quarters by free
trade journals as TO require cursory mention
and statement of facts 1t has been assorted
that tho "ruinous degree" of protection has
been fostering monopolios by enabling them
to control the prices and profits on all goods
to the great detriment of consumers.
On the contrary, statistics show that an
unusual decline has taken place during the
past ten years on nearly every article of pro-
tectcd American manufactures. For exam
pie, in the matter of cast steel, the English
make sold in our markets for 1S or 90 cents
per pound for nearly quarter of century,
when it was placed on the traiH lmme-
diatcly our steel workers at Pittsburg began
to put their goods on the market aud ran the
price down to 10 cents per pound at the same
time paying to their laborors nearly double
the wages given to the same class of cm-
ployes in England. In 1858 the
average price for salt was $l.s5 per barrel
| 1t has gradually been reduced until now the
average price is but "a cents In dozen
years tho price has been reduced $50 per
cent, while laborcrs are receiving almost
exactly the same wages as when the staple
was so much higher Up to the year 1870,
this country was paying the English $3.50 in
gold per ton for Bessemcr steel rails Since
! Dt hu haCp
protected by judicious tariff, and they have
been enabled to supply the market with the
article at the rate of $50 per ton. This in
dustry employs 10000 American laborers, and
disburscs to them annually $75CO,OOO in
wages. Plate glass has had n ruinous de-
gree of protection and in ten years time the
price has been reduced 60 per cent. G., from
$3.50 to 81 per square foot.
These "monopolics" are mentioned merely
as examples of tho entire list of those pro-
tected by the existing tariff They arc not
tho best examples, but are selected at random
to illustrate the fact. At the outset of every
American enterprise the investors are obliged
to fix prices above those paid to the foreign
manufacturers in order tosecure a fair rate of
interest on their plant. No one man or COM
pany of mon can long retain an exclusive
control of any particular business. So long rs
we can DO sure Of protection from competition
with the paupor labor of Europe Americans
will enter into competition with each other.
Trades will adjust themselves in this country
if they are not subject to foreign interference
and imposition. Speaking of this same sub
iect, the indianapolis Journal tersely tells the
truth in tho following manner:
The protective tariff was established for dual
purpose. First, TO produce revenue demanded
by the eXigences of the war and for the scarcely
less imperative purpose of building up American
industries. Behind this bulwark it was the aim
of government to encourage manufacturing, sc
that we might in II measure free ourselves from
the dangers of having to depend upon unriendly
foreign powers, and for the further purpose OF
giving employment TO American labor There can
be no possible doubt that the cost of our civil war
would have been doubled had not this measur,
been taken, and had we placed ourselves wholly
at the mercy of foreign producers. But to builC
up these new industrics-theSe woolen and cottol
and iron and steel mills-was gigantic under
taking. Each enterprise on anything like al
adequate scale required the immediate invest
meut of hundreds of thousands of dollars, bGckcC
up by other thousands TO carry the experiment Il
q successful issue. Everything had to be done n
fearful expense. The plant Of each mill con
sumed very large amounts of capital and ire
quenty had to be removed or rebuilt as they wer
found defective or inefficient 1t is said that tn
first STEEL rail made in Chicago cost the mill owners
not less than SjOG,0OO
The gradual improvements in machinery
and the increasing ability of American labor
crs with their growing knowledge of the
) business, results in greater facility of produc
ton and consequent cheapness. The develop
7 ment of tho country results in steadil,
growing market. The supply is never create
I than the demand. Thus it is that under tn
protective system our manufacturers are en-
abed to reduce the prices of all articles o
home consumption and at the samo time main
tain wages at respectable living standard
The sophistry of free traders can never gail
D the credcnce of American suliragsts in tn
2 face Of these facts. Their patitudos an,
pretcnses may be never so eloquent and per
suasve they can bc of no avail, At tn
ballot boxes the voters in those parts of thi
republic where votes are counted as, cas-
hrra will always be largo majority for tn
rutcction of American labor.