The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1883-02-15
ANOTHER wREsrLE WITH THE rARrr.

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tissue, in which he seems to take contrary view
to ours, but not so much, after all. Very man
protectionists-perhaps all who are not actuate'
by selfish motiyes-are not in favor of Plaeinj
the tariff for protection so high as to eneourag
monopolies and extortion, but only sufficient t,
protect us against ruinous competition frou
the poorly paid labor of Europe. tariff can b
| increased or lowered. as the ease will Justify
and if there is difficulty in securing desirahI
reductions, it is largely owing to the fact tina
there is a party in Congress always ready to TAX
advantage of the re-opening of the question {.
destroy protection altogether.
And now comes the Wichita Bacon with il
note of dissent. This arises, first from the fac
that the Beacon is Democratic paper, an,
thinks itself in duty bound to oppose anythin:
contrary TO the old Democratic doctrine of Free
Trade; and secondly, because the Eagle highl,
commended our article, and therefore the Beaoo,
must take the opposite stand. We give its re
marks entire:
TAEIFF PHrLosoPHr.-The Troy ChieC of last week
has column article the tariff question IL is fol-
protection and of course, for prohibition. For il
the products of the socalled pauper labor of Europe
can be sold and they will not be sold IL there is nc
profit our factories will not be protected for they
will have TO compete with pauper labor The article
is stuffed full Of falacies. For instance the follow
ingi
under protective tariff, manufactures flourish and
while manufactures flourish. the farmers are pros.
porous; that when manufactures languish, general
depression ensues, and the prices Of the farmer
produce tumble down quickly the mercury in
the Thermometer at the approach Of northern biz
zarl."
omy, to be found in Adam Smith, Mill and all the
writers on that subject. that the soil is the very
foundation of the wealth of nations. When the soil
produces abundantly, all manufactures flourish, be-
cause they to large extent. work over the produc-
tions of the soil The food and clothing of the world
comes directly or indirectly from the soil Over four-
hiths OF the specifically productive labor of this
country is employed the FARMS vet this tariff phi
losopher says that the prosperity Of this class de-
Pends upon the prosperity of the factories Suppose
the soil refuses to produce, how long would the
tories runi The quotation make is a solid chunk
Of wisdom. The fact is just the opposite of that
which Is stated a fact The farmers prosper when
they have large crops, and when they prosper the
manufactures prosper because they furnish the raw
material and consume largely the manufactured art
icles.
Here the Beacon filings Adam Smith and John
Stuart Mill at us. This is precisely what we
said the Free Traders use as their favorite argu-
ment, in the article to which that paper objects.
We make no pretence to being graceful, learn
ed and profound writer, as Adam Smith and John
Stuart Mill were: but We do try TO put our
thoughts in language that the common people,
of limited edncation. can comnrebend Tl;s
WAS not done bv Smith MIL and the otI.- ,,roo,
writer's on Free Trade. that are so extepsivsIv
circulated as Free Trade doct,ine yrcb os,ho;r
writing, were utterly incomnreben.ibI. IN maj,
of ordinary understanding, calculated to confuse
them, and give them the impression that ter
rible buggaboo was after the people, in the shape
of Protection. And because they declare tbns
and so, we are asked to take it as rospel truth
although the whole experience of tbis country
has been the exact reverse. If Adam Smith aud
John Stuart Mill had written an abstrusa essay
TO prove that il would not hurt a man TO I.t a
twenty-ton steam hammer strike him ON the
head, would we he compelled to believe il. in
the face of the fact that the man Law ther, he
fore our ewes mashed TO a Jelly. II ia inst as
reasonable as TO ask people TO belieye some Iop,y
strung ont theory by Adam Smith or John Stuort
Mill, when their doctrine has been refnted time
and again. by sad experience,
Yet Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill ,r.
quoted above to show that the soil i. the source
of wealth: and if drouth or prassbopDers ds-
stroyed the crops- Distress vouId epsue And ;r
all the factories in the country were burned
down in one night. wouldn't distress apsue, IL
the produce of the soiI i. the opIy sorrca or
wealth, what would be the result if the en,;re
population of the country were farmers. produr-
ing that wealth. How much wouId wheat and
corn and other farm produce be WORTH There
would be no sale fer if and M means of nroduc-
ing what the soil did not directly produce The
soil produees iron and coal and ,b.v ,o to bel,,
l.. a..
BeqooH's statement of the pbiIosopbv of Adam
Smith and John Stuart Mill is correct il nroves
exactly the reverse of what was intended If
proves that all industries are depepda,, r,or
each other, and shouId he fostered and prot.ct.J
so that the prosperity of all classes v,uld La in
sureh. This is the doctrine of Protection.
And who were Adam Smith and Jobn Stuart
Mill, that the Beacon hurls at us to anuibilate
our tariff viewsf Adam Smith was a Scotch
man. who died almost one hundred wears apo.
when manufacturing. even in ENGLAND. WAS in
its infancy, and who was not eompetent to iudpe
from actual observation. As well ask us TO he
Iieve that the sun travels around the earth, be-
cause eminent PHILOSOPHERS said So before peo-
pIe knew any better. John Stuart Mill was nm
Enrlishman. bronpbt nm in an FngIisb merc,,.
tile house, where the most ultra views were i'm
hibed as to the bad economy of other nations
protecting their industrial interests. II is lust
as we said-tbep meet us with the bomili.s of
Scotch. English and French Free Traders. 70
convince America that she sbonld no, protect
her industries Why did not the Beacon iuclude
Frederic BastiR. the Frenehman. who writes in
the hot bed of Communism. where they contend
that the property of tn. wealthy and thrifty
should be contiscated and shared by tb. lazy
Ioafers These are th. sort of men who love
America so dearly that they write volume upon
volume to prove that il is bad policy to buiId mn
home industries. instead Of buyinr goods from
Europe. But one important fact the Free Trad.
ers do not inform the people upop. FncIapJ ga,
well atford 70 bav. Free Trade as Io,,, .s .h.
pnrsues th. arbitrary policv tba. nr.v,iIs tb.rc
10 a ureat extent. and so corId America T,y,o (
people are c,mne,I.d Ir law IN us. , I,r,,,. ,,r,
her of roods that ar. in constant demand Tho,
are manufactured nj boms UI,,.p sho G,rhiIs
th, peopIe bv law frnn hr,;,,, r.,.;,, node
and cnrour,,,ip,, c,mp.,;,;n, rL, ,, ,,
offorJ Free Tr,J.- W. hear ,,,od J,.,I :, ,ho /
,lJ I,osI, r,,.,t,d ,,.ar and ,,,., .I,o,, a., l.
l,y sIerpin.r in a taxed cradle and nm ,br,r,,I,
Iif ,,;,,, So, .;r -, .rr =,