Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-02-07
Protection Versus Free Trade.

The last issue of Mr.. Reeds Agricultural
Review contains two articles discussing
the above.named issue from opposite sides.
We have read them both, carefully. The
free-trade writer is Henry j. Philpott, Esq,
of Des Moines, Iowa; the protectionist is
the veteran missionary, now president of
our college of Middlebury, VT, Rev. DR..
Hamlin. These are not our first studies in
this branch of political economy, nor the
least interesting, though neither of them
contains anything strikingly new. Shall
we express any opinions upon them ? The
Springfield Republican (Which is as fond of
slandering Vermont farmers as it declares
Governor Butler to be of slandering Massa-
chusetts institutions) tells its readers that
the Merino-sheep men of Addison county
(of which Middlebury is the shire town.
have united to " boycott every newspaper
in this state that dares to peep on the free
trade side. If this is really true, all we
have got to say is that the Merino-sheep |
men can take the prize as the biggest fools |
between Cape Race, in Newfoundland, and |
the last little island of the Alaskan archi-
pelsgo,-we won't even except the man (or
men) on the Republican staff who takes so
much comfort in villifying Vermont. And
we venture to say that any Vermonters who
take the contract on their hands TO suppress
free speech within the state upon any con-
ceivable topic, from Christianity to politics,
will decidedly bite off more than they can
masticate. Notwithstanding all the Repub'
ican's slurs on Vermont for the last ten
years, its conductors know very we'll that
even the alleged mafeasances of Governor
Smith, which that paper makes so much of,
were discussed right under his own nose for
years, and that the railroad magnate was
beaten politically in his own county by the
man who did it. If the press and people of
the state took comparatively little interest
in the matter, it was because they were
we'll aware of sundry cats hid in that pile of
meal.
| Mr.. Philpott Is very aiIy wriIei. lie
insists strongly upon the right of the far
mer to buy where he can buy cheapest,
whether in New or Old England. Mr..
Philpott seems to forget that the people lin.
Guiding the farmers) are the rulers of this
country, and that while they have unques-
tionably the right he claims for them, they
have also the right not to enforce it, if they
think they can make profit by declining
to do so. 1t is just question with them
whether it pays to sustain home manufac-
lures by protection, and buy at home for
the sake of the home market thus made for
their products, or not. If they are willing
to pay American prices for the sake of max
ing an American market, they surely have
the right to do it. Whenever they think
differently they can exercise their right to
declare free trade. But meantime they are
under no other restraint than one of their
own making-that the majority shall rule.
Mr.. Phipott claims that while free trade
has no party in this country the professors
of political economy in our colleges are all
free traders. He asked one of them the
reason, and the answer he says he got was
az dare not teach anything else to class
of intelligent young men. l should be
pretty sharply called to account for the alb
surdities of protection As commentary
ON the alleged influence of the "educated
classes" and thrust at the kind of tim
her which college professors have to work
upon, this is good. There ought to be a
society for the emancipation of professors
from the terrorism of student domination
But what becomes of all these intolersnt
free trade boys after they leave college
Do they go to raising Merino sheep in Ad
olson county, and forswear their principles
Mr.. Philpott goes on to tell us that free
trade is hindered by the demagogues with
hayseed, sand nothing but hay-seed," il
their heads, who have preached "antimon
opoly," "railroad regulation" free coinag
and treasury.note currency TO the farmers
Oh, ho Let us see Have the railroads
the national banks and the Golden club o
England retained Phillpott, Esq, as thei
attorney to call the attention of the farmers
away from those dangerous topics to tn
benefits of free-trade ? No doubt free trad
might increase at least temporarily, the de
mand for bank money, aud the profits Q
rsilroading, But we suspect that it
rather too late for this Iowa lawyer to sue
ceed in thus starting back-fre to meet tn
rising flame Of popular indignation again'
monopolies in America.
President Hamlin's article is fair an
reasonable presentation of facts, without
particle of the bombast and fustian of th
Iowa free-trader, who appeals to the farmel
on behalf of our worst monopolies in tt
name of " liberty" He shows that En-
land, the great " devil.fsh of the Atlanti
reaches out its long feelers to every natio
seducing them to frsetrade with the pu
pose of ruin. He shows how France WI
persuaded to try free-trade for few yeai
only to put an end to the treaty and becon
more proteotionist than ever. He show
with the power of an eyewitness, how Tu
key has been ruined by free-trade wi
England, and how the recent rebellion
Egypt was but feeble protest against
| similar fate. And yet, with all this L
Iiamln is far from being monopolist,
desrous of protection simply to build
to an oligarchy of rich manufacturers
10 70 America. lie shows how, under differe
PPa- conditions free-trade has done that in Eu
S. land, and thus he gives us powerful wal
- ing not to let the policy OF protection be {
based and prostituted from means of 81
o,e, port to all branches of American indust
'nss me to become the bulwark of but one. T