The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-27
rAuLrY pBMooRATIo LOGIC.

Commenting on the admitted fact that the
price of cotton goods has decreased from % to
SO per cent. since 1860, and despite the "rob-
Der tariff" the Louisville Courier-Journal
explains"
eff the fact that prices are lower is to be
traced to the tariff, then prices in England,
where there is no tariff, must be higher. On
the contrary prices are lower In England; so
the cause must be common to both countries.
1t is due to a revolution in machinery. The
improvement in textile machinery in the past
twenty-five years has been as important as it
was in the past seventy-five years, and the only
thing the tariff has done has been to enhance
greatly the cost of machinery thus depriving
America Of the full advantage of the inven-
tions Of this most inventive age"
Your logic is faulty, and nobody better than
yourself knows that it is faulty. The Sc
quence Of your premise is non sequitur,
The reduction of the cost of manufactured
articles in America brought about, as was in
tended, by the competition resulting from the
encouragement afforded by protection, could
but compel corresponding reduction in all
the markets of the world. But without the
impulse given by protection the cotton manu-
featuring industries would not have been SO
greatly developed competition would not
have been so great, nor would the demand
for improved machinery have been SO marked
The increased cost of machinery complained
Of by the CouriereJournal can be ascribed
to but one cause, the price Of protected labor
Weigh one of these machines, and it viii be
found that the increase Of cost due to the
tariff on the iron and steel of which it is
composed is insignificant compared with
increased cost of protected labor over that of
free-trade countries. But suppose the in
creased cost of a complete set of improved cot
ton weaving machinery be 800, and these
machines will produce cotton fabrics at re-
duced cost Of two or three cents per yard, as
admitted by the Courier-Journal How long
would it take to repay this increased cost of
machinery When little more than three
thousand yards have been woven the extra
chinery be still serviceable, so that the actual
saving would be increased Cotton cloth
and all manufactured articles are
cheaper to-day than under Demo
cratic free trade policy because of
increased OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES competing
with the Old World-and because Of inn
proved machinery both the legitimate and
expected outcome Of our protective tariff.
The editor of the Courier-Journal knows, as
everybody knows, that if protection encour-
aged monopolies prices would rise, and cotton
fabrics would sell for more instead of less.
The Courier Journal also knows, or ought to
know, that machinery Of all kinds, despite
the '.robber tariff, sells more cheaply to-day
than ever before in the history of the
country. A locomotive Of better materials
and better make may be bought TO-
day for much less than the same
class of machine would have sold for in 1860.
The same effect of competition encouraged is
noticeable in the reduction of the cost of car
rying freight over our 100000 miles Of rail
ways. During the past twenty years the rate
has decreased from 2.665 cents per ton per
mile to Oslo cent per ton per mile. In
other words, the cost Of the freight traffic to
the country has been reduced by millions of
dollars annually. This too, despite the fact
that the 'robber tariff placed heavy duty on
steel rails manufactured abroad. Steel rails
can be bought more cheaply abroad, and would
be bought there but for the pro
tective tariff. The same ratio of
reduction Of cost to consumers here noted
holds good on all protected articles, and the
tendency of prices is still downward, under
the influence Of increased competition and
improved machinery and methods of manu-
facture, developed under the encouragement
offered by protection to American mills and
men. The people have investigated this
question too closely to be deceived by super
fetal sophistry. No radical change will be
made to accommodate theorists, who would
like to experiment with matters they eyi-
IDENTIFY do not understand.
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