Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-08-01

What is known in the jurisprudence of
this country as the "protective system"
first began to take shape in the year 1916.
The increased rates of tariff levied during
the war of 1912 for revenue purposes, gave
encouragement to the establishment OF
some manufactures on this continent,
which up to that time were almost I'M
known. This gave rise to the idea that,
by aid of the protection from foreign COM
petition resulting from high tariff, for
eign as well as domestic capital would be
attracted to the manufacturing business
in this country and skilled labor from a
broad be induced to emigrate to our shores,
thereby building up complete system of
domestic manufactures, whichwou'd great
" increase the internal resources of this
country in times of war and otherwise tend
to promote its independence and general
welfare.
Such measure WAS eloquently advoca-
ted upon these grounds by the gifted Clay,
of Kentucky, who has been denominated
the 'father of the protective system = and
through his exertions and the cooperation
of both of the great political parties Of
that day til" protective system was grad
ually built up. By series of statutes in
1916, 1920 and 1924. the rates of tariff
were gradually raised above the revenue
point and the theory of tariff for protec-
ton to manufacturing industry gradually
found a pace in the jurisprudence of the
Federal Government.
But Mr. Clay, in his advocacy of this
system, based it entirely upon the theory
of placing our infant manufacturing in
dustries upon their fee, and IN his speeches
on the subject, he repeatedly erunciated
the proposition that this protection was
only to be temporary during infancy and
that, after short period of protection,
protsGtsSl industries. like other iniNe
would be- able to stand alone and bat le
with tbe world on their own merits He
never once advanced so absurd a PROPOSE
ton as that the protective system would
increase the wealth of the agricultural and
consuming people of the country; bu', on
the other hand, he always acknowledged
that it would be a burden upon those
classes. He appealed to their patriotism
to bear the burden, for time in order to
build up the independence of the country.
The agricultural communities responded
in that spirit and the burdens of excessive
tariff taxation were patiently borne for a
time. But gradually the agricultural PEG.
pie began to think that these infant, had
drawn sufficient nurture from The consum-
ing masses of the country and were be-
coming rather Heated thereby Murmurs
of discomfort gradually arose in the agri-
cultural States, which eliminated in 1882
by the famous notification resolutions adop-
ted by the people Of South Carolina, where,
| by the tariff laws OF the United States
we're declared nudity. on the ground
that the Federal Government had no pow.
err under the constitution to levy taxes for
other purposes than for raising the neces
sary revenues of the government Presi-
dent Jackson promptly issued vigorous
proclamation, denouncing the act of South
Carolina as rebellious and threatening to
use force to compel obedience to the laws
of Congress, until they had been repealed
or annulled by the proper authority: but
in the same proclamation, he admitted the
great injustice of the tariff laws and said
that '.justice" should be done to the com
planning States by Congress. o her South
ern States seemed inclined to ally them,
selves with South Carolina in her demands
and secession and bloodshed seemed i'm
minent.
In this emergency, Mr.. Clay, the faith
er of the protective SYSTEM" recognizing
the trouble his offspring was about to
bring up in the country, came to the res
cue in a compromise measure of relief. He
recognized that the period of nurture OF
the infant industries had well nigh, but
he maintained, had not quite expired. He
asked as a compromise that the protective
tariff should be allowed to stand for nine
gears longer, or until 1912, and that afte,
that time the tariff duties should be reduc-
ed to maximum Of 20 per cent adj ualorem
with such incidental adjustment under
that limit as might be deemed advisable
In advocating this compromise in his
speech made in the U. S. Senate February
25, 1888, Mr.. Clay said:
All that was settled in 1916 in 1924 and in 1893
was that protection should be affored by nigh
duties tCittOa regard to the amount of reuenue
tchich they mightyield. During that whole period
we had public debt which absorbed all the sur
pluses beyond the ordinary wants of government
Between 1916 and 1921, the revenue was liable to
the great fluctuations, vibrating between the ex-
tremes of about nineteen and thirty six millions
Of dollars. If there were more revenue more
debt was paid; If less, smaller amount was re-
of the revenue that it became necessary TO the
ordinary expenses ofgevernment to trench upon
the ten millions annually set apart as q sinking
fund, to extingush the public debt. Uhe public
debt remained undischd1Yed or zee had any other
practical mode Of oppro7inti,g the surplus rerenue
the Jorn, Of protection, By high duties might be CON,
tnued Wuhont public det7'imerl. Nobody supp0ses
proposes that IRE shall continue to Iery bY means
Of high duties q large annual SURPLUS of uhch no
practical can be made for the sake of the incl
of the Treasury estimates that surplus on the ex-
listing scale of duties, and with the other sources
of revenue. at six millions annually. An0nnuaL
dccuniutdtior at that rate ,OOuld in a fer years,