Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-20

| tsxed; which of the two is protected? Can
| 1t be shat Mechanic" agrees with me that
the purest free trade affords the purest pro-
tection2 III cutters are best protected by no
/ duties at all. would not cutlery be best pro-
tected in the same way? Perhaps "Mechan-
ic" will calf this ''trash ;" but the unpleas-
ant fact remains that the American mechanic
begins to realize that machinery is protected,
while mechanics are not-that certain capi-
talists are to be coddled, while labor may
languiah.
Mechanic infers that free traders would
narrow the scope of the American laborer-
reduce his comforts and generally grind him
In the dust. Oh, no, my friend, what free
traders want especially is the enlargement of
labor's sphere-more and steadier work
wages of greater buying power. and the
markets of the world in which to dispose of
their labor. Are the markets of the United
States larger than the markets of the United
States plus the rest of the world Z? Is part
greater than the whole? Difficult questions
these, yet they are the questions of the hour.
A nation cannot sell If it be forbidden to
buy. The more it has to sell the greater it's
ability to buy. OF what use is the ability to
do these things, to buy and to sell, if the
tariff stand up and say, 'Never mind, if you
can or you can't, you shan't!n
LII man should buy in Europe pair of
blankets with dozen knives, and on landing
his blankets in New Haven the tariff should
Sde OA dIA Out O1S 4OUG square as protective
duty, how would the knife man feelP We
would be told that he was protected" !" but
that kind of protection would not be against
cold. He had given his dozen knives all in
good order and received through the tariff
the veriest tatters of blanket. What is left
for him to do? He may go to protected
blanket maker, give him two dozen knives
for similar covering. and thank goodness
that he knows by experience what a protec-
tive tariff is. He has been permitted to pay
twice for his blanket to be sure, but little
obstacles like that are nothing compared with
the satisfaction of knowing the government
has paternal policy. I know what will be
told by the high tariff people on this point
They will say If the knife maker will only
wait century or two there will be SO many |
blanket makers here that some will go into
bankruptcy and prices will be lower. Su-
perb policy that would seek a commercial |
equilibrium throHgh commercial panic!
Mechanic" has been very careful to say
nothing about ships and shipping. Let him /
lake them as illustrations of the benefits of Il
protection. They have had the simon-pure i
article for a century and enjoyed higher rates
han almost any article. Where are these i
Industries? Furnish microscope or spy
glass that we may see them and admire the |
works of protection.
mechanic" says that they Imported COM
oeting wage earners) do not lower the rates
If wages. Well, if they don't, imported
Knives do not lower the rates for the domes- |
ic article. You cannot make fish of one and |
lesh of the other. It is either true of both
II of neither. 1t is urged that this compe- |
ing labor wears clothing, eats food and lives
q houses. So they do and make all three OF }
hese necessities dearer for the American la
'orer in consequence If they do not de-
nand and supply have no relation to price, |
nd barrel of -four will go as far among
en- men as five. This is new arithmetic
nd utterly beyond my comprehension.
1t seems marvel that gentlemen of the
Ugh tariff school cannot discuss a question
'ithout dragging in British gold" and at
ributing to their opponent bribery and
orruption of all sorts. Frankly, Mr. Me-
hanic, your patent high pressure tariff does
ot tax gold, but saves its strength for
ON, steel, copper and the like. This may
ccount for the mysterious imports of Brit
n gold that frequently figure in the news
apers. Does it not occur to Mechanic"
nat If it be wisdom to tax iron one hun
red per cent, it would be wisdom to tax |
old the same The gold industry of Cali
ornia is good deal younger infant than
1e iron industry of Pennsylvania. Yet
hat protection is offered the infant gold
lat horrid gold, which when coined in
ngland the protection prophets pirate =
bout? Gold is admitted free-aye, it is
eicomed. Yet in what is gold virtuous
i'd iron vicious? Is it not snobbish to
lus truck!e to sovereigns of gold and try
shut the doors on pigs of iron? What
/ incongruity2 Gold is the metal of the
pitalist; iron of the poorer laborer. Yet
Is tarlf-this poor mans friend, as it is
I'D up to be, taxes iron all it will bear
ID let's the gold in free, Prste not about
otecting labor and building barriers to
otect the poor. Yet 1t is true that the
r1f In one sense builds barrier around
9 poor, but it is in the nature of a pen,
d the tariff puts the poor inside of it
rhaps Mechanic has never thaueht Of
9 above truths. 1t is veEy suggest
nrds good deal of feod - .aoo,;n an"
lere .S no reason VIII gold should enter
e. - "D" ~ 'u' lame time iron be shut ont by
erhapg enaugh has been said about
5litish gold"
I cannot resist the temptation of quoting
ce more from Mechanic He asks with
CLINT of victory in his pen, "Has not the
llted States prospered for the last twelve
ars beyond all precedent ?" Panic of '73
d the strikes and miseries of seven years
'erwerd tell ''Mechanie'' what you know
cite some recent history and let him be
lightened. The panic of '37 was bad
ough-that of '73 was worse, and the one
come will be the worst of all. The coun-
Is getting hide bound-we are producing
Yond our capacity to consume, and the
if forbids exchanges of what have as =
plus, for what We may want, that is sur
ls elsewhere in the would
Mechanics" remarks about the. policy of
gland have no bearing as 1 can see on
American tariff. That free trade Great
tain is enormously stronger than was
sat Britain under tariff I have no
lbt. Neither have I any doubt that re-
red from tariff thrslls the United States
uld be infinitely greater and more pros
nus than they are to-day. I believe if
uynr1d fOr
Infinitely better off than with only our
res 1 cannot help thinking that having
nklnd for customer would b5 better |
q having only one kind of man.