The Republican journal., 1884-02-21
Is Protection Robbery2

OF one class to support another. This
assertion was we'll answered by Co ngress-
man John A. kaSsOn, OF Iowa. in an adj
dress Wednesday evening last before the
Brooklyn Revenue Reform Club, free
trade association, but willing to allow a
candid discussion of the protectionist
side of the question. Mr.. kasson said
the "robber" argument rested on theory
alone, found in books of eminent free
trade writers, while the answer that he
would make rested upon history and
facts. We copy foom his remarks:
INCREASE OF IMMIGRATION AND PoPU-
LATION.
Take for example, your declaration
that protective tariff is necessarily rob-
bing the many for the benefit of the few
is an unjust and burdensome taxation
oppressive to the people, and especially
to the poor. If that is true, you will adj
NIT that it ought to discourage immigra-
ton. retard the increase of population,
and embarrass the material development
of the country. You must further admit
that the laboring classes certainly should
not leave country oppressed by this
system Of robbery and injustice. When
| appeal to the facts of history, I find
that instead of retarding immigration
and embarrassing the growth of popula-
ton, there came from the free trade
country whose policy you ask us to fol-
low only Is 900 in 1860: after our system
Of robbery and injustice" was adopted,
twice the number, or Isl 900 came in
1870 from the same country, and I64, 900
in 1880; and while there was under free
trade III 1860 total immigration Of only
$50 000 it rose in 1870 to $50 900, and
in loo0 TO 593, 600. Were all these immi-
grants incapable ofiudging for themselves
whether there was more profit to the
labOring classes in a free-trade country
Did they not know whether, on the
whole, the Omtorts of life and means of
gain were greater in the country which
they had left or in the country to which
they came Shall | go to the writings
OF the tfeetrade economists to find this
fact, or am justified in learning it from
the men who had experienced both the
blessings and the wrongs under both
systems? When each 100000 of immi-
grants wrote back to persuade another
100000 to come did they do it blindly
and wickedly, or did they do it because
OF the greater blessings they here en-
loved
And how was it with the population
Instead of the slow growth of European
nations, we find that at the close of our
iieetTade period the entire population of
the nit"d States was 81 600, 900. 1t
rose to 81 ,000, 900 in 1870 and to 81 600 |
coo in 1856. Does this indicate increased
difficulty in the means of subsistence, in
creased embarrassment in the acquisition
of wealth. or does it show that the +
country has become more and more
capable of sustaining large population
in comfort and wealth Applause
GROWTH OF AGRICULTURE AND MANU- |
FACTCRES.
Has this system which YOU so violently
condemn mpeded the development Of the
country If | look in your books on
political economy | perhaps should an
swcl Yes" prefer to look into my own
book, which is the history of the United |
States rs disclosed by the census taken |
under the law. inquire, first, as to its
effect upon that class of population with .
which have been identified, and which |
you say suffers most of the burdens and /
injustice. | find that the value of the I
farms OF the country in 1860 was So, 2OO,- /
500, rising to - 700, coo, 600 in 1870 |
and in 1880 to Sl0,l97 100000 The !
gross value Of their products in 1860 was
not returned, but is estimated at 81 HOO |
GOO,00O; in 1870 it was 81 ,S00O 00, 900, |
and il 1880, - 100000, 600. And lust |
here let Inc reinforce my statement re-
speeding the growth Of agriculture in this /
country by an extract from the British |
Agricultural Commissions report in 1882,
III which this sentence occurs: at is |
safe to say that for the last two years the |
agriculture OF America has been at the /
very tiood-tide OF its prosperity"
On that other equally important branch /
OF national industry-the product of /
manufacturers find that the values |
have risen in the three di-cennial /
years from Sl,-o5 5000, 900 in 1850 to So |
2-3, 600, 000 in 1870, and to 5,369, 900 |
coo in 1880. These aggregates of two |
branches OF American industry have re-
CURED vastly improved facilities for
transportation to market. Consequently |
OH railroad mileage has increased from |
a few thousand miles in 1860 to a greater
mileage at this time than is furnished by
the entire system Of Europe The iron /
ore mined in the United States in 1880 |
reached the enormous aggregate of near
y 5000, 900 tons. The results of coal |
mining are still more remarkable, having |
risen from 1000, 600 of tons in 1860 to
II 0OO, 900 in 1850.
COST TO THE CONSUMER