New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-19
i FREE TRADER'S CHOICE.
4 CONSUMER OPPOSES A CHANGE or
TARIFF.
SHALL WE PAY FOR PRoTEcuoN AND GIT
NOTHSG'

NOrHNG'
70 EdttorOf me TrtbHHe.
SIR: Mr.. Morrison is "going to get az it gradu-
allvr we are told. We must not ind fault II he
cannot at once give us new kind OF tarlh IN place
of the old First he will cut of the high protec-
from y then the lower protection and finally all pro-
lection. save such as may be incident 10 tarih
for revenue only. He who talks thus has not
learned the alphabet Of free trade.
What is high protection'f Any tariff that pro-
tects What is low protection' Any tariff that
protects The consumer has choice of two modes;
to rely solely upon the foreign maker and market
for cheapness or to build mp by some present sac-
fee a second and independent market at home
Two kinds of duties result One gives the homo
producer living chance in spite Of foreign compe-
tition That duty, BE it high or low is protective.
The other does not give the home producer living
chance That duty be it high or low, is not protec-
tive 1t makes no difference what the object was.
If the duty docs not operate to create second sap
ply for the consumer it does not protect and has no
business to exist except for revenue.
The consumer does not want 10 pay a duty toi
nothing. If he gets back his money in good govern
ment. that Is well Or if he gets back his money in
final cheapncss of goods secured through building
up second source of supply at home, that Is wei.
But lie has right to complain if be is made to pay
more for his government than il is worth, moro
for his home supply than it is worth lie Is wronged
If duty for revenue is too high to yield the largest
aggregate for the smallest individual burden
Two cents pound on coffee let us say, by causing
larger imports would yield more revenue than four
cents pound then four cents would rob the con-
sumer. making him pay more than he ought for his
government. But he is equally wronged if a duty
laid to secure cheapness is too low to build mp homo
production duty OF % per cent wOollens, If 1t
did no good would cost the consumer more than
one of 90 per cent ending in cheap goods. Our
statesmen would not make themselves ridiculous
quite as often as they do, if they would learn two
rules by heart:
l. The consumer suffers If a revenue duty is NOT as
low as possible to yield nceocd revenue.
H. The consumer suffers if protective duty Is
not high enough to build upa home supply and
secure ultimate cheapness.
Thetarlfthat we have is framed mainly for protec-
ton. Those who hold thata duty for protection
ought never to be levied are the less bound to
admit that in the main, this tariff is rightly adj
iusted to build up home production 1t Is not pcs-
feet There are some merely political duties IN IT.
and some blunders. Some duties meant for revenue
are too high to secure the desired return with the
least cost Some that are meant for protection at
tempt the impossible, some are absurdly high ana
some fail only because too low But on the WHOLE
this tariff is quito closely fitted to give living
chance to home producers, where tle CI'd''OA "a "
home supply is the end sought
This being the fact a moderate reduction "I I"
mischief II means that the protective duties sha'
49,, f,I IS tI,ir only end New-Oreans has been
living in terror the flooded Mississippi i'"A"s o'''
tho Ie,ee What would be done to man VINO
ia ont down the protecting wall only SIX
ircbosq For the consumer. the change Is Simply
robbery lie wanted something wisely oi VI"
wisely: he was willing 20 pay ana mas o'e, pay Is
for il 3: and Mr. Morrison proposes that " SA"" tay
nearly as much and get nothing II Nv o''' .
sent home pair of boots just TOO usu' u ~ VI" -,
Mr.. Morrison content to pay 80 per Col" u 80, -,
pricef lie cannot pretend that revenue n'V'' -
| Justify thus almost protective range Oh "N'o, -,
| any event the duty that is barely hlsh eno"e"
To stop mportatOns is far too hgh 90 '''" ''o -,
est revenue. So far as the taIln I" no" 80
| odirsted for ifs purpose the horizontal reuu0nO
| Of lAor 20 per cent would be fatal. 1t means INV
! the consumer shall pay almost enough TO Se'"'
! 70 s,,nol, md Intimate cheapness, but not quiS
| nOomgb 70 get any benefit whatever Such u t Az.
| would be- at any time about the Wo1s' 'hA' N'
! conceived for consumers s.,,rs
0Wbat makes the plan intellectually more iapV oS
I and wicked Is that such cnange Is W - 70
! twenty years of effort and voluntary saonnt,t,on
| mild M Industries against foreign compe"'Sps
/ After ali this, the levee must he cut uoMtnafed
home production, so long enormously stn ilon tho
must stop. The whole demand must ia.i oI mi up
fore en- supply The inevitable effect is 10 p"s INST
prices beyond all reason Then the consumes me- del
paw not only the cost of protection 0ut 'a must
more getting no benefit Increased rey ehuc must
come which nobody wants. home industry nsaTy
be DESTROYED after the cost of It has been . reuc-
,;nn ,nnst hs Horizontal" Perhaps he LACKS tsr
ISowIed S to reduce with reasons much T Tn
o. not at whf tn S ShsHs'
Clearly he lacks tae sy SSeS Instead he tres e
ent of ali duties little proposes the worst srsdu.
c.nceivable and calls that getting ~ - - n this
nllvO No desirable thing can DO soi rat road
SrSinless and constituencies fashion. ina' wv