New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-03
4 FREE TRADEES CHOICE.
A CONSUMER OPPOSES CHANGE OF TARIFF
LAw-MAKING N THE DARK.

To me EditOr Of the TrtbWHe.
SIR: H. a deliberate letter, Mr. \. S. Hewitt
recognizes the fact that tine tariff has stimulated
some branches of manufacture and cheapened Their
products and he argues for a change the ground
that Protection has done Its work" 1t Is gener-
ally safe to let Mr.. Hewitt answer himself Inc
attempt to be a successful freetrade politician and
a successful practical manufacturer at the same
time is trying to the best of nerves. Economically
Mr.. Hewitt often resembles the late Henry !. Ray
mond. who used to pair of with HIMSELF So at
another time he cries out for free raw materials.
discovers monopolics and extortionate prices, and
demands free trade on the ground that protection
has not done its work.
Protection promised to establish diversified indus
tries and to encourage each until its growth brings
about vigorous home competition and thus secures
a permanent supply of cheaper goods. The facts
prove that in many things il has succeeded. In
others the work is still in progress. 1t is astonlsh-
ing how many people have Numbered into the
notion that all fostered ndu-t es can be advanced
at the same time and at equal rate Does anybody
expect tho foundation and The roof OF a new build
ing to be begun at the same instant, and to go FOR
ward with equal speedf Our manufactures exist
in all stages of development. Some can sup
ply the entire home demand; Others cannot In
some. production having Outrun consumption. home
know whether the new industry could live without
the aid of duties in Others such competition has
vet applied the test. In some, we already know
that unchecked foreign competition could hardly
do harm; in others, we know that 1t
would destroy tho home industry; in
others still. it would only check further
growth prevent active home competition, and
deprive consumers of benefits; and in very many
eases no one can tell what its effect would be-
All these industries are linked together, affecting
each other in "a thousand ways known only to those
who make them study. And it is among indus
tries In all these various stages Of development,
with myriads of relations, known and unknown,
that Mr.. Morrison would go smashing blndly
around with his laundering horizontal Dill, Ike
a mad bull in china shop.
II is beyond the power of man TO say what would
be the effect in very many cases. Of unchecked com
pettion But it is still more clearly beyond human
mower to say what ratio OF reduction of duties is
safe. Whether this infinitely complicated system
Of lnterlocked and intcrdepcndent industries could
bear reduction to certain fixed points for each,
man can say. But the pending bill does not pro-
Dose a definite and known reduction; it cuts down
unknown duties to an unknown extent. Surely it
is not possible to say how much tariff can be re-
duced until it Is known what that taIltf is and
what it does But what the present tariff is and
what il does no man living can tell as yet.
The practical effect of the present tariff. even as
far as its meaning Is known. has not yet been
tested. No such measure could be tested in less
than full year, because many classes of products
come in largely in part of the year. and scarcely
at all in the other. The only information yet OBJ
tanned through an official report Just made, shows
the working of the tariff during the last half of
1888. But prices were then unnaturally low. At
1 -. 81. L.. H.,
The specific duty of ST on steel rails would have
been only 80 per cent in 1880 when the rails sold
in England at SOL it Is now about so per cent, the
price having fallen u SOP. the lowest point ever
| touched. From the experience of the past ten
months, no one can tell how the new duties vii
| affect industries In time of ordinary prices.
| But there are already in the courts many thou
sand suits to determine what duties the law actually
| imposes now. These are 80 important, and cover St
many large classes of goods, that 1t Is the simple
| truth to say We are ut present living under un
| known duties. a reduction of ono-hfth OF theS
unknown duties Is a reduction of unknowabl
amount to unknOwable figures. Mr. MOrrlsO;
does not propose change to fixed aud specihe'
rates. lie proposes to cut down duties yet practi
cally INFESTED aud IN legal effect unknown, what
ever they may ultimately prove to be, 10y certain
| proportion of that unknown rate. do not thin
| a proposition more contrary TO reason ever wa
made III any civilized country.
Ii there is ever to be revision at all il ought 20
intelligent aud rational, and not any branes
laundering of the horizontal" sort. No homes
man will pretend that no can say what mdustri(
the pending bill would check, or which il woul
cripple. OF which 1t would kill. The one thing CO
tain is that the bill is fraud. Framed the pie
that revenue must DO reduced. Il pretends to SOC