New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-10
A FREE TRADERS CHOICE.
A CONSUMER OPPOSES CHANGE OF TARIFF

70 the gdltor OF The TrfbWne'
SIN: Thus far in these letters have mainly con-
fined myself to reasons for opposing suen a ei"hse
of tariff rs Mr. Morrison woud make. But go
stop further. -,
An change of tariff must always do some harm
To make II nav there nest he a definite and certain
Good 10 be gained. Every change disorders some III
dustr,es obstructs trade with some uncertainties
aud compels waste of means ana LABOR IN
admiration to new conditions Even when large
advantage is promised may well shrink from
new tariff and wish the Nation could initiate the
nobleman who hired special footnaa TO break III
new boots for him.
To make a wise reduction of protective duties, at
time when the revenue is too large. is most diff
cult matter Small reductions viii only increase
revenue Large reductions bring violent shocks ana
prostrate industry Ii is important to see that TINS
is inevitable. An existing duty, being protective
gives our producers an advantage III the hohe
mar&t A little reduction would enable the foreign
producer TO compete a little more. A moderate re-
duction would bring larger imports, and with each
step in that direction must come still larger imports
until point Is reached at which the market is con-
trolled by foreign producers, and lower duties cease
to cause larger consumption of the foreign goods
Then and not till then lowering Of duties Will be-
gin TO reduce revenue But before that point can he
reached if the protective duty is still needed the
home manufacture must be virtually destroyed
Hence when larger revenues are needed pro-
tective duty can be moderately lowered; Dut III
order 70 ret smaller revenue protective duty thaU
has not entirely finished its work must be either
abolished or raised. On this ground long ago OBJ
,ected. as free trader to the establishment of pro-
tective duties. 1t has now become valid and
strong reason for refusing to reduce such duties
after they have been established. when their work
is still incomplete and when decrease and not an
increase Of revenue is necessary.
an, not one of those who think the present
tariff faultless. Being human work, il contains
error But rational man will insist upon knowing
what the faults are before trying to correct them
AS vet as was shown in my last 1t is not possible 10
Judge how the present law works in many vital re-
spects. OIL wherein it needs to he changed. Cntl IL
is possible see where something can be certainty
gained OF precisely what IL is hest 10 do, 1t would
he folly TO undertake a change which must at any
rate do some harm.
But go further still. II we are TO have revision
Mt all ii ought TO be made by men who know some
thing of the protective system. and not by men who
know nothing of il. If we are ready to have tari
framed on different principles altogether, that Is
another matter. But any mere revision or modltca-
tion OF the present tariff If its essential principles
are TO be retained must be made by protectionistS
and not by free traders. 90 not trust my boot
maker TO repair my watch The aOest lawyer or
the purest clergyman, if ne tried to correct lault
in a powerful electric machine, would do no good,
but would probably put out the lights and Kill him
self All our industries now depend upon the pro
tective system. Men who have st ldled 1t. and be-
leve in IT, the only who can safely be set 70
correct It's workings to select for that work men
who are hostile TO Il and know nothing about it,
would be mere madness. The railroads would not
have made much progress. fifty years ago, If they
had selected stage-drivers for engineers.
This NAV seem hard saying to my free-trade
friends. But take Mr. Hewitt for an example He
certainly knows much about the tariff as any
Democrat Yet he comprehends it so little that for
party purposes he is willing to vote even for bill
as reckless and brainless as that OF hr Morrison
His own il we can Judge from what he SAYS, Won Il
be little better He argues excltedly that cen
sumers would be greatly blessed by abolition of the
duty on iron ore. which was raised last year from
20 per cent TO 70 cents per ton. lie is consumer,
TOO and vet even in his own business, fails 20 see
that the ore costs him not one cent more than 1t dd
before the duty was raised. The average foreign
price of ore imported in the last half Of 1852 was
81 Il per t0n which, with 20 per cent duty, made
il cost - - per ton But the higher duty simply
forced the Spaniards to sell for less; the average
price during the last half of 1883 only - 80.
which with - cents duty, made the cost just 80 -
per ton a. before. When cannot catch the
meaning of such events in the very branch OF trade
of which he knows most, how shall he understand
the vast aDd complicated system with which legs-
lator has to dealg
At one time Mr.. Hewitt argues if he would tear
away duties as one would remove scatfod after
building is finished. But who Is competent to say
when the building is dOne-the builder, OF some
rival across the way, who has been asserting from
the first that the plans foolish and the walls
sure TO fall AT another time, he reasons as If he
would pull down the duties that hare served their
purpose" bright idea! Pull away the part of
the scaifold used in building the first story for that
story is dOae As for the men now raising the walls
for the top story they ought to have been done as
soon as The Others if they fall and get hurt that Is
their affair Is Mr.. Hewitt quite unable to under
stand that all these duties and the industries which
they defend are locked together and resting each
other9 For one. on behalf OF consumers and en-
dangered Industries protest against tearing down
the scaffold while the builders are still at work.
OF all the men who are competent to frame rev. !
enue tariff for this country, Nj. Hewitt is of the
best But there is not of them, there is not a
free trader in this country who is tit to be trusted
with the work of modifying revising protective
tariff They disbelieve in such tariff 30 not COM |
prehend its meaning OF ITS workings. and ought not |
10 be permitted TO turn a screw tighten bolt in
that complicated machinery. | would set a !
wild COmanche TO run the locomotive OF lightning
express train. LDAX. - |
Ae1c- YORK. May g. 1884
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CHARGES BASED on FALSE INFORNITION. |