The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-12-19

tured now but while some manufactures not
SO natural to the country might be lessened,
many others would be greatly increased, and
England would soon begin to feel the heavy
competition of New England in her manufac
lures as well as the shipping trade if every
thing were free, and though England might
sell more to this country, yet the competition
of the manufactures of this country against
her, in all foreign countries, would soon more
than counterbalance all the other, while now
England possesses the vast field of foreign
commerce alone with little American compe-
tition.
And what more can she ask? All our leg
islation is obstinately in her favor, while
every man, woman, child is heavily taxed to
support few manufactures which do not
support them, since they are now suffering
and reducing the pay of their hands to bare
subsistence, while taxation remains in full
force. If you are determined TO freeze your
ice in the West Indies and raise your oranges
in Greenland, you must suffer the penalty in
their EXCHANGED prices. And all legislation
intended to force manufacturing and farming
out of its natural channel has the same effect,
although less extreme.
Every nation on earth has some peculiar
advantage in art, soil or climate by which
certain classes of manufactures are made bet
ter or cheaper, or both, than those of any
other nation, as well as certain natural pro
auctions above others, which is u wise dspo-
sal of the providence of God as an encourage
ment to trade, while any nation which inter-
feres with this natural and just law must suf-
fer the penalty, in one way or another
If we go back to the creation no sane man
will believe that Cain lived altogether on
corn and Abel altogether on mutton,
nor was there any law of God to
prohibit the interchange of their commodi-
ties. have read of an Englishman, nearly
starved but well clothed, with a roll of cloth
upon his back. While walking along the
road he met Frenchman in rags with Il sack
of corn on his back With great animation
they both proposed to exchange, the ragged
man to take the cloth and the hungry one to
take the corn. But custom house officer,
who was passing, came upon them and said ::
aye shall not make the exchange" So they
had to go home one hungry and the other
in rags. And this is the natural result of
every restriction in trade whatsoever. 1t
would be only the same thing in the extreme
you should make the people of every town
raise their vegetables in their back yards to
save their money from going into the coun-
try.
am interested, myself in so called protec-
ton, and sudden alteration would greatly
injure me, although it would be for the bene-
fit of the country at large. All arguments
for protection are one sided and falacious
There is no solid argument for it. Protec-
tionists will overwhem you with words, but
they have no solid argument. They argue
that the country prospers since the tariffs
were laid. Well, balloon that will carry
a thousand pounds will rise swiftly in the air
if two hundred and fifty pounds are attached
to it but no one will attempt to say that the
weight attached helps it to rise.
All the twaddle about the pauper labor of
Europe is sickening. In new country,
where labor is wanted, wages will naturally
rise with the demand, and in an old country,
where labor is over plenty, wages will natur-
ally fall nor will any legislation alter this
state of things, except for the worse. rath-
er think that New Englanders have not lost
either their courage Or enterprise, and with
free trade would soon overcome every obsta-
Gle without government interference, could
they have n fair chance, with more prospect.
ty than before.
AS il is now, there is great premium Of
fered for smuggling, which is dore, no doubt,
to greater extent than many are aware of.
If there must be tariff for taxation let five,
six or ten per cent. be placed on everything,
so as to do the least possible harm, while it
would not pay to smuggle. Some will say
that Englishmen would be only too glad to
their own interest. grant all this since
many Englishmen, as well as many Amer-
cans, are blind to their own interest.
JOHN CoPCUTT.
Yonkers, N. Y, September II, 1884