The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-03-22
Protection VS.. Free Trade.

students -Messrs. McKm and Carpenter
for the affirmative; Purnell and Polk in
the negative.
Mr. Maurice McKim opened for The af-
firmative. He said but little study of our
history is required to satisfy the inquirer
that the power of this Union and its mag
nifcent position, the first of all the
nations Of the earth, is due to the fact
that We have to a great extent abstained
from measures requiring the maintenance
of fleets and of armies. What is the con-
sequence? Our taxes are light capital
has accumulated rapidly, labor has been
productive, and the laborcr has received
wages that have enabled him to feed,
clothe and educate his children, Protec-
ton means, first, freedom of industry and
trade at home. Its object is to bring the
consumer to take his place by The side OF
the producer, exchanging labor for labor,
and thus diminishing the necessity for
credit. The more men live and work
conformity with each other, greater is
their power to project themselves, while
the farther they are separated, the great
er is the necessity to seek protection from
others. Protection tends only to defend
the home industry. An economical and
industrious people working at a variety
of employments, will produce everything
out of the earth if they are protected,-
everything that is necessary for susie
nance, clothing and habitation. When
everything has been produced; when the
iron has been wrought into steel, and the
steel into implements; when the wool, the
fax and the cotton have been made INTO
cloth; when the useful metals have been
wrought into utensils and ornaments; in
short when every value possible has been
given to the raw materials, then, and net
till then is it for the best interest of a
country to export its surplus to foreign
markets. Free trade has had a fair trial
in the Old World, and to it is due the ex-
haustion of Ireland, the starvation of her
people, and the degradation in the eyes Of
the world of the country which has fur
nished some of the greatest and noblest
of statesmen. England has been rightly
called the "Ishmaelite of Nations" With
her free trade policy she has not only ex
hausted Ireland and India, but also Tur
! key, Egypt, Japan and Portugal; and al
foreign countries that have adopted he
! policy. Universal history testifies tina
| al ,,1,I,a hng nj
: tanned independence and wealth, excep
i those that have maintained proiectiv
g policy in their international trade. Thi
J. Union has prospered because it ha
Il brought producer and consumer side b
n side. What kingdom is more prosperou
IS than Belgium? In territory triile lal
st ger than the State of Maryland, hayin
~ 493 inhabitants to the square mile, twent.
1t five per cent more than that of Englan'
er She is well supplied with raw materia
IL and secures a home market for the san
by protecting her manufactures. VIII
other nation makes better sho'
ing in the worlds balance sheet ihi
America? Without protection she wou
''i never have been able to blossom into
u Nation. Free trade has no place in IL
,c country.
RI Mr.. Edward Purnel followed in {
N negative. Let us understand clearly t
~ question. We contend that pretecti
duties arc unwise and impolitic. WI
II. are protective duties? They are dut
apart from and in addition to those levi
for the support OF the Government,
he cause they arc not necessary for this pl
pose. Thus if per cent on imports
Up necessary for the support of COVE
ment, and 10 per cent is levied in ore
Us to favor, or, as it is said, to protect so
branch of industry, the additional o
ng cent is levied for direct object as
from that of its support of governme
The In the United States we have very lit
tariff on raw materials and also on
manufactured commodities. Is 1t for
ny, good of the greatest number of Peep
One-seventh of the fifty millions Of p
to- pie OF the United States are manufact
ers. One twelfth of tho remaining
- seventies are engaged in wool raisi
These are protected by high tn
whilst the rest of the Inhabitants have
protection. But it is urged that prot
eel ton is great benefit to the laborers.
any necessity of life is cheapened, one
d two things must occur-either the cos
production is decreased, or the real
but ward of the laborers is increased.
real reward of labor is what the labo
ust can get for his money-the money be
only his apparent reward. If then
ssy wages remain the same after the pric
decreased, the real reward of the labo
ing is augmented, because his wages will
change for larger quantity of comm
3 is tiles. If on the other hand wages are
creased in proportion to the increa
oks choapnsss of the necessaries of life,
real reward remains the same, whilst
left cost of production is decreased,
thousands are benefited by it. The {
of living in the United States is incrC
ght ing in greater proportion than the
hat zr ..,,os ,,,d soI,r;os Mo- On n,nob
is vi ""BS9 "''1
lie che comforts OF lie are curtMieo,
ent that the power OF saving is diminish
on Thus the small accumulations of cap
arc stopped, and everything tends to
-, rich the few at the expense of the ma
Give us tariff reform, and we shall h
be- the real reward of labor increased
cheapening the means of living. Civ,
YER tariff reform, and our farming intere
even on the Atlantic Slope, will begin
six pay, and the whole agricultural indu
the of tho United States will be relieved
. =. it's burdens, and our fertile lands
-, ,,,oI-a ,,o an, If tho riobnat mt