The Wilmingtonian., 1885-03-21
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Editor Of The WlmingtOnian. SIR
A few weeks ago waited with anxiety the
publication of the lecture delivered by VIM.
G. Gibbons in Boston on "The effect of the
tariff upon American shipping" and when
it was published | read it with great care
because expected to find careful presen.
tation of strong argument in opposition tc
suggestions for a better one. Mr.. Gibbons
being ship-builder aud business manager
of many years experience looked for some.
thing like a detailed explanation of the
practical bearing of national laws upon the
shipping interests as well as some statisti
cal information Of this and other countries
calculated to demonstrate the superiority Of
free trade or protective policy.
But I was disappointed in all this. l
ought not to have been however, for the ad :
vocates of free trade rarely use figures, and
for some reason why seem to be afraid of
them. But this is not the case with bust
ness man or corporation, for when they have
pursued certain policy reasonable time
and fgu es constantly show a prosperous
result, it would require something more
convincing than speculative doctrine to in
duce them to abondon it. Just SO with ma
tions and the policy OF protection. But to
the lecture.
After casual reference to our tariff legis-
lation previous to 1861, when ir never re-
ceived but partial trial, and ignoring the
beneficial results which Immediately follow
ed the tariff of 1924, '2S and '42, Mr.. Glib
bons boldly declares that the result of 90
years. experience with protective policy,
since the war, shows it to be failure.
Let us see. According to David A. Wells
whom as an authority no advocate of free
trade will question, the total wealth Of the
United States In 1860 was SIG, 6,0O0, 600, 900; in
1870 over $4,000, 900, 600; and in 1880 it
amounted to over 64,OOO,O OO0, 600. Mr..
Wells estimate for 1880 is questioned by
the London Times which puts it at over sIg,-
600, OOO,O 900, but Charles s. Hill, statistician
Of the U. S. Department of State gives the
estimate at s55, COO 0OO, 600, which is proba-
bly, the most reliable, but whichever esti-
mate you take it is an amazing result unpar-
alleled in the history Of any nation, from
the settlement of America to the Civil War.
period of over two hundred aud fifty years
this country had accumulated property val
ued at SIC, 1000, 900, 900; but in the short time
of twenty years it had added iO,OOO OOO,-
600 more, increasing the aggregate valve to
more than three fold and making us the
richest nation in the world.
Was there ever such marvellous devel-
opment of country's resources? and TO
what cause either of natural or artificial law
can it be attributed except the thrifty policy
of protective tariff, which the experience
mankind shows to be universal truth,
Yet this result after twenty years trial ac-
cIrding to Mr., Gibbons proves that protec-
tion to American industry is failure! One
is reminded of the declaration of Bourbon
Democrats in 1864 ''that the war is fail.
ure'' while Grant was investing Richmond
and Sherman on his triumphant march
through Georgia.
With such result as this and sustained
by the Industrial history of every country,
the whole framework of free trade sophis-
try is demolished by the simple but pungent
question, "Who ever heard of nation eth.
er ancient or modern that built up large
manufacturing industry or merchant ma
rne without the aid of a protective policy
After deploring the decay of our ocean
carrying trade; drawing a gloomy picture
of vacant factories and smokeless chlmneys.
closed iron furnaces and rolling mills, par.
italy worked coal mines and thousands of
idle engineers, mechanics and laborers, de.
pleted accounts at savings banks and col.
umns of advertisements of sheriffs' sales
Mr.. Gibbons condemned the ''poisonous
theory Of Protection to American Industry
as the cause of this desolation.
One has but to read our Consular report.
and the accounts of British trade as pub
lished from time to time in the newspapers
to find far worse condition of things il
England. Not only worse state of thos,
industries, whose condition Mr. Gibbons ex
aggerated for America, but every port filled
with ships lying idle at the DOCKS a deple
ted public treasury and an impoverished
people whose lower classes are made of thai
degraded man and wOmanhood which /,
the correlative accompaniment of the low
standard of values which Mr. Gibbons pro
poses as a substitute for the higher ratings
and civilization of the United States. This
more Than answer Mr.. Gibbons argument
for il not only disproves the claim that pro
lection is the cause of dulluess of busines,
in America, but il shows that as a result d
England's stupid obstinancy iu adherng tC
free trade, aud the large importatiuns from
other countries has not only intensified til,
paralysis of trade that would exist sympa,
thetically with that of other countries but