The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-02-19

England WOulu SOON prevail, Nv uVulit III
our agricultural products at all times freely
into her ports in exchange for her exports;
= If the question is asked: VINO snaii
begin this work of reciprocal reductionT 1t
is answered by the fact that England has al
ready abated her duties upon most OF our
exports. She has repealed the duty upon
our bread-stufs, provisions ana other arti-
cles, and her present bad harvest, if accom-
lead to the repeal of her corn laws, and the
unrestricted admission at all times of our
agricultural products. The manufacturing
interest opposes reciprocal free trade with
foreign nations, it opposes the Zol Verein
treaty, and it is feared that no other treaty
producing a reciprocal reduction of our own
and foreign tariffs will receive its support
FURTHER OBJECTIONS TO PROTECTION.
/. 1t is not the business of Government
to attempt the redistribution Of the rewards
of industry. 1t is not the duty OF law makers
in Congress or in States to see that any set OF
men are making money. When I'm industry
is depressed in the vicissitudes of affairs it
ask Congress to tax their nefghbors for their
relief. Congress can not be made justly to
enforce contributions from oil the people to
maintain u few of them in any branch of bus
mess.
2. Protection is a struggle of selfishness:
Each interest or combination 81 interests,
to quote from Prof. PERI, of Williams Col
lege who is acknowledged us the veteran
head of political economists in Americal
'~endeavors to get itself protected, and that
the rest shall not be protected. Tho wooden
men, for example, are anxious for high
duties on foreign woods. The wool growers.
much entitled to protection as the wooden
manufacturers. 1t would be difficult for
anybody to see why they are not entitled to
Ways and Means. 1t is u question OF lobDles,
of influence, of indirect or direct bribery"
3. Protection is a wasteful way to reach
the end proposed by it. 1t is Claimed to be
needful to encourage weak branches of bust
ness. Let us suppose for the :
sake, what would be folly in reality to con-
pplp. fhNf IL is desirable for the public TO en-
courage a presently Improbable business
How can it most cheaply and certainly do
all that is produced, thus letting the public
know what it gets for what it gives.
A ILLUSTRATION BY PROF. PERRY.
1t Is impossible at present to manufacture
troduce the manufacture at the expense OF
the people. Very well. Let the Government
offer to pay outright from the public chest
say $500 for all hats of a certain quality
made in the country. The bounty would be
paid only SO far as the manufacture is car.
ried on. This stimulus would be explicit, all
would be open and above board. Everybody
could see what was DONE, and what it was
done for. This would be demonstrably the
cheapest and most certain way to encourage
hat making. For, suppose on the other hand
duty of $500 a piece be laid on foreign hats
to encourage home manufacture, every con-
sumner now pays an extra $500 for his hat,
but there is no assurance that anybody will
go into hat making. Nobody is pledged to do
!. IL III uCDcuu vi luC CoIupdlutlNO PlOo
poets of making money in that or other
business. whether that business is con-
tinued or developed under the bounty.
ket is one half supplied by the
home production, and one-half by the foreign
article. enhanced two dollars in price by
million hats. Then four million dollars
are paid by to ncourage hat
courage it to the same extent. Unless the
duty be SO high as to keep out the foreign
article altogether there is a good deal OF
money paid by the people for hats that does
wastefulness of protection.
PROTECTION PROMISES.
The plea of the protectionist is to "start'
and new Industries. 1t IN
walk alone. That time never comes: The
most highly protected industry in the United
more than two hundred years ago. Linen,
wooden and cotton cloth was remuneratively
manufactured in 1854 at Rowley in Massa'
featured in America as any in SPAIN" and
yet to-day we are told that protection is
needed for these very manufactures, and
pete with the world. But two hundred years
is a long time to have waited on any infant;
and the promise made now that, under pro
lection for Il few years more, it Will attain
such robust proportions as to the
markets of the world, taxes ordinary cred
ulity.
AVIS
England in 1912 abandoned in substance
the doctrine of protection, and seven years
later abolished a main feature, till then
of her own ships. Mr.. Gladstone, Chancellor
of the English EXchequer, in 1856 said
THERE'S one domestic feature which ] wish
the Governments and inhabitants Of foreign
countries. They know by statistics which
are open to the world, the immense extern
sions which our has attained
under and by virtue of freedom of trade
and the great advancement that has happily
been achieved in the condition of the
people, but they do not know what it has
cost us to achieve this beneficial. nay, blessed
change, what time, what struggles, what in
%terruPtioas to the general work of iegisla
the general classes that make up the Nation
what's shocks to our established mode of con
Quoting the Government of the country,
what fears and risks, at some period of pub
| lie commissions. These are the fine and pen
atty we paid for long adherence to folly
ing to the path of wisdom which, too late, we
wished we had never left. 1t is not easy Il
calculate its amount, but if it could be ex
actly reckoned.a and fully exposed to the eye:
of other Nations, our juniors in trade, il
might supply them with a timely warning
against initiating our former errors, ant
with the best encouragement to the adop
ton, before they become entangled i'll the ere
alton of artificial interests, of our recon
and better
THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT.
in the case of The Loan Association VS.. City
of Topeka, Goth Wallace, page 5G4, %speakin.
of the power to tax, says that it "can II,
readily be employed against one class of in
dividuals and in favor of another, SO as t.
ruin the one class and give unlimited wealth
itation, of the uses for which the power MAJ
be exercised. To lay with one hand tn,
power of the Government on.the property O
the citizen, and vii. the other to bestow i
uyon favored individuals; to aid private en-
terprises and build up private fortunes, il
none the less a robbery because it is dom
1 n ndnr. tho fntsnnS Dfs our nnh 9 nn11nH 4 N " n
ton. This is not legislation. 1t is n deere,
under legislative forms y y = We have es
can be no lawful tax which is not laid for
public purpose" And SO deliberate an ut
terance as that. from the highest judicial
cause the citizen who advocates taxing all o
us for the purpose of enriching n few of us
by means of a tariff for protection, to enquir
where and how he may acquire the right h,
endeavors to establish.
MIR. RANDALL's Ian OF TRADE THEORY
Mr.. Randall declares IA Nation that import
more than it exports is on the road to bank
ruptcy;" but Great Britain has been doin'
that very thing for thirty years, and it is tn,
very thing every Nation must do in order t
take in more than we part WITH on tn
whole, as the result of all our trading, w
f Rnnds sfHir IS nof e gFEw w PoGr; b on f d;am poiae Nj
wrong, the truth is exactly the opposite.
r. EvENU TAXES.
Mr.. Randall Jugs in the fact that our sys
UeHl Oh lnlerlldl ttNeS Is also derived 1TOI
England, and ought therefore, to be odiou
enough for immediate repeal. He exalts tn
superior flavor of untaxed whisky. and fol
gets to mention the popular blessing whic
would follow, by reduced rates of transpol
tation, if railroad iron came in with a tax o
it only for the public purpose OF revenue
He depicts the luxury of chewing untaxe
tobabco, but forgets the comforts whic
would come to American homes from ur
taxed woollcn blankets, and linen and cotto
fabrics. With free whisky, in bottles tarit
taxed ito protect certain glass manufaC
turers) seventy-three per cent. ad valorem
he thinks the country safe; but with FIRE
lumber imported in untaXcd ships this coun
try would DO ruined. He therefore inveigh
against our internal evenue taxes, and erie
aloud for their repeal.
WE MUST KEEP THE INTERNAL REVENUE IA.
essentially as it is for two reasons: First
whisky and tobacco are among the very hes
things to tax for revenue purposes, ant
second, we. shall want the present interna
revenue taxes as an excise so soon as eve
we get to IA purely revenue tariff. Tea an
coffee and whisky and tobacco will be tn
chief items in a purely revenue tariff: and a
the first two articles are wholly imported til
I Government will ret all the DeODle are mad