The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-10-23
IMPORTATION WANTED.

'he AoIh inSG. appears coMhuHicd-
tion from the giftedpen of our esteemed
citizen Mr.. John G. Applewhite, in
which our protective tariff and Amer
lean manufactures are assailedas being
the PRINCIPAL causes of the hard times
throughout the country. Being an
inquisitive scheolboy and having for
teacher an old schoolmaster who does
not teach Free Trade in his school, I
am anxious to learn more of Mr. AS
reasons for holding our manufacturing
industries responsible for the present
depression.
Mr.. A, possessing wide range of
knowledge which study and experience
have bestowed upon him, is undoubt-
edly qualified and sufficiently generous,
to impart to others the information ac-
quired by his patient research.
In view of this I will take the liber-
ty of asking Mr.. A. few questions,
feeling confident his solution of them
will prove of interest not only to my
self, but also to large circle of readers
who are not favored as Mr.. A, in pos
sessing thorough knowledge of this
question Of protection of American in
dustries. Ny questions are as follows:
1st. When and for what purpose
was the system known as protective
tariff, first inaugruated in our countrya
End. Were any other industries ex-
cept that of manufacturing, included
in the p potective system, adopted at
chat time?
3rd. During what years in our his
tory, have tariff laws been enacted and
in what years have they been repealed
4th. What has been the financial
condition of the country, Immediately
following the repeal of the tariff lawsa
5th. What is the amount of capital
invested, the value of raw material
consumed, the number of hands en-
ployed, the amount of wages paid to
employees, and the total value Of the
manufactured products, annually, of
the United Suites?
9th. Upon what authority do you
base your assertion, that "two-thirds Of
our population (6o,ooo,ooO are en-
gagged in agriculture
7th. Upon what authority do you
found your statement that ''the agri-
cultural products of this country are
not protected by the tariff, but are COM
PEELED to compete with the pauper la
Dor of all other nations 2 Z.
sth. If there is no protection af
forded our agriculturist, what was there
to prevent the merchant who sailed
from New York to South America,
from purchasing cargo of South Am
erican wool and returning with it to
New York !?
9th. Please state the rates of duty
levied upon imported ores and miner
ais, such as gold and silver ores, plati-
mum, tin, plumbago &c 2
10th. If protection creates high
prices and fosters monopolies, will you
please inform us why manufactured
products are as cheap, if not cheaper
now, than at any other period since the
formation of our government
11th. If the manufacturer grows
rich under protection, why have so
many become bankrupt within the last
two years, and why have so many fac
tories been either compelled to shut
down entirely or to run on one-half or
one-quarter timel
18th. My theacher tells me that
Great Britain is Free Trade country
and has great manufacturing industries,
unprotected by tariff. Are times better
there than here and do employees in
factories receive better wages there,
than they do in this country2
18th. Ireland is an agricultural
district of Great Britain, are times
f3iush" in that country under free
trade and do Iaborers receive better
wages there than they do in this coun-
try2 (My old teacher tells me that
the principal crop raised in Ireland, is
"sheol," and that large quantities of it.
are admitted into the United States
free of duty.)
l4th. Oregon newspapers, and bus
mess men who visit our state from the
East, tell us that we need manufactor-