Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-07-30
rHE paorrorrD BoAcn.


EatfAcy OF Projections
Wednesday weeks N. Y. Times asks |
Does it ever occur to MI. Roach in his
present difficulties, or to those friends OF |
bis who rush into print VITA testimony TO |
his integrity, his energy, his capacity, and |
his patriotism, that he is Just now the |
most conspicuous and melancholy ex-
ample of the workings Of protection, as |
he himself regards and has upheld it snd |
has freely enjoyed it, that could possibly
be imagined? Here is man possessed of
extraordinary business talents, engaged
in trade, or in trades, with which
he has the close familiarity of
actual labor, who has been able from the
station of q manual workman to rise to
the possession of millions of property and
the employment of several thousand men,
who has for more than quarter of GEN.
fury been following almost exclusively
enterprises fostered by the government,
defended absolutely from foreign compe-
tition, not only secured the home market
through taxation burdensome to the
country, but often receiving large sums
of money directly from the treasury, who
is compelled at the close of Icing and
active career to go through what are
practically bankruptcy proceedings.
In oil his later industrial interests Mr..
Roach has been the favorite of Congress.
AS an iron founder, there was time when
he believed in free pig iron, but from the
moment that he became an ownE in iron
mines and mills, through his various un-
dertakings, his rolling mills, his steel
mills, his shipyards, his iron works, he
mas been protected" by laws which he
not only desired and approved, but which
more than any other man in the country
he shaped and procured. By the heavy
duties on competing foreign imports, by
the prohibition of foreign competition
in the coasting or the ocean-going
ships he built, by direct and
princely subsidies to the companies
for which he built his ships, and in
which he was largely direct owner, he has
been for more than score of years sur
rounded by the sustaining arm of the
government, and he has leaned heavily on
| il. He has fully realized its value to him,
ana in season and out of season, by his
| written and oral argument, by his public
appeals, by his personal solicitation, by
his trained and paid professional lobby in
Washington, he has sought to influence
| and has influenced the action of Congress
to such an extent that it may be said he
has made the laws to advance his own
| schemes and secure his own enrichment.
And now, verging on 20, lie is obliged 10
succunb despite the great system OF
Legislative support lie has so lagely
organized, and, in reality, because of it.
| 1t is sheer nonsense TO attribute his
failure to complications with the govern
ment. On Sunday we published list of
/ tl,a t,aucalp la lnl cn,,ptrnntaI cinoa 1871
/ Of those over 1000 tons burden there
were so built for trade, either for the
coast trade, in which American built
ships have monopoly or for foreign
trade, in which the American purchasers
have been, early or late, heavily subsi-
died; there We're only three built for the
government previous to the recent con-
tracts. 1t is absurd to say that if such an
extensive business us is here indicated had
been as prosperous as it was claimed the
laws made to foster it would render it, q
dispute over one or even over four mod.
crate contracts with the government
would cripple the owner of it.
Mr.. Roach himself lays the blame on
the rascally '.subsidized' free trade jour
nails, which made the country think tina
a change i'll the administration woult
bring free ships" and SO stopped
demand for American built ships. rbi
is a far-fetched explanatian. Even if i
were true it only relates to one branch o
his highly protected business enterprises
1t does not touch the rail mills and til
iron works or show why they are nc
prosperous in the possession of tn
''home market which the people hay
been sorely taxed for nearly generatio
to secure to them, and which they d
practically monopoliZe. And MS to I'll
shipbnilding, the explanation proves 10
, much. 1t shows that business dependei
on the legislation of an elective Congre
is exposed TO ruin from chang,
in public opinion which its managers en-
, not easily foresee and cannot possib
prevent. 1t shows that n great industri
. organizer, with all Mr. Roach's enert
; and capacity, who bases his business ,
! favuring legislation, must undertake N
, only to manage legislatures, as Mr.. Roa'
/ has done, but to manage the voters
the nation, which he has essayed 10 Il
r and has, as he was sure To Il
!, wretehedly failed in the long run. Ev
if the protective system on which NJ
& Roach has staked his fortunes couI
. while it lasted, 10 all that he has claim
: Ion il and il cannot it must in u
L country expose its benefGiaries 10 oy,
:, whelming risks from that most uncontro
able force, the fluoiuating opinion
over 1000, 600 voters. No more appa
r ing uncertainty could lie in wait for Al
business man or body of men, and t
q uncertainty is. only MS to time, becau'
f sooner or later, the rejection of the ar
il fetal system is perfectly sure. Four ye,
ago, and even later, Mr.. Roach was
ferred to by others, and referred to hi
self with pardonahlc pride, MS nm {
ample of the working of the Americ
e system of protection" In his prese
Z misfortunes he is still, and much mt
"a strilingly, such an example. He v
G. then its most prominent fayorite lie
J. now its latest and most pitiable victim.