The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1885-10-30
The 9elllar.at,
........ OCTOBER 80, 1885.
IGNORANT.

A man who thinks he knows oil
about the tariff and who writes under
the cognomen of "School Boy" in the
Corvallis Gasette Of last week asks:
"Upon what authority is the statement
made that the agricultural products Of
this country are not protected by the
tariff, but are compelled to. compete
with the pauper labor Of all other ma
tions9" Nov, to make this plain, il is
only necessary to so into detail little.
Wheat is an agricultural product and
under the tariff bill Of 1883 there is a
duty Of twenty cents per bushsl on all
imported wheat, but this duty does not
protect the American wheat grower
any, for the reason that our wheat
growers have to export their wheat to
Liverpool, the worlds market, in order
70 end sale for it. Our wheat does not
bring any better price on account Of this
duty of twenty cents per bushsl laid by
our tariff laws on imported wheat, and
would not bring any better price if this
duty were placed at 100 or 400 cents
per bushel. This is plain, for we do
not import any wheat, but, as we said
before, we send our wheat to the
worlds market and are thus brought
into competition with the cheap or pau
per labor of the world. Therefore the
aRriculturAlist, so far AZ wheat raising
Is concerned, is not protected by our
tariff laws, The same may be said
with reference to -four, corn beef, pork,
etc
Our ''SehOol Boy" asks again "If
protection creates high prices and fosters
tnonopolies, why are manufactured pro-
ducts as cheap, if not cheaper now, than
at any other period since the formation
Of the government" This kind Of ar
gument, 6imsy as it is, We suppose re-
quires an answer. Now if the protsc-
tion afforded by our tariff laws did not
foster monOpolies and create higher
prices than those which ruled at the
time when these tariff laws were passed
then the protection afforded by these
laws was no protection at all, aud was
valueless to those manufacturers who
asked congress to protect their infant
industries. The reason why our manu-
facturers FIRST asked congress for pro-
lection was that English manufacturers,
in consequences of their experience and
other superior advantages, were able to
Sell even in American markets cheaper
than our own manufacturers could, and
our manufacturers sought q monopoly
OF the trade through protection. But,
If through protection our manufacturs
have been enabled to engage 80 largely
In the business, and have SO improved
the machinery used in their manufactur-
ing establishments that they are now
enabled to sell as cheaply as the Fog
lish then why should they object to a
reduction of tho tariff. If protection
makes the protected article cheaper,
then with how little reason does the
manufacturer Of that article ask that it
be protected? Verify "School Boy" is
q school boy, or he would not submit
such an argument. There is no JUS
tice now to ask the people Of the whole
country to submit to the burden Of a
high tariff to afford protection to those
who say that American manufactured
goods can now be sent to free trade
England and sold in competition with
goods manufactured by the pauper labor
of Europe.
"Scheol Boy" sgaiu asks off the
manufacturer grows rich under protec-
tion, why have so many become bank
rupt within the last two years, and why
have SO many factories been either COM
Pelled to shut down entirely or to run
on one-half or one-quarter timer Well,
did the protection which these manu-.
facturers havebad for twenty-five years,
and which they still enjoy, lead them
into bankruptacy, and compel them
to shut down? If so, why do they
still cry for protection? All this argu.
ment Of "Scbool Boy" refntes the very
proposition out of which it springs and
which 1t is adduced to support. The
truth is the war tariff is too high for a
period of peace. It has so stimulated
and fevered tho manufacturing indus
tries Of tho country as to result in over
production which is the cause Cf present |
cheap prices And no tariff, however
high it may be, will or can protect
against over production. We hope
"School Boy" will consider this subject
in the light entirely of an economic
question, and not party question and
be will soon emerge from the darkness
by which he Is surrounded.
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REMEMBER