The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-23
FREE TRADE VERSUS PROTECTION.
Professor Thompson Drawing q Comparison
for Yale Students.
New Haven Special.


New Haven Special.
Prof. r. Il. Thompson's sixth lecture on pro-
lection at Yale tonight drew crowded house.
bis subject was England and America" He
said: AS Ireland and India, of which / have
spoken to you. were purely agricultural coun-
tries, so were England and America. In the
middle ages England was devoted to agriculture.
she got her clothing from Flanders and her iron,
from the mines of Normandy, bought with the
wool raised in her own borders. Thus she might
have gone on forever, dependent on outside
sources to get on. had not Edward III laid nearly
prohibtory duty on the export of wool. with the
idea of causing the Flemish spinners to colonize
In England They came there and the manu-
facture OF woolens was carried with such sue
cess that at the close of his reign he enacted that
every Eaglishman should wear suit of English
made clothes In the next reign protection was
further extended. 1t thus made its beginning,
and 1t was 500 years before its ending under
Golden. Every great industry to-day owes it's
the tariff the same as the Tudors Henry VIII
protected tin, Elizabeth further protected iron
and Charles ii was even more rigid.
For a long time WOODEN was
the only textile manufacture. The
use of cotton was prohibited until 1876. It's
manufacture was not legalized until 1774 under
protective tariff. 1t was burdened until 1882, as
Mill says The spinning jenny, the Compton
loom, the steam engine and all the leading in
ventions in English mechanics were made in this
country. The man who introduced the cotton
loom here had to draw it from memory. None
OF the English machines were allowed to be ex-
ported until 1850
Great Britain made mo move toward free
trade till she was on the wave crest of prosperi-
ty. In 1882 the reform bill transferred the
power to the middle class to make wages cheap
e.. This ruled till 1869, when the Commons
came in. Other countries followed
Englands example of free trade,
hrrt fhau 70
America chung TO free trade from 1947 to 1861,
France from 1861 to 1878 and Germany 1864 to
1878 Al have dropped it. Only two countries
on the continent, Norway and Turkey, live under
free trade. In England, at present is being
agitated plan of free trade with its colonies aud
tariff against all foreign countries. America be-
gan her manufactures during the revolutionary
war, but at its close England crushed them out
by competition. James Madison. In 1885, per-
fected the first American tariff. Sadly in need
of it were our infant industries. Textile fabrics
and hardware were omitted from il. The war of
1872 was another effective protective move. The
chief cause OF failure OF our armies by land and
the suffering of our soldiers was the failure Of
our supplies of goods and our whole
frontier was endangered because we had
no blankets for the Indians. The fac
tory system arose at this point, and
soon there were ESQ., 900 employees in mills. chief
ly in the Middle States. Then protection was
again crushed out. It was revived in 1924 and
this tariff was revised in 1928, and secured the
prosperity of the country SO that our national
debt was completely paid off in 1885. Under its
impulses prosperity rose rapidly, ard also spec
ulation. In 1887 the crash followed. The Dem
ocrats said: ut will come out all right in the
long run" and the workmen said: 'We'll starve
in the short rum" The Democrats were turned
out in 184O and Horace Greeley and Henry Clay
led the fight for General Harrison. He was
elected, and the tariff of 1912 restored our pros
perity. In 1874 the Democrats were allowed to
come in to maintain the tariff. They did not do
it. They made three rates of duty Wool was
taxed 80 per cent, and blankets, manufactured
wool, only % per cent. This lasted till 1857.
The war brought on the tariff of 1861 at the
hands of Republican Congress and Demo
cratic President. Mark the growth of this
country in the last twenty years. While our
population has increased GO per cent. our wealth
has increased PA per cent. and our manufactures
about 30 per cent Great Britain has increased
the value of her products only 20 per cent. in the
ten years from 1870. and Germany q per cent,
while the United States has increased It's lob
per cent. Mr.. Gladstone says. America is pass
ing us at an easy canter." Bismarck SAYS 1.-The
success of the United States in material develop
ment is the most illustrious of modern times"
"How long must protection needs be contn-
ued and this fostering of infant industries last?
am asked. I answer that hope it will last till
1t makes no difference whether the tariff law is
repealed or not. England kept hers for FIVE
hundred years. am in favor of having it last
here one hundred years A century of protec-
ton would give as good start" Applause.