The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-11-25

promoted m every proper way. They afford
employment to many millions Of capital and
many thousands of laborers, and their products
contribute largely to the wealth and comfort of
the people; but they are not by any means the
only American industries. In the households
OF the poor, in the fields and forests, in the
mines and factories, in the stores and shops, on
the railroads and canals and rivers, on the high
seas-everywhere there are American indus
tries struggling with the mighty forces of nature
and subduing, combining and utilizing the ele-
ments of the earth and the air, and any view of
our industrial system which fails to comprehend
all these necessarily leads to partial and erro-
neous conclusions.
Taking that broad view of these various in
dustries, which, -comprehends the smallest as
well as the greatest, and appreciates the inter
ests of the whole instead of q part only it is
impossible to understand how their growth
and prosperity can be promoted by tax
alton in any form. It is not difficult to
see how system which prevents compe-
tition, and therefore increases prices NAV
enable an individual who has capital
invested in particular industry to realize prof
its instead Of suffering losses, but it is manifest
that this must always be done at the expense
of the consumers of his products, who are also
as general rule, engaged in industrial pur-
suits. In every such case the actual losses
are precisely the same as if competi-
tion had not been prevented and prices
had not been increased, but, instead
of being borne by the individual who carries on
the business, they fall upon the purchasers Of
his products and are paid out Of the earnings in
other industries. The other industries there
fore, not only make good his losses, but pay
him a profit besides, thus giving him bonus
for investing his capital and wasting his skill
and labor in an improbable business.
That taxation for protective purposes has
resulted, so far, in a continuous waste Of cap
ital and labor in this country is conclusively
shown by the present condition of the so-called
protected industries, and by the history of our
legislation upon the subject. Its constant ten
dency has been, and is now, to impair their
ability to compete with the products Of similar
industries elsewhere, and to make them more
dependent upon bounties and special legisla-
ton for support. 1t has added largely to the
cost of production by increasing the price of
machinery and materials and the necessaries of
life; it has confined the products of
so-called protected industries to the
home market exclusively, so that the
amount of production must be regulated by
the domestic demand alone, and operations
must be suspended when that demand is salts
fled; it has obstructed international ex-
changes, thus partially excluding the products
OF our other industries from profitable markets
abroad, diminishing the earnings and
arresting their growth and prosperity;
it has provoked other Governments to re-
sort to retaliatory measures discriminating
against our products and trade in their own
ports and markets, and giving preference to the
products and trade of our most formidable
rivals; and, here at home, by encouraging capi-
tai and labor to rely upon legislation for profits
rather than upon their own capacity, it has
greatly impaired that spirit of independence
aud enterprise which is absolutely in
dispensable to the successful prosecu-
tion of business in this age of improve
ment and progress. These are only few of the
evils which the existing system of taxation has
inflicted upon the country. Many valuable in
dustries, which would have fiourished without
it, have been tortured to death by its unequal
burdens and unjust Determinations, while 9TH
ers have been crushed by the powerful combi-
nations and monopolies which it creates and
sustains.'
Mr.. Carlisle was followed, at the call of
General Newberry, by Senator Beck, of
Kentucky, i'll response to the toast, s'The