The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-30
How the South Can Get Even.
If. J. Donncll, in Washington Post.

f. j. Donncll, in Washington Post.
The aim of our protective tariff is to
protect Americans from foreign compe-
tition. In it's practical application to n
democracy, all citizens should be pro-
tected equally. This may be avoided so
long as portion of the people are either
ignorant Of their rights or fail to insist
upon them. When, under the protective
system, any portion of the people or any
industry demands equal protection with
the already protected, the demand can
not be refused without violating the
democratic principle. Practically that
is precisely the way it has worked in
this country.
The two pets of our protective system
have been the iron and woollcn indus
tries. Their tariff history has one fea-
ture in common-in both cases the tariff
on manufactures existed for some years
before the producers Of the raw mate
rials demanded and obtaned similar pro-
lection.
1t was first supposed that this would
so stimulate the protection Of raw mate
rails as to reduce the price to the worlds
market value; but in point of fact. it has
had no such influence, and the manufac-
lures have found that, in order to give
them an advantage over the foreigner
in our own MARKET higher tariff OH
manufactures than on raw material was
necessary. This they have not always
obtained, owing to the watchfulness and
jealousy of the iron producers. Practi-
cally, they have generally found that
their only advantage over the foreigner,
even in the home market, consisted in
the superiority Of American labor. In
the meantime they are shut out from the
foreign market. In order to have their
equality in foreign markets restored, a
drawback on exports is necessary. This
principle is admitted "a 8 fim7tedF sxtsnt,
as in the case of refined sugar, on which
drawback Of $2.7O per 100 pounds on
exports is now paid out Of the national
treasury. Experts say this is nearly
half cent more than the duty on the
raw material.
One Of Alexander Hamilton's pet
schemes was to put stop to importation
Of nails. He procured the enactment of
what he promised would be a prohibi-
tive tariff, viz: two cents per pound. In
the face OF this prohibi,ive tariff
imports doubled.
Nails were then made exclusively by
hand labor. and it seems strange that a
man of Hamilton's intelligence and pa
trotlsm should have offered, at the pub
lie expense, such high premium to
induce Americans to engage in one of
the most degrading forms of labor in
existence. 1t still exists in Europe, and
furnishes fine subject for the eloquence
of peregrinating American protection
lists. Mr.. Hamilton's scheme failed ut
terly.
The more favorable conditions in this
country lifted the American citizen
above the ne cessity of hammering iron,
into nails, but these conditions also fur
nished him with the necessary genius to
lift nail-making up to his own level-he
invented q machine to do the work for
him. Where tho demands Of the case,
whether from the popularity of the in
dustry or the requirements of free COM
petition, called for new instrumentali-
| ties American genius has never failed to
find them.
The first tariff on raw wool was en-
acted in 1924. Until then the woollen
manufacture pospered-indeed, it had
been we'll established in colonial times
but ever since the wool tariff was enacted
lit is hardly an exaggeration to describe
The industry as chaos. Excepting un.
der the revenue tariff from 1s46 to 1860,
the woollen manufacturers have been
fconstant suppliants in the halls Of Con-
gress. They seem to be ignorant Of the
real cause of their trouble. I suspect
they know more than they pretend to
know; but they are afraid to demand the
repeal Of the wool tariff, fearing coun-
ter attsck on the manufacturer tariff.
In tho meantime they also are shut out
from the foreign markets. Nor has the
tariff ever prevented or even reduced
the volume Of imports. It is morally
certain that IL we had no tariff on either