The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-02-27
Free Trade or Protection 1?

AS Ireland and India, of which 1
have spoken to you, were purely ag-
ricultural countries, 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 Nor
mandy. bought with the wool raised
in her own borders. Thus she might
have gone on forever, dependent on
outside resources to get on, had not
Edward III. laid nearly prohibitory
duty on the export of wool with the
idea of causing the Flemish spinners
to colonize in England. They came
there and the manufacture of WOOL
lens was carried on with such success
that at the close of his reign he en-
acted that every Englishman should
wear suit of English-made clothes.
In the next reign protection was
further extended. 1t thus made its
beginning and it was 500 years before
its ending under Golden. Every
great industry to-day owes its origin
and strength to it. The Stuarts fos-
tered the tariff the same as the Tu.
doris. Henry VIII protected tin, Eliz-
abeth further protected iron and
Charles II was even more rigid. For
long time woollen was the only
textile manufacture. The use of cot.
ton was prohibited until 1875. 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 inventions in English me-
chanics were made in that time, but
they were not allowed to go out of
that country. The man who intro
duced the cotton loom here had to
draw it from memory. None of the
English machines were allowed to be
exported until 1850.
"Great Britain made no move to-
ward free trade till she was on the
wave crest of prosperity. In 1882 the
Reform bill transferred the power to
the middle class to make wages
cheaper. This ruled till 1869, when
the Commons came in. Other coun-
tries followed England's example of
free trade, but they soon returned to
protection. America chung to free
trade from 1S47 to 1861. France from
1861 to 1873. and Germany from 1864
to 1873. All have dropped it. Only
two countries on the continent now,
Norway and Turkey live under free
trade. In England at present is be-
ing agitated plan of free trade with
its colonies and tariff against all for
eign countries. America began her
manufactures during the revolution.
ary war, but at its close England
crushed them out by competition.
James Madison, in 1880, perfected the
first American tariff. Sadly in need
of 1t were our infant industries. Tex.
tile fabrics and hardware were omit.
ted from 1t. The war of 1912 was an.
other effective protective move. The
chief cause offailure of our armies by
land and the suffering of our soldiers
was the failure of our supplies of
goods, and our whole frontier was en-.
dangered because we had no blankets
for the Indians. The factory system
arose at this point, and soon there
were 100000 employees in mills, cheif-
ly in the Middle States. Then pro-
lection was again crushed out. 1t was
revived in 1924, and this tariff was
revised in 1923, and secured the pros.
perity of the country so that our Ma
tional debt was completely paid off
in 1885. Under its impulses prosper
ity rose rapidly and also speculation.
In 1887 the crash followed. The DEM
ocrats said: ut will come out right
III CilC iOtS run anu tHO WOIhLuctI
said, "We'll starve In the short rum"
The Democrats we're turned out In
1910 and Horace Greeley and Henry
Clay led the fight for General Harri-
son. He was elected and the tariff of
1912 restored our prosperity. 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 percent
and blankets, manufactured wool,
only % percent. This lasted till 1857.
The war brought on the tariff of
1861 at the hands of Republican
Congress and Democratic President.
Mark the growth of this country In
the last twenty years. While our