The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-01
ENGLAND's INDUSTRIAL SITUATION.

ENGLANDS INDUSTRIAL SlIUAIlUNs
The growing feeling in England in favor OF
some measure of protection is a natural one,
| the outcome of the inevitable comparison
| drawn between free-trade England and pro-
tected America. The contrast between the
condition of the workingman of these two
countries is always favorable to the American
the latter enjoys greater freedom and re-
ceives better pay. Were this not so the tide
! of immigration would not continue in this di-
rection. 1t is not necessary to ascribe all the
| advantages here enjoyed to the policy of pro-
| lection. 1t is enough to know that it pre-
serves them. The principle of protecting in
| dustries, while an excellent one to nut into
practice in the United States, might not be so
effective elsewhere, because the conditions
may be different. 1t is very doubtful if pro-
lection would avail much for England. The
object of protective tariff is to strengthen
home industries by preventing those of for
eign countries underselling them in the home
| market, until such time as they shall be able
to take care of themselves. What good would
such policy do England, whose business is
to undersell the world or starveq There is no
choice there The British mills are obliged
to manufacture and to sell, and to sell and
thus make manufactures possible, England
has to 90 into the commercial world
and offer her wares at figures lower
than any Of her competitors. Dependent on
her mills and the carrying trade, there was no
alternative. Protection would be a mockery.
AS we'll might John L. Sullivan be protected
from some man whom he is obliged to ''knock
| out The only direction in which protection
could be made to serve England would be in
forcing such policy upon her colonies. to the
| prejudice of other than British made goods.
Such policy would undoubtedly be hateful
one to such countries. The same thing was
one of the moving causes of Che American
Revolution, and would be likely to provoke
similar results among Great Britain's present
colonies The fact that the workmen Of
England show a disposition to adopt the
American idea is a sincere compliment to the
wisdom of American statesmen who devised
and caused the adoption of this plan, whereby
so great good has been done American indus
try. Realizing that their own condition is
steadily deteriorating, and the fact that the
only hope of England's cooped-up millions is
in doing the manufacturing for the people
of other countries, the uneasiness manifest
ed is easily understood. The riots in London
and elsewhere throughout the kingdom are
directly traceable to the increasing depression
in manufacturing circles there. As other
countries come nearer supplying their own de-
mands the labor situation in England will
grow worse. The adoption of protective
British prosperity 1t partially cut off a large
trade with this country by building up manu-
| features west of the Atlantic, making this
country practically Independent of England
But for the tariff on imports millions of dol
lars more worth Of English made goods and
wares would have been annually sold in this
country, and American mills would have had
less patronage by like amount, and conse-
quently been retarded in growth if not kept
out of existence.
The same argument that stands in the way
of England adopting protective tariff is an
excellent one why America should maintain,
with whatever notifications may become
necessary, the law now in force, and which
has done SO much for American capital and
labor. 1t is folly to talk of free trade unless
the United States is ready to see its indus
tries crippled and killed. 1t is impossible
to compete with England on equal terms be-
cause the conditions are different England
is the boy obliged to dig out the ground hog
because there is no meat in the house. Amer
lean mills and men. with plenty of meat in