Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-02-27
Free Trade or Protection, ?

WHAT ENGLAND DID FOR HER INDUS
DusTRIEs-THE POLICY OF THE UNIT
ED STATES.
Prof J f. Thompson's Yale Lecture
As Ireland and India, of which
have spoken to you, We're 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 a nearly prohibi-
tory duty on the export of wool with
the idea of causing the Flemish spin
ners to colonize in England. They
came there and the manufacture of
woollens was carried on with such
success that at the close of his reign
he enacted that every Englishman
should wear a suit of English-made
clothes. In the next reign protec-
ton was further extended 1t thus
made its beginning and it was 500
years before its ending under Cob
den. Every great Industry to-day
owes its origin and strength to it,
The Stuarts fostered the tariff the
same as the Tudors. Henry VIII
protected tin, Elizabeth further pro-
tected iron and Charles III was even
more rigid. For long time wool
len was the only textile manufacture.
The use of cotton was prohibited
until 1875. Its manufacture was not
legalized until TIA under a protect
i've tariff. 1t was ourdened until
1882, as Mill says, The spinning
jenny, the Compton loom, the steam
engine and all the leading inventions
in English mechanics were made in
that time, but they were not allowed
to 90 out of that country. The man
who introduced 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 pow
er 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 l847 to 1861 France
from 1861 TO 1874, and Germany
from 1854 to 1878, All have drop
ped IT, Only two countries on tile
continent now, Norway and Turkey
live under free trade I'm England
Mt present is being agitated q plan
OF tree trade with its colonies and
tariff against All foreign countries.
I America began her manufactures du-
ring the revolutionary war, but atits
close England crushed them out by
competitions. James Madison, in
/ 1880, perfected the first American
tariff, Sadly in need Of it were our
infant industries Textile fabrics
and hardware were omitted from it.
/ The war Of 1912 was another effec-
tive protective move. The chief
cause Of failure of our armies by
land and the suffering Of our soldiers
was the failures Of our supplies of
! goods. and our whole frontier was
endangered because we had no blan.
kets for the Indians The factory
system arose at this point, and soon
there were 1000 employees in mills,
chiefly in the Middle States. Then
protection was again crushed out
1t was revived in 1924, and this tar
if was revised in 1928, and secured
the prosperity of the country so
that. our National debt was COM
pletely paid off in 1885. Under its
impulses prosperity rose rapidly and
also speculation. Ia 1887 the crash
followed The Democrats said alt
will come out right in the long rum