The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-27
THE INDIANA CANVASS.
How the Tariff Has Operated to Increase
Manufactures and Reduce Prices

Icsburg last Saturday. he spoke as follows upon
the subject of tariffs: Protection protects the
maker and the consumer of manufactured ar
ticles. Itlowers the average price of the manu-
featured product, but increases the price of the
raw material and the prices of the farmers prod
uets. Paradoxical this may appear it is new
ertheless true God stored up for US in this
country, countless ages ago, vast quantities of
coal, gas, oil, iron, copper, lead, tin and other
valuable substances, and saturated everything
with electricity-sources Of the most gigantic
power, full of wealth and material comfort
But these could not be made available,
nor be used il our time, without the employ
ment of capital and skilled labor, and the es-
tablishment of manufactures These could not
be had without protection. To be used, this
raw material must be converted into manufact-
ured articles and products. at home or abroad.
Without protection to our home manufacturer,
the foreigner, with abundance of cheap and
poverty-stricken labor, and with vast supply
- raw material seeking his market at his own
prices, because it can find no manufacturer at
nome, can and will undersell our manufacturers
who have to pay more for labor. By such
just and unfair competition our home manu-
Iaeturerl is crushed and ruined; and, soon as
thls Is done, the command goes forth at once to
advance prices.
Protection does not increase the average prices
Of manufactured articles, but renders certain
the uncertain; renders steady the unsteady, and
makes the otherwise unknowable With
protection the manufacturer can count ahead
and know that he can make living profit, how
ever brisk competition may become; without
protection, be can count op nothing but disaster
and ruin. In 1850, under the influence of the
Democratic policy of tariff for revenue only,
our iron mills were all closed. Immediately
upon notice of this, the British manufacturers
gave notice to their agents here to at once ad-
vance prices, and they did advance them near
100 per cent within one year-to price far
beyond that for which our own people would
have been glad to produce the same articles-but
mills were crushed and rendered helpless.
few examples will illustrate my position.
Taking the average prices under Democratic
tariffs for revenue only, and the protective tariffs
of the Wing and Republican times from 1916 to
1885. and comparing them and averaging them,
we find that under the Democratic policy the
prices of pigiron. bar-iron steel rails. nails and
many other articles were from 10 to 20 per cent.
higher than under projection. In 1870 steel rails
sold for $l10 tariff of $2S per ton took effect
In December of that year. Immediately our
mills started up; mills were erected; labor
was IN demand consumers of farm products were
multiplied and general prosperity prevailed.
But the tariff did not advance the price of steel
rails on the contrary, prices declined to $50 per
per ton, and the prices ranged from 500 to $38
per ton.
Again, before the war, we imported most, if
not all, of our china and queensware, but we
finally put tariff of 81 per cent, and the
suit is that we have factories of our own utiliz-
ing our vast supply of raw material and giving
employment TO thousands of hands; and we turn
out $50. 900, 900 worth of products per year,
at less than one. third the price we paid before.
Again. before the war and under Democratic
rulA COI1ld not manufacture glass of the hest
grades. A protective tariff was laid, and now
we have glass factories employing millions of
capital and thousands OF hands. and producing
the best glass in the world at one-half the price
we paid France and other countries for no bet
ter article.
Why did not the tariff increase the prices in
the above, and many other instances! Why
could we not maintain our factories without the
tariff! Because, without protection, the old and
wealthy establishments of England, France and
other countries, could and did undersell US till
were compelled TO close down, and then they
advanced prices enormously. The tariff steps
in and renders unjust and unfair competition i'm
possible, but creates home competition, while
making the manufacturer sure of living profit.
While it lowers the price of the manufactured
article, it makes demand for labor. increases
wages, stimulates inventive genius and makes a
demand for inventions, increases the prices of
breadstuffs and increases the value of lands and
raw material, 80 that the farmer and laborer
get more for what they have to sell. and pay less
for the bulk of what they have to buy.
Without the tariff consumed only 67 per
cent. of our farm products with the tariff we
consume go per cent of our farm products. With
the tariff we have more than 500, 900 laborers
in our factories, while with free trade we should
not have one-third that number
Without the tariff the foreigner supplied us
his wares at enormous profits; with the tariff he
supplies us, if at ALL at reduced prices and mod
crate profits Without the tariff our mountains
of iron and vast deposits of other material would
be almost wholly worthless; with the tariff they
are sources of vast wealth. With the tariff we
have prospered as no other nation of of modern
times. Without the tariff we would be far in
the rear.
It is said that during the prevalence of Demo-
cratic free trade in country of the Shelf
field establishments made a profit of more than
5000 per cent, within fourteen years, upon the
capital invested"