Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-05-17
A PLEA FOR PROTECTION.
A speech Of John smith, OF Andnvcr,
IN 1873.

Inc lullOWlnG address, III favor OF the
principles Of protection for American in.
duStrieS, copied from the And"vcr Towns.
man, was made by the late John Smith,
Of Anduycr, Mass, at that place, sixty
years ago;
The question under discussion is known,
| presume, Ia most Of YOU, TO be one
y hich divides the people Of these United
} lies into two classes According to
the system of one, American industry
should he LETT ~ sustain itself, Accord.
ing TO the system of the other American
industry relating to the art of manufact
uring should be protected hy the govern.
mcnt, II is this latter principle. which |
would I this time cndcavar To defend.
That CaC Engagement to American manu-
GaCtm,tS ought TO he given for the benefit
Of the nation, have M doubt, II ought
Ia be the object Of all wise governments
tn protect the Industry Of its own citizens,
and to give it force In the production of
wealth, This is what think must be
the true policy; instead If giving employ
mcnt 10 some hundreds of thousands of
mechanics In workshops IN Great Britain
aud elsewhere, and MS many more IN con
vcrling our cation into cloth, would 1t
not be better 10 first give full employ
mCnt 10 our own CitiZcnSy
Great Britain pays 10 cents per pound
for cotton and returns ii to us in manu-.
featured state, with its value enhanced
rourlnld And this Is hut one article,
viz, cotton cloth. The same may be
said, only with much greater force, Of
ironware Of every DIES ription and cut
Icry. Here we grow the cotton. raise the
wool. have incyhuustiblC iron mines, ard
no mCk of ingenuity; and more In
dustriOus people Is not known on the
globe; and now | would ask, shall Ameri'
can industry be disrcgardcd, these me.
thanics shut out OF employment, and our
farmers made destitute of market for
the produce Of the soilY
1t may be said: Throw your ports
open to free trade, become wholly an
agricultural people and you will have u
f"rrign market for your produce, But
would say n foreign market Is an un'
certain markct, Rather, we should en-
courage manufactures, and create home
market which will always be u sure mar.
ECt
II is the policy of Great Britain to dis
courage our mauufacture' Her agents
in this country ahd many American citi-
zcns engaged IN commerce tell IA that il
would be better TO buy cloth than TO
make it, But what OF all thntY Are
these real facts that can be supported
and that will bcnr Investigations
suppose, for instance, that our manu-
features should be destroyed or we had
never Ind any, and depended upon
another nation. would this contribute
anything to the independence Of the
United States, which we are all SO proud
#? NJ, il would rather make us subject
to other nations aud to become, ny 1t
were. tools to be used MS might suit the
interests and whims Of mOnarChs Think
you If we had no domestic manufactures
would cotton or wooden cloths have been
imported and sold In this G untry nj SO
low rate? Our markets have been
glultcd, with goods Of foreign manu-
faCturc, for the very purpose Of making
an effort to crush us in the bud. That u
has damaged Ms we will allow, but that
| we have not received u death blow Is cvi.
dent; the speed of our Spindlcs, aud the
| .wltncss and number Of our Shuillcs
testify that our vitals HrC not yet hurt.
|till we are but in our infancy and need
protection by the government, and we
hope that wise and judicious tariff will
| he found 10 he the true policy to admin
lister happiness and increase the power
| and wealth of the nation,
1t Is in vain to tell w Of the great
chcnpncsS of foreign fabrics A cheap
| article Is just MS truly beyond the grasp
| Of him who has no means TO buy rs a
| high one.
Our agricultural interest Is our greatest
| and all others should bend to It, Can we
| TO nothing 10 invigoratc il, and brighten
| he prospects which arG before usY An
| exclusive dependence on n foreign market
| must lead ~ TO ruin Let rs Withdraw
| he support which we now give 10 the in
Iuslry Of other nations and stimulate
hat Of the country in which we live aud
multiply the vacations and extend the
usincss of society Ua far ~ it can be
| tone. by the protection Of our own
| interests rs u nation.
| We will now suppose there are but half
l million persons manufacturing goods
| for rs in Europe. though it would be
| Icarcr the truth I double this number,
| but we will rest il within bounds Their
subsistence. we will suppose, Is drawn
| rom European agriculture. Now IL We
! 'ould transport them 10 this county,
| there would instantly arise n demand for
|
| uuire not less than DOC, 600 barrels Of
| hour This is more than is exported from
| his country in whole year
Besides. they would consume II proper
t0natc quantity Of beef and pork. But
instead Of $1,000 citizens immigratin2
| from abroad we should give employment
| to an equal number Of our own citizens,
| who are idle for want Oibusiness. Think
| A. "A 81 faf Ia.
| good effects of this and home market
| nc secured for their produce would evi
| IDENTIFY follow from such policy
Let us improve by the experience OF
| other nations Previous 10 the great i'm
| provcmcnis which hayc been made IN
manufacturing by machinery in Great
| Britain, Asia laid her under tribute IN
| consequence Of the density Of the popula'
| ton in Asia And how has all this been
effected? BY the very same way which
| the true patriots words offer FOR the
| American system. And what Is this sys'
! lem? We must naturalizc the arts in this
country and use the means which tho
| wisdom OF nations has discovered to be
effective, by protection thr ugh the cstab,
| lishment of tariff.
| And what is this tariff Ii has some
| times been called monster wild
| beast let loose among the people to cor
| sumo their substance" Is il sor The object
of n tariff Is to tax the produce Of foreign
industry, with the aim Of protecting
American industry. II may be said that
| This is 10 take the money out OF the pockets
Of ono part of the people aud put il into
the pockets of another part. II is not sol
| No man is obliged TO buy the foreign
article. lie may perhaps dispense with
i. or he may buy the American, or, IL he
chooses, go into the manufacturing OF
| Il.