The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-04-19

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reverence for the truth was so great
that he never uttered it or went near
it, or interferred with it in any way
what ever. How CAN tax protect
home products unless it increases the
price? How can it increase the
price unless it is added, in whole or
in part, to the cost? And if they can
make goods as cheap as the foreigner, !,
why can't they compete with him, and
what is the necessity of retaining the
duty? When pushed to the wall on this
point they say the duty keeps out the
foreigner and gives them the entire
home market. But what benefit to them
| is the home market unles they are
making money by supplying
it? And if they do make money and
still make cheaper goods than the
foreigner, the question then recurs
with redoubled force why keep up the
duty? 1t is too plain for argument,
the price of domestic goods is enhanc
ed by duty on the foreign, and en-
HANGED at the expense of the consum-
er. Common sense and common hon
esty can make nothing else out of it.
That protection encourages our
| manufacturers is undoubtedly true.
But it is so happens that there are two
sides to that proposition, as there are
to almost all others. Man himself is
bilateral, and it seems to be law of
nature as well. So also in the
moral world. A self opinionated old
chap of my acquaintance was once
brought to what was supposed to be
his death bed, and in preparation for
the long journey the preacher was cal
led in. "My friend" said the ghost
ly counsellor, "before you can hope
for mercy and forgiveness you mnst
admit that you are poor miserable
sinner, and that there is no good in
you Do you confess that p "Well
Parson," he replied, 81 do in gener-
al way but there's heap to say on
the other side of that question if
body had time!' Now there is very
much to be said on the other side of
the proposition that tariff encourages
our own manufacturers. When men
deal with each other, if one makes
money by the trade it MUST be at the
expense of the other and the other loses.
1t is true that In exchanging one ar
ticle for another not untrequently
both sides are benefited, but that is a
different form of sale. If is COM
PEELED by law to pay B ten cents
yard more than the normal price of
flannel, | can well see how B is ben
eftted to the amount Of ten cents,
but / cant see for the life Of me where
AS benefit comes in. B is undoubt-
edly encouraged" to the extent of
ten cents and it seems to me that
A must just as surely be discouraged"
to the same extent-this is always
supposing that A has common sense.
If he were a natural born ass he
might, when the whole protection the
ory was explained to him, feel "mon-
strously hope up by the loss of his
money. So the duty of two dollars
per thousand is great encouragement
to men engaged in the cutting and
saving of lumber, but to the same ex-
tent it is encouragement to the poor
man who is about to build house to
shelter his wife and children. The
same may be said of window-glass,
crockery, iron, and steel rails, woolen
clothing and all the rest of it; if the tax
laid on these things encourages the
men who receive it and doesn't CORES
pondingly discourage the men who pay
it, then it can only be SO on the prin-
ciple that it is more blessed to give
than to receive an excellent precept
in morals, but of doubtful application
in political economy.
take it to be self evident propo-
sition that where there is abnormal
gain there must be a corresponding
loss SOMEWHERE. IF one man in a
community gets rich in such way,
the people around him are poorer by
Just that amount IF one section gets
rich in like manner, it must do so, or
dinarily, by absorbing that much of
the wealth of other sections When
trade is left free it is not necessarily
so. The natural laws of political
economy, which are beautiful system
of compensat1ons, checks and balances,
tend to equalize the gains and losses
of human intercourse. But where the
law interferes, and by taxation confers
unnatural gains on one, it inevitably
imposes an unnatural Loss on anoth-
er. The laws of economy will not
right this wrong by reparation to the
taxed man, though they may avenge
their violation, and do. by injuries of
equal extent to the wrongdoer.
Failing to show how these things
can be done by pr ,tection; how the
tax can enter into the question when
needed to keep the foreigner ont, and
obiigingly disappear when the con-
sumner is required to pay, and then
reappear again in the treasury, like
climber Jimmy" or jumping Jack
in magic box; or how duty levied
to protect manufacturers is not a tax
imposed on one class to enrich anoth-
er; failing utterly to explain in detail
these contradictory and impossible
things, the advocates of the theory
fall back on generalities, trusting the
inability or indisposition of the gener-
al mind to distinguish between cause,
and effect. With this aim they con-
fstantly present the public attention
with series of the most delightful
pictures of local prosperity. They will
tell US that in a certain place there
was stream of water flowing idly to
the sea, the country was rude and
poor, the inhabitants few, and in pow
erty and ignorance One fine day
wandering capitalist comes along in
search of an investment for his money.