The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-07-26
A SOUTHERN VIEW
OF the Question Of Protection to
Home Industries.
A VERY STRONG ARGUMENT.
The Persistent Policy of England
Hostile to tho United States.
To Reduce Revenues without
Butchering our Industries.

To tie Editor Orte Inte!liOaso1.
SIR: Themannero fraisinGr revenue and
levying the taxes has been from the be-
ginning, and will be to the end, an all
absorbing question from time to time
among the nations. The difference OF
opinions, and the real or supposed
wrongs growing out OF the mode OF
raising revenue, have produced many
conflicts and wars, and will produce
many more. Upon these questions great
minds have widely differed and some
times changed in their conclusions, and
the different nations have adopted at
different times widely different policies,
necessitated by changed circumstances
and altered conditions.
HxGLANp's PERSISTENT POLICY.
England arrayed all Europe against
the great Napoleon and finally over
threw him to break down his protective
policy for France, for it made France
prosperous and wealthy at the expense
of England. England made war on
these colonies because they would not
submit to laws restrictive OF their manu-
iactures and trade. And England made
war on China to abolish the Chinese
tariff on opium produced in India, and
forced China to admit opium free; and
tho policy OF England for more than n
century has been to destroy the manu-
featuring energy and products Of all
other nations and monopolise them her
self, and her success has been very
great. Thus came her wealth and
power, now seriously jeopardised by the
manufacturing energy OF these. States.
England has crippled the manufactures
OF ireland, and hence the poverty OF
Ireland. England made war on the in,
stitution OF African slavery here, and
destroyed the slave trade simply be-
cause she persuaded herself that by
slavery in America she could
suppISnt our cotton with India cotton,
and this same England is to-day, and
has been for years, using her every en-
ergy to iniurc and break down tho man
energy OF tho States for her
own gain and monopoly and their pow
erty and injury.
INDUSTRY MUST DB DIVERSIFIED.
Mr.. Say, the greatest OF all writer's on
the economic policy OF the nations, and
a Free T. qdcr for the nations OF Europe,
in speaking OF the necessity OF diversity
Of occupations and labor (he wrote in
1881 cites the case OF Poland as the
greatest grain producing nation in Eu-
rope and yet the poorest because the
people OF that nation were almost exclu-
sively agricultural. 1may cite the South
Of 1861 as proof OF the same fact.
| have shown in former letter that
the poverty, weakness and subiugation
Of the South in 1864, was the result OF
her want OF railroads and manufactures.
The subjugation OF Poland was mainly
due to her want OF manufactures.
A people, to maintain themselves in
peace as well as in war, must adopt their
policy to their surroundings and to the
policy OF the world around them.
If any one OF the great nations OF Eu-
rope should diSarm, how long would it
be before her neighbors would run over
and crush her? Let armor be met with
armor.
4 CHANCE FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES.
Ifthese Southern States had as much
capital and energy invested in manutac-
turing rs in agriculture, and there is no
reason why they should not, the South
would be the wealtLiest and most pow
erful people on earth. To put them in
this condition would be wise, grand,
true craftsmanship, and would be OF
most advantage to the whole OF these
States united, and to this continent.
1t would bring here millions OF the
very best people from tho North,
giving them better means and mostly
their condition and their
morals, and it would give employment
to our own people now scratching. on
the rugged mountains and high ridges
for bare subsistence. 1t would call
into use the delicate taper fingers OF our
Young women, for the manufacture OF
those beautiful fabrics which cannot be
made by the rude, coarse hands OF the
women OF the Northern climates; and it
would give investment TO our savings
now squandered for want Of manutac-
turing energy. 1t would put the South,
conservative and ever to be conserva-
tive, in position TO enforce the peace
between the turbulent revolutionary
elements in the North, that may in an
unexpected hour involve society in
war. 1t would give the South that bal
ance OF power 80 essential to the peace,
progress and prosperity OF so large a
country, with so great diversity OF eli
mate and products and interests.
Now, it is the duty and true policy OF
our whole people to go slow, very slow,
and cautiously in making changes in our
tariff laws, under the operation OF which
not only the whole country, but more
particularly the South and West, have
made so unprecedented progress in fiji
teen years past.
TIE MILLS TARIFF BILL.
1t is proposed to reduce the surplus
revenues be reducing the tariff and that
alone, leaving the tax on tobacco, sugar
and the beverage OF the people, rs it is.
To keep this surplus in the Treasury. is
about rs wise MS for one individual to hide
in the earth not only his own but his
neighbor's money, and may be produc-
tive OF n panic and great popular distress.
Remove the tariff in part from sugar, re-
duce the tax on fruit brandy to n maxi.
mum, and abolish the tobacco tax, and
that surplus is gono. To reduce this
surplus q bill is reported to Congress,
called the Mills tariff bill. This bill, MS
learn. proposes an average reduction OF
ten per cent, and the friends OF this bill
claim that this ten per cent reduction
will curtail tho revenue SlO,0OO,OOO a
year. Let us see.
II this average reduction OF 10 per
cent will reduce the revenue 100000
900 year, what amount Of manufac-
lures would be imported oyerthepresent