Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-01-28

benefit of the farmer. the miner, md he
furnace owner, as we'll as Of the mannfac-
turer, and whenever that Illte was departed
from the whole system would fail, snd
g. In aa pT1ns'pe of benefits
a. and q burdens. The OBJECT
was protection to labor, not to capital NO
reason could be given why wool should Dc
made free and wooden goods should be pro
tecfed. II there must BE- cheap wool there
must be cheap woolens, and II the labor Of
The farmer In producing the wool was not
protected against undue competition with
Australia or Buenos Ayres, then that OF
the cloth maker should not be protected
against competition with the looms Of
Manchester aud Lyons. Hthere were low
duties on iron ore there would have TO pc
low duties on iron and steel in all It's forms,
The farmer performed ae valuable labor as
the artisan and the rights Of every producer
should have
EQUAL AND JUST CONSIDERATION,
without fear OF favor. Aud yet the Presi-
dent had selected that class Of productions
under the name Of raw materials
for destruction, and bad espe-
cialIy selected wool IS an
article not to be protected His whole ar
gument rested upon the allegation that the
price Of wool was increased to the extent Of
the duly, and that but for the duty the
merchant could buy his wool cheaperin
South America and Australia. This afgu-
ment was fallacious, because the destruc-
tion of the wool industry In the United
States would at once advance the price Q
wool In foreign markets. But even II the
argument were true, It would apply as well
to all domestic productions add to all
manufactures. Wool was the completed
article of the farmer. just as cloth was OF
the manufacturer and SIS the coat was OF the
tailor: and the objection that the duty on
wool raised the price to the consumer ap
piled as well If true} to the duty on cloth
and on every article on the tariff list. The
all sufficient answer was that the duty en-
couraged the production OF wool, the manu-
facture Of cloth, and of the infinite variety
of articles produced by American labor,
competing with foreign labor. This d.
versity Of production Injured to the benefit
of all classes of the people alike, and was
the secret of the enormous growth, power,
and
WEALTH OF THE REPUBLIC.
1t had always seemed to him that the
most parroW and selfish notions adj
vanced In respect to tariff laws fand
to which the President now lent his
nancy was that made on behalf Of adj
vanced industries, now supported BY duties
greater than those on raw materfals-that
they must be allowed to purchase their raw
materials 10 the cheapest markets OF the
world--that the mineral treasures In every
state and territory must be left undeveloped
in order that these advanced industries
must have cheap raw materials. He re-
garded the home production of raw mater
ials as even of more importance than manu-
features. There was but one rule, which
had to be applied to all industries impair
italy, and that was to give to all forms OF
American labor, which have to compete
with foreign labor, that fair and reasonable
advantage and protection which would give
the American producer the home market
for home products.
Turning from raw materials to manufac,
lures, Mr. Sherman said that the imports
not on the free list and not classed by him
as luxuries or raw materials, amounted 10
value to 1918, 600 900, aud paid SS4, 000,000
in duties. These importations came into
direct competition with domestic manufac-
lures, which had been mainly built uD by
the encouragement of tariff laws. Scarcely
any of them had existed in the United
States when the constitution was framed.
Since then
THEY HAD FLoURISHED OR FOuNDERED
BY the changing rates of the revenue laws.
A careful revision OF rates had been made
by the tariff commission of 1882 All
branches of domestic industry had become
adapted to these rates. 1t was this system
which was denounced by the President as
ssyicious, inequitable, and Illogical" That
denunciation was aimed at the principle of
protection. All the industrial classes OF
the population were directly interested In
that principle. The farmers and me-
chanics had long since learned to look
beyond the narrow view of their interests
taken by the President. They looked at 1t
from a higher plane The benefits of protec-
tion permeated through the whole commu-
nifty, and extended to the remotest parts of
the country. but were most apparent in the
immediate neighborhood of manufacturing
industries. The President assumed that the
duty on imported articles was added to the
price of similar articles of home production,
but such was not the fact. In the absence
of domestic competition the importer fixed
his OWL price, and added the duty and ex-
penses to the cost, but, at the first sign of
American competition, the price was re-
duced; and often, in stagnaDt market.
goods were sold at far less than the original
cost and duty. AS rule. imported goods,
competing with American goods, were sold
in the American market cheaper than in
the European market duties added). In
the great body of articles formerly imported
the American manufacture was well estab-
lished, and, under domestic competition,
the price was reduced to figures approach
ing European rates. In some articles
AMERICA COMPETED WITH EUROPE
in the markets of the world. And this
process was now going on. Home compe-
tition, wherever it got foothold, reduced
prices and lessened importstions. A most
remarkable example of that was in the
production of glassware, pottery, and
chinaware, which had become established
industries in this country. He quoted Mr..
Dudley, late consul general at Liverpool,
to the effect that there is not single
manufactured commodity that is not
cheaper to-day In the United States under
the protective system than it was In 1860
under free trade, and that nine-tenths of
the manufactured commodities used By
American farmers Qncluding clothing,
household goods, furniture, implements of
husbandry, tools, &C., are as cheap In this
country as they are in England. and in some
instances cheaper.
The fact that large importations were
now made of manufactures of iron, steel,
ware was evidence that the duty on certain
grades of these goods was not beyond the
revenue standard. If the present system
were maintained American home indus
tries could, and would, compete with Eu
ropean productions in articles essential to
human life and comfort. AS to the Presi-
dents assertion that more than 1000 arti-
Giles were subject to tariff duties that (Mr.
Sherman said) was
GROSS BUT COMMON ExAeGERATIoN.
He would agree with the President, how
ever, Ia saying that if, on a careful
examination, it should appear that any
duty on any article could be dispensed
with without detriment to American indus
try, it should be done, and that, II any ar
ticle now paying taxes could not be manu-
featured here, it should he placed On the
free list.
The object of the tariff laws was to en-
courage home manufacturers Ia competi-
ton with foreign rivals, as well as to ga
cure revenue; aud, therefore, these laws
should be as permanent as possible. con-
sistent with the needs of the government.
American citizens were encouraged to in
vest their money in expensive machinery
and huiidiuus. Init they had no snpciat