The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-03-24
Moderate Protection vs.. Free Trade.

From the Pioneer freSS.
Mr.. Frank Hurd is free trader,
pure and simple. He would abolish
all duties leyled for the incidental pur-
pose protecting American industries.
There is long distance between she
economic theories ADVOCATED by him
and the demand of practical states
ship in the existing condition of things
in this country Whatever may be
said of the theoretical injustice Of the
inequalities and absurdities of pro-
tectiye tariff, the magnificent prosper
ity of the country during the last
twenty-five years, its enormous adj
vance in wealth, and in the wide diff
fusion of the means of comfortable and
happy subsistence among the masses
of the people, is fact which outewighs
the most plausible of theories in the
judgement of the American people.
Whether the era Of unparalleled pros
perity upon which the country entered
after the war is due or not to the pro-
tective system which has been in oper-
alton during this period, it proves at
least that protection is not as ruinous
to the country as it logically ought to
be upon sound economic principles. If
it has robbed all laboring men and
producers outside Of the protected in
terests Of half their earnings, as Mr..
Hurd maintains, these oppressed and
plunderei classes have tiourished on
the remainder far better than the like
classes in Any part of the world. They
are better fed, better cloathed and bet
ter sheltered than any other people in
the world, and their standard of Lying
Is higher than in any other part of the
world, when according to strictly
scientific principles, they ought to be
worse off in all respects than the peo-
pie of England and Ireland 1t is
very likely true that the country has
thus far houriShed in spite of the ea-
ormous drain of the protective system
upon its resources The truth is that
this country is so rich in its resources
and so enormously productive that it
can stand more OF this sort of indirect
taxation and feel it less than any
other country in the world. Moreover
its people are SO prodigal in their
habits that is idly wasted iii this coun-
try from pure improvidcnce and I'M
thrift would suffice to comfortably
feed and clothe as many millions of
French peasants and Belgian mechan-
les. 1T Is this vast percentage of waste
III the expense accounts of the Amerl
can people which disturbs all the cal
culations of the political economist.
Admit then that the people are heavi-
" taxed for the benefit Of the protect
eel industries; admit that theoretically
there is no sense or Justice in taxing
one class of people for the benefit Of
another, the facts still remain that
those plundered people have been
proSoerlng finely under this system of
wholesale robbery; that the whole
country has prospered under it for the
last quarter century as never before !;
and that this period has witnessed the
most prosperous industrial develop
ment III this country that the world
has eyer seen. These are facts which
it is difficult for the free trader to sat
istactorily explain consistently with
the logical consequences Of his theories.
The Pioneer press is not called upon
to explain them further than it has
already done.
There is at least enough in them to
justify the patriotic citizen, what
eyer may be his economic views, in
dealing III a very cautious and con-
servatiye manner with the tariff qnes-
ton. Whether protection is a good
thing or bad, it has been the policy
of the country, in one form or another
since the foundation Of the government
and has been its policy ia very pro-
nounced and positive form ever since
1861. The whole vast system OF
American industries has been built up
on ii, and it is intertwined So intrl-
cately with all the stems and branches
and tendrills of this system that it is
necessary in any judicious or practical
scheme of tariff reform to deal with it
| with intelligent caution 1t is for
these reasons that the Pioneer Press,
while strongly favoring snch a gradual
reduction and judicious revision of the
tariff as can surely be made without
detrlment to the industrial prosperity
of the country, is opposed to any such
radical or sweeping changes as are adj
vocated by Mr.. Hurd and by the re-
venue men generally. The interests
involved are too gigantic to be endan-
gered by rash and premature expert
ments. 1t would not be wise to risk a
long period OF industrial prostration
and wide spread bankruptcy in order
to put in force economic theories which
If they are not, at least seem to the
great mass of the people to be refuted
by the results of actual experience.
That protection does operate as an
enormous stimulent to industrial act
witty, and that it has been potent
factor III the extraordinary industrial
development of the country cannot be
denied. The only question for the
practical statesman is whether the
country Is not paying too high a price
for the undoubted benefits it receives
from the results Of protective tariff.
The country is fast coming to the op-
inion that it is paying too high price
for these benefits.