Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-01-27


culated to build up, and did not tend to
build up, an aristocracy of any sort. What
ever of aristocracy there was, existed be-
fore ever the protective system was adopt
ed. Through the long period when this
system prevailed, she grew marvellously in
wealth, in the development of her natural
resources, and in the improvement of the
condition of all classes Of her people She
became the mistress Of the world in com
MERGE and manufactures, and almost so in
arms. But because of this very growth
she became unable to feed or clothe her
population from the resources of her own
soil, and so adopted a partial free-trade
system, both because it seemed to be her
natural and proper policy, and because un-
der it she could the more plausiblv advo-
cate the abolition of customs and naviga-
ton laws by other countries whose markets
she wished to avail herself of. But when
she did this she well understood the error
of the idea now so zealously advanced by
our own free traders-that it is the CON
sumner who bears the whole burden of i'm
post duties. She well understood the actual
fact, that a very heavy proportion of such
imposts is borne 10y the foreign producer or
manufacturer.
This last-named fact, Mr.. Edmunds SAYS,
appears to be entirely overlooked by those
who advocate great reductions of customs
duties as a benefit to the consumer and
relief from burdensome taxation, and it is
on this fact that he lays the chief emphasis
of his article. To show that the fact is as
he states it, the Senator refers to our own
abolition Of the tax on tea and coffee, which
brought above twenty millions of dollars
into the treasury every year. 1t was sup
posed that the abolition of this tax would
materially cheaper the cost of these arti-
cles to consumers, but on the contrary the
price remained substantially the same. In
deed, on some grades-those most in use bv
the common people-the price was after a
little time appreciably increased as is shown
by tabulated figures which Mr. Edmunds
presents. Our experience in reciprocity
trade with Canada shows the same thing
| especially the trade in fish. From 1871 to
1885 Canadian fish were admitted free of
duty but when in the latter year the
treaty terminated and impost duties were
enforced, there was no rise in the cost of
fish So far, then, as our own experience
is concerned, it does not seem to be true
that customs duties are felt as burdens on
the domestic consumer. "If this be true. "
the Senator goes on to say with logical and
convincing force
LAS in the case of tea and coffee, where
there is no domestic production or competi-
ton, and also in respect of fish, where there
is home production and competition, must
1t not be equally true in general in respect
of all commodities that the people of the
| United States are capable of producing or
manufacturing for themselves
But if it be not true that, in respect Of
things produced in this country, the abol-
ton of duties works no fall in prices to the
consumer, it must be because the foreigner
may then undersell the home producer and
manufacturer and still have a margin of
profit This, of course, means the increas-
ed consumption of foreign commodities, and
| by SO much the diminution of the consump-
ton of domestic products and manufac-
lures and consequently there must be a
corresponding diminution of home produc-
| ton and manufactures, or a production
that cannot be consumed What does this
mean and who desires it (. VIII the iron
master or the textile fabric worker, how
ever wealthy, employ as many men and
women or pay as high wages as before, if
his sales are thus diminished Certainly
not. If he does not, what is to become of
the people he now employs Let them
leave the occupations to which they have
been bred, and go West to farming, saws
the free trader If they knew how to do
this, and could do it, farm products would
largely increase, but where would be the
market for these increased farm products
The home market among the manufacture
ing classes would have been diminished,
while the farm products would have in
creased, and the farm laborer, whether
owner or hired, would find for the results
of his labor a market already overstocked,
and there would be a general failure of all
who were not already independent, and for
them pure stagnation, for there are now
produced more farm products than can be
sold at much profit in all markets, both do
nestle and foreign. How could such a
course increase the prosperity of the whole
people Z"
From the discussion of this part of his
subject Mr. Edmunds passes on to show the
disastrous results that would be sure to fol-
low any disturbance of the occupations of
our people by radical changes in our Gus
toms laws
There are, in round numbers, now en-
gagged in agriculture, 5000, 900 : engaged
in professional and personal service, !, 900,
OOO engaged in trade and transportation,
1000, 600 engaged in manufactures and
mechanical industries, 1000, 000-a total of
10000, 600. This total represents in fami-
lies not less than 30, 600, 900 directly Deepen
dent upon agricultural pursuits, and not
less than IA 1000, 600 dependent upon manu-
featuring and mechanical pursuits If,
then, by importing more of the products of
foreign labor we diminish the consumption
of the products of home labor, we would
shorten not only the total wages upon which
! l4,OOO, 600 of our people subsist, but also
the earnings upon which 30, O00, 900 of food.
etc, producing citizens, who now supply
their wants from the wages earned in man
ufacturing and mechanics, depend. The
probable outcome of such step ought to
appall every workingman, and every capt
talist, and all others who desire the welfare
of all the people of their country
Mr. Edmunds admits the justice of the
affirmation of the free traders that it il the
duty of every government to provide, so
far as it may, for the benefcent employ
ment of every citizen, but
''If this proposition be admitted as fun
damental truth applicable to the pc, Sle of
the United States then the question Is not
whether the individual labOrer in the work
shops of New Jersey or California could in
a given year buy more cheaply coat or a
pair of shoes made in England or in Aus
tria if the customs were diminished or abol-
ished, but whether, such duties being dim
inished OF abolished, he, in the course of
any ten years could live better and save
more out of the wages of his labor than he
and his fathers have been able to do under
a protective tariff
"Unhappily for the broad and correspon-
dinghy attenuated theories of the free
traders, all human experience has proved,
so far that in countries like ours, possess
ing abundant and as yet unexhausted natu-
raj resources of every kind, the peoples
that have persisted in tariffs for protection
have been more prosperous and have grown
more wealthy than those which have not.
and that this wealth and prosperity have
not been confined TO what are called CAPT
talists or monopolsts, but have fallen, as
the early and the latter rain does, upon the
whole earth-upon every honest, industri-