The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-08-30
TIMELY TARIFF TALK.
[NO. 5.-ISSS ]

ETERNAL PRINCIPLE.-When goods
are plenty on the markets the price of them is
lou. The science of tariff for protection
then is, tax so "a to diminish the guam
tity of goods and you will thereby in
crease the price. This is the theory
and the corner stone and foundation
upon which the tariff party build their
hopes, and this statement, so far az it
goes, is absolutely true The great
masses of our people are laborers, either
with Drawn or brain. We are com
pelled-t to work /; we are nation of
working people, On the farm, in the
mines, in the workshops, at the spin
die and loom. and in the stores and
offices, male aud female, we have to
work. And come barefaced frauds, or
fools, tell us that high tariff increases
our wealth and comforts. Demagogues
have practiced delusion and q cheat
upon us, simply by prefixiDg toe word
(" protective" to tariff, aud many have
been misled thereby. No other word
in the English language has more of a
natural charm. The little infant in its
mothers arms looks up into the eyes
of the fond mother for protection man
in his prime and glory, when his life
is in danger inyokes some aid AMI
power of protection the aged man up
on his bed, dying looks to every source
possible for protection. And protec
tiOn is almost heavenly wOrd-bnt
when used i'll connection with tariff.
it is only to cover the wolf of monopo
ly. If price is advanced as quantity
is diminished. and price is diminished
as quantity is incre ased, which is true,
how is it possible in the eyes Oflabor-
ers, that abundance should appear
alarming and scarcity advantageous.
Theory one. Man becomes rich only in
proportion to the protitableness of his
labor, without considering his conse-
quent expenses. The price of his pro
ductions is high in proportion to their
scarcity, apply this method of reason
ing successively to each class of labor
ers individually, and the scarcity the
ory is deduced from it, and the easy,
credulous, thoughtless man will say he
cannot explain it, but he knows this
system makes us all rich. II do not
believe it, Let us see. To put this
theory into practice and in order to
favor each class of labOrers an artificial
scarcity is forced i'll every kind of pro
duction by prohibition and restriction
and other analogous methods, called a
| protective tariff lfthe scarcity theory
IS blessing, s , the tariff party claims
abundance then ruins society and does
us an injury. AS any strong conviction
always seeks to force itself into prac
tiee, we find the tariff party leaders
aiming, for what? why, to try to pre-
vent an abundance, by what they term
the protective system. Man produces
that he may consume. He must evel
be at once a consumer as well IA
producer. The argument given above
considers him only as producer. Now
let us look at him d, a consumer. and
the conclusions will be different.
Second Theory-All will say the con
sumner is rich in proportion as he buys
at low prices. He buys at a low price
IN proportion to the abundance of the
article in demand. Then abundance
enriches him This reasoning extend
ed to all consumers must lead to th,
theory of abundance, and you are now
ready to exclaim, give US all abund
ance and we will all be rich. 1 say t.
1 you that it is the imperfectly under
8 ood notion of exchange of prOduct
which leads to these fallacies. If we
consult our individual interest we al
once see that it is double. AS sellers
we are interested in high prices, con.
Isequently we wish the. article by us
produced to be scarce in the land, A
buyers our advantage is in cheapness
.,r in what is the same Thing. abund
ance. 1t is therefore, you see, impossi
ble to found proper system of reason
ing upon either the one or the other OF
these separate interests or theories be
fore determining which of the two co
incides and identifies itself with the
general good and permanent interests
If our people. If man was a solitary
animal, working and living upon the
,ruit of his own labor, and never ex
changed his productions, this false the
ory of the so called protective system
which means scarcity, would never
nave been introduced into the world
Abundance wheresoever derived
either from cultivating the earth. the
making of ingenious tools, manufac
uring powerful machinery, the liber
ality of nature, or an inundation o.
foreign goods such as the sea might
bring from distant regions and cas
upon his shores, would be eadvantageou.
20 him. Never would such solitary
man have dreamed THAT to encourage
his own labor he must neutralizs the
fertility of the soil, or of casting back
iuto the sea the produce of its bounty
He would understand that if he re
quired twelve hours per day to support
the necessities of his family in theil
lonely resort, anything which would
spare him two hours per day of his la
Dor and leave the result the same gives
him the two hours to spend with his
family for his comfort. Bot our vision
beclouded with traffic, fails in contem
plation of this simple truth. Many do
not want to see few investigate, In
the progress of civilization labor be.
comes naturally divided, hence the
production and consumption of an ar
ticle no longer belong to the same in
dividual. Each now looks upon his
| labor not as means, but as an end.
The Interchange of produce makes
separate interests, that of producer and
consumer, which interests are. and
always must be, directly opposite to
each other. 1t is the interest of the
producer that the smallest possible
number of persons devote themselves
to the business which he follows, and