Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-08-11
The Unprotected.

the waves, firmly keep aloft the banner Of
commercial supremacy.
The Unprotected.
y. Y. Times.
The theory of the protectionist is that
their system makes for the prosperity OF
the whole country. No one, If we arc to
believe the disciples Of Judge Kelley, Mr..
Mckinley and Senator Frye. can escape
the blessings of this peculiar tax, which
was intended, not only to increase the
profits of the manufacturer and the wages
of the operatives, but to bnild up home
market. In other words, it was to create
general prosperity. The theory that pro-
lection will add TO the wealth of the
country is as old as the government The
First Congress had been in session only
two days before its attention was called
to the subject, and, in the debate which
followed, Pennsylvania Representative
laid down the principle of the tax as fol-
lows: II take ii TO be the policy of every
enlightened nation to give to their
manufacturers that degree of encourage
ment necessary TO perfect them, without
depressing the other parts Of the COM
munity"
The question is now to be seriously
considered Dy ''the other parts of the
community" Whatever else may be said
Of the protective tariff, the people who
are not protected have been greatly in
jured. The principle for which the Re-
publican party is now contending has ex-
listed in the country for very nearly
hundred years. Ii has had its ups and
downs AT first the demands Of its ben
eficiaries were modest, They were con.
tent with little But their ayarice grew
with what it fed on. until now they de-
mand that the tariff tax shall be large
enough entirely 10 exclude foreign pro
ducts The grasping selfishness of this
demand appears N its true light when II
is recollecied that in the low tariff decade,
from 1850 10 1860 the whole people and
all interests were prosperous and con-
tented.
The unprotected producers of the coun-
try constitute a very large majority of
the workers In this State, when the
census of 1880 was taken, they were three
fourths of those engaged in industrial pur-
suits. They are the farmers. the traders,
the vast army employed in the business
of transportation. professional men and
women, those who render personal ser
vice. and most mechanics. All these are
taxed by the tariff law, and it was to
these that the promise was made when
the country started out upon its career OF
false economy that they should not be
oppressed by the encouragement that
was to be given to the manufacturers.
Three -fourths of the people of New York
are paying tax for the benefit of the
one. fourth who are protected. The only
good thai could come TO the three-fonrths
would be through the creation of a larger
demand for their products The home
market. however has not been furnished.
The promise has been broken. The crops
of the farms are exported. and even man
ufactured goods go abroad There are
| enough consumers in the country to alb
| sorb the articles which are made under
| the benign influence of our tariff law.
These not only go abroad, but they are
sold to foreigners at much lower prices
| than are demanded by our manufacturers
| of their fellow-citizens. In the mean
time the indirect tax that is paid for the
maintenance of the protected establish
meuts is enormous. For every 81 that
| goes into the treasury as duty on import
/ ed goods about $40 go into the pockets
\ of private citizens to enable them TO
carry on what are confessedly unprolita-
| BILE enterprises.
This is an oppression which the rest of
/ the community has now an opportunity
| to remedy. The Democratic party pro-
4 poses to lower rates of duty so that the
4 support of the home market shall be less
| burdensome The unprotected have been
having a good deal and receiving very
1 little. When they consider the question
/ of profit and loss, they will find that they
4 are out of pocket; that whatever may
/ have been the resultof the protective sys
tenn to those who have directly participa-
/ ted in its supposed benefits. the general
/ prosperity that was promised at the be-
/ ginning has not been obtained; that the
heme market is snare aud a delusion;
| that the promise is that il will grow more
and more mythical, and that the time
| when the country will be sufficient unto
| itself. making and growing what it con.
sumes, and consuming what il makes and
| grows, is further off than ii was in tive
| early DAYS when the Pennsylvania Con
gresham expressed such humane inten'
tions toward ''the other parts of the com
| munity." In solving their problem the
UNPROTECTED three-fourths of the people
| of New York must consider themselves
as apart, and in a measure opposed, tC
the protected one-fourth, They mus
ask: What are these people giving il
| return for the tax we pay in common
with themg' and the answer must be that
the cost is too much. The proposition
in view of former admissions of the pro
tected manufacturers, Is simple, II ha:
been admitted that the average rate is toe
high by from 90 to 25 per cent If thai
is so. the manufacturing interests, so far
as the number Of establishments anC
persons are concerned, will remain un
changed. The home market will be the
same as il is o.day, but il will cost les;
to be unprotected. IL, in a word. tbs
proposition of the reformers is accepted,
the unprotected will pay less for wha
they are now receiving This is simple
problem. aud there is hardly any doub
as to how it will be solved,
Tho Theatrical KISS