Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-20

Let us see how this kind of protection operates in Connecticut. According to the census of 1880 there were 241 ,333 per sons employed in all pursuits in the states. Of these A ,026 were engaged in farming, 51 ,296 were engaged in professional and personal services, and 29 92O were occupied with trade and transportation. We have, therefore, 125, ,242 persons out of 241 ,333, or more than 90 per cent of the working population of the state, who never received any benefit from this unequal and uneven ly distributed system of taxation. The advocates of high taxes will tell us that the remaining 116,0 ,091 who make up the wage earners of the state are engaged in manu- featuring, mechanical and mining pursuits, and as they are protected from alien con- petition the larger body should share with them the burdens of consumption in ord that they may reap the so called bless ings of excessive taxation. This is a very pretty theory, and one which we might expect to see thrive in the Bunker and Quaker communities, but
 which would hardly be expected to suit the practical minds of our hard shell Yankees. The fundamental principle on which protection is based is the conserva tion of infant industries, those plants that go 'mewling and puking ill the nurses arms" till they have reached point where they can stand and walk alone. The pro- tectionists in favored industries, the mon opolists who take all the fiat" or at least the greater part of it, in the high tariff system, are never willing to admit that these industries have left the nursery, and it is really touching to see them plead for bounties for industries that sport whiskers and wear seven league boots. They would make of our fair land Il vast kindergarten for the enrichment of com pines, syndicates and trusts. We are very to their schemes and prepared to overthrow them next November.
 The policy that many manufacturers in this and other states advocate, and to which President Cleveland and the democratic party are committed, is one which will give some relief to the thousands who now derive absolutely no benefit from protec- ton. Free raw materials with an average duty of 40 per cent on manufactured articles is policy that will bring greater activity to our mills and our factories and richer prosperity to the country. The out let for production will be made larger, op- portunities for competition will be made more equal and the markets will be stilnu lated by a healthy growth and an increased consumption. Such policy it was that President Arthur advocated ill his last message when he wrote: II recommend an enlargement of the free list so as to in clude within it the numerous articl, s which yield inconsiderable revenue a simplifcation of the complex and in consistent schedule of duties upon cer- tain manufactures, particularly those of cotton, iron and steel and substantial re- duction of the duties upon those articles and upon sugar, lnolasses, silk, wool and woolen goods" And President Grant i'll his seventh annual message wrote II would mention (for the free list and for lower duties) those articles which enter into manufactures of all sorts. All duty paid upon such ar ticles goes directly to the cost of the ar ticle when manufactured here, and must be paid for by the consumer. These du- ties not only come from the consumers at home, but act as a protection to foreign manufacturers i'll our own and distant mar ! I Grant and Arthur ought to carry with it some germs of merit even in the eyes of re publicans.