Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1888-01-17
MESCELLANEouS. 4
For the Spirit of Jeaersqa.l,
Then and Now. s.. 81

y In the early years of the Republic,
when the resources of the government
were few and nnremunerative. the
people were energetic, hut. with few
sources of fswealth-hard knocks and
few speculations. The newly emerged
sovereigns. metanorphosed from the
late condition of hereditary SUBJECTS
were bold from success, it is true. .,but
cautious in the then race of eXper-
mental independence, aimed all their
legislation on self-relianeel Hence,
their imports were laid, from time to
time, for revenue, with something to
encourage the manufacturing offwhat
the people needed for food and cloth
ing, and means OF, defense from the
consideration of seIf-supply, looking
to the nations resource of uniform
feeling of indepeRdence-but. not
wholly so. The treasury of the young
republic was empty, and itiwas either
to borrow money on the faith of the
nation or increase the tariff of 1885,.
which was exclusively n duty for rev.
enue, ranging from a and 15 per
cent. Gd Ualoreus, which was sought
to be raised because the old,duty, did
not produce enough revenue to meet
the demands of government. And it
was asserted by the friends of what
was then styled protectiouists. that
the bill proposed by the committee on.
m manufactures in 1920, by its chair
man, who protested that the motives
of the committee rose ",higher than
the interests of manufacturers.Hr-
Whether the increase of the tariff
tended to enrich them or, not, had
scarcely entered into their considers
ton. The two only objects to achieve
were the procuring of sufficient, rev.
enue, and the cultivation of national,
self-reIiance. A vein of retaliating
feeling with regard to the action of
other leading powers was manifest;
Both England and France. were high
tariff powers then. But how diamet-
iricaIIy different is the whole phase of
the tariff question now. 1st.. The
policy of other leading powers looks
to reciprocity in trade, and our tariff
is sretrograded to where the tariffs were
in other governments more than half
century past. Again. the high
tariff advocates; of to-day are con-
fronted with no depleted treasury,
but with a treasury full to overflow
ing, with no need or stimulating in
dependence by enabling manufac-
turersI to manufacture all the wants
of the people. And-yet, the protec-
tionists of to-day claim to be on the
same plane with the advocates of in
.eadenta ;5rFte teationin I320 ancl earlier,
but there is nothing in c6mmon be-
tween them. The times are5altogether
different. The status of the govern
ment is totally different. Then it
was to make the people of the young
United States independent of other
powers; now, it is to make the peo.
pie dependent upon the manufactur-
ing kings, by .seSrcgating the scanty
living of the many into the pockets
of the few by legislation, taxing i'm
ports specifically in order that even
a domestic article of inferior grade
may add to its price the sum charged
by the tariff. This enables the do-
mestic producer to gather from the
consumer what would he paid.in duty
at the custom-house if the article were
imported, and in that case the u. 5.
treasury would get revenue. But a
tariff for protection may be so high
that it produces no revenue. and is n
congressional enactment merely to
create 7monopolies within the walls Of
factories. v. NJ. FIRoR. .