Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-05-11
DR.. HAMLlN ON THE TARIFF.

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The following brilliant and forcible
letter is from the learned and venerable
Rev. DR.. Cyrus Hamlin, late of Robert
college, Constantinople, Turkey, and lat
er president of Middlebury college, in
Vermont. 1t is good and useful reading
To the Editor Of the Daily Hotel Ne,cs-
Your Daily Hotel News is excellent. 1t
is a trumpet that gives no uncertain
sound on the subject of protection and
free trade. | wish to call the attention
of your readers to one of the stereotyped
tricks of the free traders, borrowed from
England the grandmother of this econ
omic heresy. Some seven or eight years
ago Mr.. Gladstone, in an eloquent speech
at meeting of Cobdenites-andh he never
speaks but he is eloquent-stigmatiz
protection as an Anticipated medieval
theory of which intelligent nations should
be ashamed. He lamented especially that
so intelligent a people as the Great Re-
public should remain, their noble ener-
gies chilled and damped, by this medin-
val fog, and much more in this strain,
The truth is they saw the rising power
of our industries. English steel rails
had been selling in the United States,
before the protective tariff of S2S per ton,
at Sl12.50 in gold. That tariff, instead
of adding so much to the price, awakened
home competition, skill and capital. and
the price steadily came down. Already
the magnificent achievement of our iron
men was looming up in the horizon to
the despair of the Golden club. Its re-
suit in lSSl-S4 was $500 ,9lG tons of Bes-
semer steel rails, surprising the entire
production of Great Britain for those
years by ,32l $50 tons (see Ann. Rep. of
Iron and Steel ASS, G. W. Cope, 1885.
Had we obtained all this from Great
Britain we should doubtless have paid
her more than S500,000,000 for it. No
wonder Mr.. Gladstone and all the Eng
lish millionaires weep over our protec-
tive system. 1t extends not only to steel.
but scores of other products that Eng
land longs, with scientific and unselfsh
longing, to furnish us.
But are zoe bound to weep? Are we
bound to repeat everything that Mr..
Gladstone says? He had a reason for
his sarcasm. His eloquence came from
those hundreds of millions of dollars
which free trade would annually pour
into the lap of England and take away
from us. But we, as Americans, are not
bound to be the industrial slaves of Eng
land. We do not live for her. If we do
not provide for our own we are worse
than intidels. But ever since that speech
of Mr.. Gladstone our free traders reter-
ate and re-echo it on every occasion.
Protection is an ''antiquated medieval
theory" 1t no longer belongs to the
scientific and progressive world.
Let us now look at the facts. First of
all, England is the only free trade coun-
try in the world If some inferior ma
tons like Turkey, Egypt or Japan, have
been artfully caught in English treaties,
it was because they do not understand
them, and they are now struggling to get
free. | will not stop to show in what
respects England violates her own boast
ed principle of free trade.
Second, all the enlightened nations of
Europe. as France. Italy, Austria, Ger
many. and without calling her enlight-
ened, Russia. have adopted the American
system of protection. Without one eX-
ception they have all abandoned the Eng
fish policy.
Third, all English speaking commune
ties of any importance have done the
same. England stands alone in the midst
of her own colonies. The Dominion,
Australia, New Zealand and the whole
circle, except the old convict colony of
DotduN Day. HOW cdlleu NlCloIld. are
protective. They stand with us, not with
England.
Fourth, England knows that under our
system we are rapidly surprising her in
wealth, and France is doing the same
since she adopted the American system.
Look at this table of national wealth.
On. Am. Review, January, lSS5.)
Great Britain. France. URited States.
ls50. S2js00,O0OOO SIS s50,OOOOOO. s,4S0 100000
$50. 340O,00O,0OO, 26,20O,00000O 35,316O00,O00
lssi. 4j,3OOOO0,OOO 4l,7OO,OOO,OOO. 5l,O0O670,Oo0
This is mortal sin to surpass England
IN wealth.
Certain New York and Boston editors
who should know these facts are contin-
ually repeating Gladstone's sarcasm as
an original etfusion of their own. They
give him no credit for it.
If they would only say every time, "As
Mr. Gladstone said in 1879 it could be
pardoned. But nothing of the kind. 1t
is given out as IA sudden inspiration. Is
it never to become disgraceful to be for
ever apng England? CYRUS HAMLIN.