The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-04-13

money by the trade it MUST be at the eX-
pense of the other; if one gains, the other
loses. 1t is true that in exchanging one
article for another not unfrequently both
sides are benefited but that is different
from a sale. If A is compelled by law to
pay ten cents yard more than the nor
NAL price of flannel, | can well see how B
is benefited to the amount Of ten cents
but | can't see for the life of me where AS
benefit comes in. B is undoubtedly Zen
couraged' to the extent of ten cents; and
1t seems to me that A must just as surely
be "dlScOuraged" to the same extent
that Is, always supposlng that \ has com
mon sense. If he were a natural born ass
he might, when the whole protection theory
was explained to him, feel 'monstrOuSly
hope up" by the loss of his money. 50
the duty of two dollars per thousand is
great encouragement to men engaged III
the cutting and saving of lumber, but to
the same extent it is encouragement 10
the poor man who is about to build house
to shelter his wife and children. The
same may be said of window glass, crock
cry, iron and steel rails, woolen clothing
and all the rest of it; if the tax laid on
these things encourages the men who re
celve 1t and dOesn t cOrrespondlngly dis
courage the men who pay it, then it can
only be so on the principle that it is more
blessed to give than to receive; an excel
lent precept in morals. but of doubtful APP
plication in political economy.
l take it to be a self-evident proposition
that where the re is abnormal gain there
must be corresponding loss SOMEWHERE.
If one man in a community gets rich in
such way, the people around him are
poorer by just that amount. If one sec
tiOn gets rich IN like manner, it must do
so, ordinarily, by absorbing that much OF
the wealth of other sections. When trade
is left free it is not necessarily So The
natural laws of political economy, which
are beautiful system of cOmpensatlons,
checks and balances, tend TO equallZe the
gains and losses of human intercourse.
But where the law interferes, and by tax
alton confers unnatural gains on one, it
inevitably imposes an unnatural LOSS on
another The laws of economy will not
| right this wrong by reparation to the taxed
| man, though they may avenge their viola
| ton, and do, by injuries of equal extent
| to the wrongdoer.
Failing to show how these things can be
| done by protection; how the tax can enter
into the question when needed to keep the
| foreigner out, and obligingly disappear
| when the consumer Is required TO pay,
| and then reappear again III the treasury
like climber jimmy" or a jumping Jack
4
protect manufacturers is not a tax imposed
on one class to enrich another; failing ut
terly to explain in detail these contradlc-
| tory and impossible things, the advocates
| of the theory fall back on generalitles,
trusting the inability or indIspositiOn Of
/ the common mind to distinguish between
cause and effect With this aim they con
stantly present the public attention with a
series of the most delightful pictures OF
| local prosperity. They will tell Us that in
a certain place there was a stream OF water
flowing idly to the sea, the country was
rude and poor. the inhabitants few, and
| in poverty and ignorance. one fine day
wandering capitalist comes along in
| search of an investment for his money.
| He sees this stream, and Immediately per
| ceives its power to turn machinery. lie
conceives the idea of making blankets, but
he can't make them as cheap as they are
| made abroad. He purchases the site and
water power for a song, goes to Congress
and gets tax of IS per cent. placed on
| all foreign blankets, builds his mills and
goes to work AS if by magic the whole
scene is changed. Stately buildings arise
on the banks of that neglected stream, the
lonely forest gives place to the workman 5
white cottages, the stony soil is converted
into smiling gardens and orchards. Idle
ness disappears and the factory bell calls
| busy men and women to profitable toll
every day in the week, and church bells
| summon to worship on Sunday. Educa
ton, intelligence and comfort prevail with
all the blessed incidents of prosperity
This is enchanting, and in many cases ii
| is true. Well, isn't it convincing argu
| ment for protection? 1t is an argument
an verwhelmlng one-for the existence
of manufactures, but not for protection
Where does it all come froml From the
profits made by manufacturing those
| blankets Where do those profits come
froml From the duty on foreign blankets
which enables the mill l-owner to put nearly
all the tax on HIS blankets. Who pays
that tax Every man who buys a blanket
Every farmer in this broad land, every
plowboy, wagner, ditcher, blacksmith -
in short, every man who sleeps under {
blanket, high and low, rich and poor, the
pampered lord of the mansion and the
shivering widow in the cottage, all pay
tax over and above the actual cost O.
blankets to produce this scene of beauty
and prosperity 1t is a prospect of love
illness, tainted, for the thoughtful man, by
the foul slreaks of injustice and ''robbery
under the forms Of law. 1t has all beer
paid for by pinching, discomfort and self
denial in every home in the land. Prac
tically, what difference Is there betweer
that tariff act and the giving OF that man
ufacturer bounty on every blanket h
made equal to the difference between it
cost and the cost of the foreign ones
Practically, is not that tariff law just th'
same thing, if the amount collected unde
it could be exactly estimated, as if it ha'
read thus: ''Be it enacted, &c, That on
million dollars, or so much thereof as ma.
be necessary, is hereby appropriated .ou
of any moneys in the treasury not other
wise appropriated to pay John Smith 70
operating blanket factory at Fall River
Mass, for two years from the Both o
; June, 18-, to the 3Oth of June, 1S-, an'
selling said blankets at the market pric
of the worldg' In the one case the gov
? ernment would collect the tax from tn
people and pay it over to John Smith; il
I. the other the government authorizes job
I Smith to collect it for himself, and by tn
l law keeps all outsiders from interferin
= with him The only practical difference
l can see between them is in favor of tn
direct appropriation from the treasury
In the first place the amount is limited
: whilst under the tariff Smith collects a
D he can without limit. In the next place
t the people would know just what was don
with their money, and could not be cor
s fused and deceived as to the real object
4 of the taxation. Then if they saw fit I