Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-05
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AS Fostered by Invention and Protecti,n
"A Lesson from English History.

AS Fostered by Invention and Protection
"A Lesson from English History.
TO the Editor of the Free Press:
There is fall9cy in the reasoning of tie
advocates Of free trade, who contend Tint
1t would be polite for this government 10
change It's fiscal system, and leave those
interests OF the county on which the got-
eminent now chiefly relies for it's prospect
ity to protect themselves; or, in Other
words, to place our domestic manufactured
in direct rivalry with those of European
countries, particularly with those of Great
Britain, which country has now relatively
the same advantage over u in manufac-
turing many kinds of good on account of
her reduced prices OF Lap r., that she DOS.
sessed more than a century ago.
a bit of history, well WORT studying.
shows the great advantages which have
accrued to Great Britain through the IN
PRODUCTION of labUl-saving machinery. by
which she has found means to give en-
ployment to a rapidly increasing popula-
Jlph, ana add continually to her material
wealth and prosperity, by immense ex-
potIatlons oil her products. 1t is about
llO years since the machinery of Ark
wright and Bolton ana Watt were added
10 Ine productive mechanical poWers
which existed in Europe. At that period
greater proportion OF the population of
Great Britain was engaged in agrtculture
than manufactures. In 1892 the whole
population was estimated at IL OOO 400
Inc Sclentlhc power was then very great
probably three times as great rs that of
manual labor, not reckoning ordinary
mills. and the tools of ordinary arts in the
amount OF labor-savlng machinery The
manual labor WAS then about 3 $50, 900,
the scientific at three times the amount
was ll,25OUOO, making the aggregate
power equal to the labor of - 600, 900, the
population at the time. In 1917. tue popu-
latior was estimated at $1,000, 900, or an
Increase of ; OOO,OOO in % years
In the same period of time, owing to
Ark wright inventions, and the improve
meuis thereof, the productive power of
labor and art united was made equal to
@uOOOO,UOO OF men, or more than 10 times
greater III % years, against an Increase of
only one hfth IN the population: in other
words, Great Britain, III - years, gained
from iabuI-Stylug science the power Of in
creasing her wealth to AN amount AT least
IN CirC times more than she Possessed AT
the commencement of the French revClu-
ton.
A. an illustration of the PRODUCTIONS eff
tects OF the operation of this power of in
dustry 10y labor-saVlug machinery. il NAV
be stated that the manufacturer of cOttOH
or SuE IN HludoUstdu, performed the
whole laOtr gwen to producing their cele-
brated sud eNqulsltey wrought webs at
wages Oh nom one 0OiiNf to one IDIINT
my cents month NevertLele.s the
British IN So We're competent to take a
cargo Of cDtt9H on SitjDbourd in TitIin.
transport 10 to Grout Brttdii, nuul,tnc.
tire 0Hd rtShip ttor bengal. ui,d ultdcr-
sou the mduWocturcrS Of HthdOoStun,
though their wages were no more tn n
one dollar and half month.
ia the llght OF such facts, i it surprising
thal !. was leading principle in the sys-
ieh Oh colonial policy adopted by Great
natious, to discaur-ge all attrmpf. IN
manufacture sucn articles IN the colonies
as could he provided for th4r} i'm the
mother couutry? Or, j, it ditTicnlt ia
understand why the American coIonisrs
were compelled to sell their produce ex-
clusiYely in the English markets ard
We're etl.ctutly excluded from very
market Tor European produce exceDt that
of England Lord Chatham declared
in his place in Parliament thar "the
British colonists of North America had
no right 10 manufacture cUcn Il nail f0I,
Il horseshoe >" and Lord Sheffield did no
more than express the opinion of almost
all the merchants and politician OF his
time when he affirmed that " The OnIU
use Of Il merriam COlOHicS or V.St IHdiH
iStundS is me mon pom OF HG{r con-
SuntpttOn, dnd the curTtUJC Ot Heir UrO-
ducC :" The freedom of commerce was
restricted and II WAS made peculiarly
advantageous to Great Britain by the act
of 1850, by cOuiiniug the import and ey-
port tr de of the colonies exclusively 10
British or colony -built SHIPS
In no, the trade of Britain with the
American colonies employed 1913 shiCS