The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-05-18
PROTEOTIONIsF DELUsIONs.
IFrom the Courier.Journsl,I


ists-the deceived and the deceivers. |
The former class is the more numer-
Gus, the latter more fertile OF resource |
and more influential. These are the |
people who profit by protection; those |
are its dupes and usually also its vic. |
Tins. For the entertainment of the |
deluded adherents of a vicious system
the beneficiaries of the same invent |
many pleasing fictiOns, which are duly |
put into circulation and diffused over |
the country. AS to the deceivers them |
selves their attitudes are very much that |
of the augurs of ancient Rome, one of |
whom, 1t is said, could not look into |
the face of another without laughing, |
SO conscious were they of the baseless |
character OF their pretentions. Among
themselves, no doubt, the protection |
ists.for- revenue only grow hilarious
| when mention is casually made of the |
| shallow inventions by the aid of which |
they hold their followers in line. One |
manufacturer could not possibly tell
another, without smile, that he advO-
Gated protection because he preferred
to pay high wages.
| 1t is tavorite fiction of the protec-
ZIONIST, that foreign producers pay the
| tntIh toA oh SoOuS. IL SO,
they must be enabled to do SO by divid-
ing their profits with the United States
government, for they would not be
| willing to do business without realizing
a profit. What tremendous profits then
must foreign producers realize when
| they pay no tariff tax, il they can pay
the United States all average of AZ per
cent. on the selling price of their goods
Iuh uhrnaH tho frainht 10
country, and still realize a profit for
themselves. 1T manufacturers in free
trade England can realize such profits
as that, surely our American manutac-
turers are injuring themselves by de-
ment of such position would seem to |
carry with it a demonstration of its
absurdity. Nevertheless, there are |
people who stick to it SO resolutely |
that it is fair to suppose that they be- |
ieve it.
When it IS shown that we are losing |
the bulk of the South American trade |
because large number of South Amer
lean products are shut out of our |
market by the tariff, protectionists pre-
tend to see i'm this an admission that
the foreigners pay the tax. This is d |
oohO hoS II
minds one of plain mans explanation
OF German transcendentalism. Point
ing to the border of stream, where
the bank was gradually wearing away
under the action of the water which
struck the shore with some force at
that point, he said: "Do you see those
muskrat holes? Well ,transcendenta
is the abstract conception OF these holes
after the banks shall have been washed
away" 1t will strike the common
sense reader that paying the tax on
goods that are not imported is rather
transcendental proceeding. If the South
Americans were willing to pay the
tariff on the goods which they wish to
sell us, they would have 10 reason to
complain that they are shut out of our
markets. The trouble is they are not
willing to pay the tax, and our own
citizens, 10 whom they would sell un-
der other circumstances, are not able
to pay it.
No tariff reformer denies that on
many articles our tariff rates are pro-
hibitory. On the contrary, that is the
constant contention of the revenue re-
formers. Many of the rates, it is true,
are not prohibitOry at all times. AS
markets fuctnate, importations may be
possible at one time and impossible at
another But it is the intention of the
prOtectionIsts to make the rates pro-
hibitory, i'm whole or in part. 1t is
their avowed policy to save the home
market for the home manufactures.
To do this, they must shut out impor-
tations-not absolutely, perhaps, in all
cases, but to an extent sufficient to
achieve the purpose in view. In gen
eral, protective duties prohibit impor-
tations in large, while permitting them
in small, quantities. There is left
small demand for the foreign article
with the tariff added, coming from the
comparatively small number of consul
mers who are able to pay the enhanced
price, while the bulk of the consumers
are driven out of the market and COM
pelled to take cheaper and less salts
factory article.
Before our South American friends
can send us their products thev must
lind customers for them in the United
States. These customers do business
for profit and not for fun, and when
they find the tariff so high that they
can realize no profit on importations
they stop importing. The case is the
same if the South American producer
sends his products to his own agent in
this country to be sold He can not pay
the tax unless the state of the market
is such that he is able to collect it from
the consumer. Il he can not do this,
the case is practically the same rs if we
had statute forbidding him to send
his goods to us. The foreign producer
does not pay the tax, therefore, for the
very simple and sufficient reason that
when he is required to do this he stops
sending us his goods.
As he naturally prefers, other things
being equal, TO buy in the markets
where he sells, in the proportion that
we shut him out of our markets we
shut ourselves out of his. There re.
mains, of course, a small margin OF
between the two halves OF
the continent, for there are always
some articles which, under the laws
governing trade, we are compelled to
but i'll certain markets, and other which
foreigners must buy of us; but ten or
eleven per cent. is beggarly showing
for our trade with our nearest neigh
bOrs.
THE OOLORED VOTE.