New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-22
yEW.EyGLANDS GAIN OR LOSS.

NEW-ENGLANDS GAIN Oh LOoo.
Tn 1.-THE New-England Farmer there ap-
pears an appeal TO the tillers Of the soil in that
section against protective duties on the ground
that development OF greater advantages else
where in this country is driving out many kinds
of manufacture from New-England, and so de-
priving the farmers Of their home market. The
tax on farmers directly, through enhancement
of the cost of products to consumers, is adj
mitted to be "a very slight element" and
further inquiry would probably lead candid
mind to the conviction that protection does now
involve no tax whatever upon consumers-that
il benefits by permanently cheapening many
things much more than it hurts by enhancing
the cost of Others. But the argument Is that
protection is destroying one branch of industry
after another in New England. "Give New
England free iron, free coal, free lumber free
wool, free fish and free access to all the ma
terials which we know how TO use so well, and
all. would gain alike, and NewEng
land would again begin to be prosperous"
The first thing to be said about this is that
ether countries which have all these things free
do not, in fact, surpass wEngland in pros
petty. There is total want of evidence that
free materials would conduce to the welfare Of
New England as a whole, even il the duties on
manufactured products were retained. But
the thing certain is that the duties on man.
ufactured articles would not be retained. for
the exclusive benefit Of New-England, If duties
on materials produced by other sections were
removed Ohio would not vote for any tariff
whatever on woollens if New-England should
ask and obtain abolition of the duties on wool.
PENNSYLVANIA would not vote for any duty on
heavy iron work. such as the Free Trader sup
poses can be done in w-England better
than anywhere else in the country" if the duty
on pig-iron were to he removed for the benefit
of that small section. In word, the New
England manufacturer who wants free ma
terias must be prepared at the very same time
to face free finished products Of all sorts, from
England, Germany and France, landed at his
very doors from shpboard. Just in that re-
gion. if nowhere else unrestrained competition
would kill many industries.
The protective policy is not and cannot be
made narrow, selfish contrivance, for the
exclusive benefit of one kind Of producers, or
the producers of one small section. 1t must be
strictly National, as il is, and governed by SUI
prcme regard for the welfare Of the Nation as
p whole, or it cannot exist at all. The rapid
development of some industries in other sec
tons, under the protective policy, does indeed
render the continuance Of those industries in
New England less profitable Nor is it pos
sible in any way to promote the development
of the South, or of the West, without lessening
in some measure the advantages which the
older and richer communities along the sea-
coast enjoyed so many years. But the New
England manufacturers are well aware that
they gain from the protective policy infinitely
mole than they lose, and they are not yet
selfish enough to deprive other parts of the
country of the blessings which England
has always asked, not for itself alone, but for
the Nation.
The fact that on the whole incomparably
more is gained than lost by New England man
ufacturers under the protective policy is the
conclusive answer to the plea that farmers
would have a larger home market in that sec
ton if protection were abandoned Very like
~ they might have a few more works near the
seacoast engaged in working up Nova Scotia
iron with Nova Scotia coal But they would
lose thousands of other establishments which
are now producing tools, machinery, woollen
and worsted cloths, some of the finer cottons,
and other articles without number. because
these could be broken down by the direct com
petition Of foreign goods at the nearby sea-
ports. For every establishment New-England
gained by free trade it would lose hundreds.
For every score Of manufacturing hands gained
it would drive away thousands to sections less
exposed to foreign competition.