Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-06-06
Friday. Iune 8, 1890.
PROTECTION PALACES.

@'%H'~ 4
protection. The high wages, large
population, extensive enterprises, rail
roads, factories, mercantile and bank
ing institutions, rapidly growing cities,
and internal commerce, all the eY
licences of energy, wealth, thrift, com
fort and progress that we see about us
are the munifcent gifts of this beneti-
cent god. We are invited to believe
that there is no way in which to ac-
count for all these national blessings
and phenomenal prosperity except up
on the assumption that protection is
"big medicine" and they argue that
in its absence there would have been
nobody in the country Of any conse-
quence except farmers; no home
market for their products, and so
much Of a surplus to ship abroad that
the markets Of the world would be
glutted, and it would have to be sold
for little or nothing We are asked to
believe that all these blessings have
been obtained, and the anticipated
dire disasters ayerted by process,
which consists, essentially, Of the
people Of the country hiring a num-
Der Of themselves to tell the rest Of
them what things they must not do;
or to prescribe the conditions on which
they may do them, in order to get
rich by refraining from the acts which
are most effective to that end, and
preserve themselves from impending
poverty by pursuing methods of bust
ness that naturally increase poverty:
Il system Of sclf-taxation for mutual
protection from the imaginary bad
consequences Of the applicatioA Of
common sense to the conduck Of
business; IN arrangement believed to
promote collective prosperity by lessen
ing individual wealth. Without say
ing anything about the evident 40
sardlty OF such notion, 1t IS ma
terial TO observe that the anticipated
evils from freedom Of commerce have
no reliable basis in reason or expert
ence; they rest exclusively on pure as
symptoms, made by interested parties,
and pcrsistcntly and earnestly dissem-
mated by them for their own adj
vantage.
Their arguments are Of that illegit-
innate order that rests wholly on con
tinpcncies that are imaginary, and
whose anticipated occurrence are not
warranted by the facts. They are
pure inventions, addressed to prejudice
and ignorance, for mcrccnary pur-
pose. Not even high priest of pro
lection, except divinely inspired, is
entitled to say that the condition of
the country would have been mate
rally worse under system that aC-
corded to every man the fun benefit
Of his own industry, than under the
present system, which denies to a
large proportion of the people these
rights In no branch Of domestic in
dustry las the invention of labor
saving machinery and improved meth
ods been more active and efficient
In reducing the cost of production
than in agriculture. And this has
been accomplished not only without
the stimulus of protection, but mt the
added disadvantage of bearing the
largest share Of the cost of it, for the
benefit of nearly all other industries.
Let us suppose it to be true, as al
legged. that this industry. which is
now. and ALWAYS has been, the dom
inant one, inspite of tariff exactions
and onnressions would. under free
trade have boen stiIl moro nrosnprons
mot = ~, NANNY. n,i,s,ly t,lon from,
f,r,,ory ,,Jer mo emotions MIA, If