The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-05-10
, PRINCIPLES OF PROTECTION.

When the principles on which
Protection is founded are clearly
lefined there will not be much
lificulty in determining the char
.cter of any measure having that
object in view that may be pro-
posed. Protection must be ex-
tended to every American indus
try that promises to supply any
national want. The rule must be
held to extend to raw materials as
we'll as to finished products. There
can be no such thing as products
which are deserving of Protection
and others that are not deserving.
One American industry cannot be
subordinated to another American
industry.
There is no Ineligible principle
on which the American wooden
manufacturer is entitled to protec
ton while the grower OF wool must
face the competition of the wide
reaches of Australia and the almost
illlmltable prairies of the Argentine
Republic. No valid reason can be
assigned why the refners Of sugar
should be favored and the growers
of sugar cast aside. No argument
worthy of the name can be put to-
gether to show why the manufac-
turers of leather in any form should
be protected against the cheaper
workers of the Old World, while
the cattlemen are left defenseless.
A Tariff founded on any such no
lions as these would not be enti-
tied to be considered a system, it
would develop set of pampered
industries at the expense OF the
others.
If raw wool, raw sugar and hides
should be free, then coal, iron,
wheat and barley should be free
There is no escaping from the logic
of this statement. It follows that
any measure which leaves out any
American industry, for any reason
or no reason, does not reach to the
full height of the Protective princi.
pie. There is an illigitimate strain
of Free Trade in it, which must, in
time, work it's overthrow. Repre-.
sentative McKenna, in his report
already referred to, stated the ex.
act economic truth when he said
that in Protection all must stand
or fall together. There can be nc
such thing as Protection plus
Free Trade. There is no room
for any composite system. None
can be constructed that car
possibly be enduring. If there il
to be Free Trade in any raw mate
rial produced in this country ano
subject to foreign competition now
there will have to be Free Trade
in all of them in the course of time
When that point is reached Protec
ton for manufactures will become
very difficult. Parties who arr
clamorous for breaches here anl
there are preparing the way for tn,
destruction of the whole system.
| Another principle of Protection il
that duties shall be so graded as tt
produce healthy competition be
tween the foreign and native arti
Gle. The object is to place thu
American manufacturer on al
equal footing with his foreign rival
The advantage which the latter en-
joys of cheaper labor is in this way
neutrallzed. The general result 81
far has been the cheapening of tn,
article to the consumer in tn,
United States. There is no allega
ton that any duties prescribed il
the new tariff bill are prohibitory
in their nature. In some cases
they are rather below than abov,
the mark. There are cases il
which large measure of protec
ton might be- extended.
But for the breaks observable il
one or two instances, the bill
drafted by the Committee of Ways
and Means might be regarded al
very complete, and the best thai
could be framed under the circum
stances. The point for Republicans
to consider is that Protection is t.
be viewed as a comprehensive
whole, and not specially in detail
| No scheme of Protection which
does injustice in any quarter is go.
ing to be long-lived. Any breach
that may be made will be sure to
widen.-I5. F. Bulletin, April %. ]