The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-02-01

many producers whom Incidence tempts to
neglect; who are not sufficiently drawn to
resist this inertia by the attraction OF raising
profit to a maximum, for whom the prospect
Of advantage is not enough without the sense
Of necessity, and whom nothing can spur to
a due nimbleness of movement except the
fear Of not being able to sell their articles.
In the case ! have supposed, the second Is
per cent is a free margin whereupon this in
dolence may disport itself: the home pro-
Queer is not only covered for what he wastes
through necessity, but for what he wastes
from negligence or choice; and his fellow
countrymen have to pay alike for both. We
suffered grievously from this in England, for
oftentimes the rule Of the producer is, or
was, to produce not AZ we'll as he can, but "a
we'll only as he must And happy are you il,
through keener energy or more troublesome
conscience i'll production, you have no similar
suffering in America.
There is yet another point which ! cannot
pass without notice. ! have not admitted
that protection keeps at home any capital
which would otherwise go abroad. But l
the assumption that this is effected. And I
ask-,ndeed, by the force of argument l may
almost require-you to make an admission to
ME which is Of the most serious character,
namely, this: that there is a great deal of
capital undoubtedly kept at home BY protec-
ton, not for the purpose of dear production,
which is partial waste, but for another kind
of waste. which is sheer and absolute and
totally uncompensated. This Is the waste in
Cured in the great work of distributing COM
mUlities. If the price Of iron or Of cotton
cloth ia increased so per cent. by protection,
then the capital required by every wholesale
and every retail distributor must be increased
in the same proportion. The distributor 10
not and mo be, in his auxiliary and essen
italy domestic work, protected by an import
duty, any more than can the scavenger or
the chimney sweep. Tho import duty adds
to the price he pays, and consequently to tho
circulating capital which he requires in order
to carry on this traffic; but it adds nothing
to the rate Of profit which he receives, and
nothing whatever to the employment which
he gives. This forced increment of capital
sets in motion no labor, and Is compelled to
work in tue uncovered field of open trade. It
has not the prima facie apology such as that
apology may be, which the iron maker CT the
mill owner may make, that he is employing
American labor which would not otherwise
beemployed. If the waste under a protective
duty of 50 per cent. he a waste of 50 per cent,
the waste of the extra capital required in dis.
tribution is a waste Of 100 per cent. on the
cost of the operation; for it accomplishes alb
soIutely nothing on behalf of the community
which would not be accomplished equally il
the commodity were 50 per cent. less in price;
just Us the postman distributing letters at a
shilling performs no better or other service
than the postman distributing letters at a
penny. But of distributors the name is
legion; they constitute the vast army OF the
wholesale and retail tradesmen of a country,
with all the wants appertaining to them. As
consumers, they are taxed on all protected
commodities; as the allies of producers in the
business Of distributing, they are forced to do
with more capital what could be done as we'll
with less.
PROTECTION CANNOT YORK rMPARr1ALLY.
But the view of the genuine protectionist l
understand to be that protection is q mine
Of wealth; that a greater aggregate profit re-
suits from what you would call keeping labor
aud capital at home than from letting them
seek employment wherever in the whole
world they can find it most economically.
But il there be this Unborn fertility in tho
principle itself, why are the several states Of
the Union precluded from applying it within
their own respective bordersl If the aggre-
gate would be made richer by this internal
application Of protection to the parts, why ia
it not so applied On the other hand, If the
country, as a whole, would by this device be
made rot richer, but poorer, through the in
t,rcerence with the natural laws Of produc-
ton, then how is it that by similar ~interfer-
ence the aggregate Of the states, the great
commonwealth Of America, can be made, in
it's general balance sheet, not poorer, but
richerl
But, in America, besides the jea1ously pail
saded field OF dear production, there Is q vast
open expanse Of cheap productions, namely,
In the whole mass ito speak roughly Of the
agricultural products Of the country, not to
mention such gifts Of the earth as its mineral
oils. In raising these the American capitalist
will find the demand Of the world unexhaust-
ed, however he may increase the supply. Why,
then, is he to carry his capital abroad when
there Is profitable employment for it at homel
II protection Is necessary to keep American
capital at home why is not the vast capital
now sustaining your domestic agriculture, and
raising commodities for sale Ut free trade
prices, exported to other countriesi Or, con-
versely, since vast capitals find an unlimited
deld for employment in cheap domestic pro-
duction without protection, Why il it demon
strated that protection is not required in n
der to keep your capital at homei
No adversary will, l think, venture upon
answering this by saying that the profits arc
larger In protected than in unprotected in
dustries, because tho best opinions seem to
testify that in your projected trades profits
are hard pressed BY wages.
Ny claim Is this: A country cannot possibly
raise its aggregate wage fund by proeection,
but must inevitably reduce it. It IL . con.
~trivance for producing dear and for selling
dear, under cover Of . wall or fence which
shuts out the cheaper foreign article, or
handicaps it on admission by the imposition
Of q heavy fine. Yet I may for the moment
allow it to be possible that, in some particular
trade or trades, wages may be raised lat the
expense Of the community in consequence of
protection. There was q time when America
built ships for Great Britain; namely, before
tho American revolution. She now imposes
heavy duties to prevent our building ships
for her. Even my own recollection goes back
TO the period, :bstween sixty and seventy
years ago, whom by far tho most, aud also
the best, part Of trade between us wa carried
in American bottoms.
IT MAY RAISE WAGES IN oxE rRADE.
II the labor market, although open to tho
world, is insuficiently supplied, then the wage
earner may possibly, in q given case, come In
TOR . share Of the monopoly price Of ships.
II the hand work be n requiring . long ap-
premiership len to call it. and thereby i'm
peding the access Of domestic competitors,
this viii augment his share. Then why not