The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-10-23

D gland teaches a iree trade political econ
! omy, and this suits England and Englisl
=. interests. English economic writer
. proclaim Il d tciencs suited to all tn,
world and all times, because II suits thu
. interests OF England. Many OF our pro
, fessors, especially those In New Enelant
} colleges and generally the leaders Of TIT
, Democracy, adopt these English notionl
/ Of political economy and insist that the!
, should obtain IN the United States
J they arc good for England, but bal
for US. The United States, a worlt
. within itself, and sufficient unto
} Itself for all purposes needs politica
economy OF another sort. Our sur
roundings and conditions are all differ
ent from those OF European aud othel
countries. The United States requires
a political economy suited to Its condi
tiona and surroundings aud based on
the protection OF American interests. il
might be similar 10 that OF England in
one respect --elastlc. Englands elastic
political FREQ trade economy has never
prevented England from protecting hel
best and largest interests whenever II
suited her to do 30, especially her ship
ping interests.
RESULTS OF PROTECTION.
Experience and statistics MoV IN ht
United States that american manufactured
articles under protection have constantly in
the aggregate, been reduced IN price, uhile
articles on tic free hstfarc, for the mstt part,
as 10 price, remained the same, and
IN many instances advanced. This,
10 ny mind, is he best possible
dnSwert 10 all free trade notions and ideas.
Thirty years ngo We did not manufacture
steel rails, and when We began and the
duty on steel rails was made SIS ten,
they were selling at $lG0 ton. Since
then, not only has the price been re-
duccd from SlG0 to $50 per ton, but We
have successfully established steel rail
plants throughout the country. No one
can be found who would believe that il
we had not protected the steel rail in.
dustry the price would have been re.
duced to what it is at present. Take
the case OF wire nails. Up to 1883 they
were not manufactured in this country
to any extent, and they sold for Sc key.
In that year protective duty was placed
on wire nails, and last year, in the short
space OF seven years, the American
product reached 2,500, 900 kegs and they
have sold as low as 50 10 per key.
In the case Of wool, In 1850,
after fourteen years OF non.protect.
i've tariff, or tariff for revenue
only-Democratic tariff, We produced
CO,0O0,0O0 pounds of wool, or l 7.10
pounds per capita. 1n1SSi, after twenty.
four years OF protective tariff, the pro-
duct YVES 3OS,OO0,O00 pounds, or about
ak pounds per capita. Then followed
the reduction OF duty on wool; the re-.
suit was our home production fell of
and importations increased. The Nc.
kinley Bill restores the protective duty
OF 1883, and it is estimated that this will
not only greatly increase the home pro.
ductlon but give employment to $780,.
600 men in the United States. Like in.
stances might be multiplied.
a comparison Of prices in 1870 and in
1850 will show that nearly every manu-.
facturedarticle that the farmer, mechanic
and wage.earners have to bny was on m
average from % to 30 per cent cheaper
in 1850 than 1870. Statistics will else
show that since 1870 farm products and
price of labor have advanced. Never in
the history Of this country would u days
labor buy rs many comforts as to-day.
Fifty years ago, before our manufac-
turing interests were established-there
are men now living who worked in the
harvest field from sun up until sun
nj Of =, II, II,
starlight, for fifty cents a day and found |
themselves--corn sod for from 10 to 20 |
cents per bushel; wheat from % to 80 |
cents and pork 81 per hundred pounds;
good COWS could be bought for from S !
to IS and good horses from $50 to $50.
In those days calico sold for % to 30
cents per yard. Il took eight yards tc
make dress. Under projection the
same calico can now be bought for 5
cents per yard. It took n man four TO
five days to earn enough money to buy |
his vile q dress, now day laborer can
earn enough to buy his wife three
dresses. 1t took then ten to twenty
bushels OF corn, ten to fifteen bushels
Of wheat and two hundred pounds OF
pork to buy the same calico dress, now
these products OF the farmer will buy q
dozen calico dresses.
BY the establishment OF manufacturing
industries through protection, the United
STATED has been able to produce largely
what 1t consumes and reduce the price
OF what it buys abroad, besides furnish.
ing employment to our own people, in.
creaslnS home consumption and keeping
the money at home which, il these man.
utacturing industries had not been estab-
iished, would have been sent abroad to
pay for imported goods. Had We con-
tinued to buy steel rails, wire nails,
WOODEN goods and other manufactured
articles from European countries, NC
never could have established our manu-.
featuring industries, and We would have
impoverished and bankrupted the coun-
try III trying to pay for the goods we
bought abroad.
OUR FATHERS FOUGHT For INDUSTRIAL AS
WELL AS POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE.
Our fathers fought for industrial as
well as political independence. They
wanted to manage, control and build up
their Industries in their own way. 1t is
q historic fact that England wanted the
colonies to take her manufactured goods
and they resisted. Although the Gov.
eminent was started on the basis OF pro.
lection to manufacturing interests, yet
it came about early in our history that
the South dominated public sentiment
and dictated the policy OF the Govern.
ment. The South believed that with
slave labor and cotton growing its peo.
pie would be more prosperous in pnrs1.
ing agriculture than manufacturing, It
is at this point in the history OF our leg.
islasion that We begin to detect free
trade tendencies, and this continued
more Oh less until the war. The South
believed SO strongly in free trade
in 1850, that in making the Confederate
Constitution, it declared against protec.
ton in terns. AS events have proven
the South WAS mistaken, her chief glory
and greatest source of wealth Wilt ret
come through her manufacturing in.
tereatC, $50 IL.
OGe OF the assertions constantly made
by the tariff reformers is that the Re-
publican party maintains and even in.
creases war taxes, and points to the in