The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1890-05-13
THE PRINCIPLES OF PROTECTION.

Protection is founded are clearly
defined there will not be much
difficulty in determining the char
acter 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
well 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
ilhmItable 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.
tions as these would not be enti-
tied to be considered "a system, it
would develop a 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. 1t follows that
any measure which leaves out any
American industry, for any reason
OF 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 its overthrow. Repre-
sentative McKenna, in his report |
referred to, stated the ex-
act economic truth when he said |
that in Protection all must stand |
or fall together There can be no
such thing as Protection plus
Free Trade. There is no room
for any composite system. None
can be constructed that can
possibly be enduring. If there is
to be Free Trade in any raw mate
rial produced in this country and
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 are
clamorous for breaches here and
there are preparing the way for the
destruction of the whole system.
Another principle of Protection is
that duties shall be so graded as to
produce a healthy competition be-
tween the foreign and native arti-
Gle. The object is to place the
manufacturer on an
equal footing with his foreign rival.
The advantage which the latter en-
oys of cheaper labor is in this way
centralized. The general result so
ar has been the cheapening of the
article to the consumer in the
United States. There is no allega-
ion that any duties prescribed in
The new tariff bill are prohibitory
n their nature. In some cases
hey are rather below than above
he mark. There are cases in
which large measure of protec-
ion might be extended.
But for the breaks observable in
,ne or two instances, the bill
irafted by the Committee of Ways
md Means might be regarded as
7ery complete, and the best that
could be framed under the circnm-
stances. The point for Republicans
% consider is that Protection is to
De viewed as comprehensive
whole, and not specially in detail
No scheme of Protection which
loes injustice in any quarter is 60
ng to be long-lived. Any breach
hat may be made will be sure to