Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-11-27
HAMruroNs REASONS.


The First Professionals, and why He Gave
Us observation-disclosures and Protec-
tion-Wages In 15S9-No Permanent Food
For the Infants.
In an address before the American
Social Science Association at Saratoga,
Hon Everett p. Wheeler, president of
the New York Reform Club. gave some
interesting information on our tariff
history. A flood of light is thrown
upon our early tariff history by quota
lions from Hamilton. which show the
ideas at work in that statesman's mind
pertinent Those quotations show that
Hamilton was far from being a pro
tectionist of the Mckinley school On
the contrary, it is the height OF absurd
fly for the protectionists Of 1890 to try
to set up Hamilton as their patron saint
in the temple Of high protection
When the first Congress met the i'm
portant question of taxation was neces-
sarily one of the first to be considered
Alexander Hamilton was Secretary Of
the Treasury, and in his celebrated re-
port on manufactures, he sketched the
outlines of complete financial system
He admitted that If other nations
WcES W tEd0o nASa 0Ss
free trade would be the most adyan-
tageous for all He was certainly one
of the very first men in high public sta
ton to perceive the great truth that ga
free exchange. mutually beneficial. of the
commodities which each (nation) was
able to supply, on the best terms, might
be carried on between them. supporting
in full vigor the industry of each" But
lh ,1 49, o,1
dition of things Adam Smith had, it is
true, published his Wealth of Nations
but few were the public men who had
been Influenced by his arguments. and
none of the principal countries ofEurope,
EN- bodied any of them in practice Will
liam Pitt whenChancellor of the Excheq-
uer, admitted that he had never read
the book. The tariff of England was
perhaps even more arbitrary and oppres-
sive than the existing American tariff
On the frontiers of the different States
which compose the German Empire Gus
toms houses existed, and each Of them
taxed the trade between itself and its
neighbor. All of them levied heavy
duties upon the products of this country
and England, and had even discrimi-
mated against the productions of Ire
land. and had succeeded by prohibitory
enactments in practically destroying
Irish manufactures The most courage
Gus statesman might well hesitate in
such condition of things before decid.
ing to carry on a new Government with
out revenue whatever from duties OF
| imports
Moreover, Hamilton distinctly had in
mind the Importance of encouraging the
establishment of new manufactures by
the imposition of tax upon the manu-
featured goods of foreign countries. TX
use his own EXPIRE ssion: Duties of thi.
nature evidently amount to a virtua
bounty on the domestic fabrics, since
by enhancing the charges on foreign
articles they enable the National manu-
facturers to undersen all their foreign
competitors"
But he admitted freely that the ICON
tinuance of bounties on manufacture
long established must almost always b
of questionable policy; because pre-
sumption would arise, in every sucl
case. that there were natural and in
herent impediments to success"
In this same report he considered tn
question of wages He admits tina
even then. in 1889, wages were highe
in this country than in Europe, bu
makes an elaborate argument to sho'
that all the conditions for the success.
full maintenance of manufacturers wer
more favorable in this country, an
were more than counterpoise for tn
real difference in the price of labor"
But besides all these reasons for tart
on imports there was another motiv
strong in Hamilton's mind. which
we'll stated by Henry Cabot Lodge i
his biography of Hamilton: The re
public of Hamilton was to be an aristc
cratic, as distinguished from a Demo
cratic, republic. He did not believe i
democracy as system of government
He believed in class influence
~~% Hami1ton's scheme las Secretar
of the Treasury, in which capacity b
! made his reports on Public Credit
went further, seeking to create a stron
and permanent class all over the couI
try, bound to the Government as 60,
eminent by the strongest of all ties
immediate and personal pecuniary il
terest and thus a.
sure to the property of the country tn
control of the Government Frol
, Hamilton's report on Manufactures
have sprung the protectionist polio
, and so-called american" system {
Clay"
Hamilton's views were embodied j
legislation, and guided the policy Of th
country for many years- He did secur
| <b4 Sha odhoranro 4