Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-06
FACTSAB0UT TARIFF.
Good Reasons Why Am erican
Statesmen Do Not Follow the
Example Of England.
Great Britain Has Not Prospered
Under Free Trade, but
Lost Ground.
All Her Industrial Prosperity has
All Her Industrial Prosperity has
been Started by Protection
to Her Manufactures.


parliament of free trade, so-called, was
largely due to the efforts of Richard Cob
den; that he received nearly million of
dollars in all for his efforts, that he IN
vested a large amount of those earnings
in the United States and lost it IN that
country, sought to be ruined by free trade.
Careful and close readers of Cobden's
speeches : can not avoid the conclusions
that more unscrupulous special pleader
would be hard to find or who more gioried
in deception; or who boasted more of his
jugglery; or who appealed more to the
vindictiveness of his audiences; or VINO
played upon their ignorance and pre-
JUDGE with grossness of language at
time almost revolving. AS this statement
NAV be deemed unfair, Cobden's words,
corroborating all that is said, in which he
exhibits want of shame and conscien-
tious motives are here quoted. THE end
iustifes the means" seems to have been
his chief and only guide when urging free
trade on England Golden was a petit
logger more than an honest advocate. He
SO records himself, and asks not to be
Judged by what he said. Here is his own
language:
'You must not judge me by what | say
at these tumultuous public meetings.
constantly regret the necessity of violating
good taste and kind feeling in my public
harangues. ! say advisedly necessity, tor
defy anybody to keep the ear of the
public for seven years upon any one ques-
ton without striving to amuse as well as
instruct. People do not attend public
meetings to be taught, but to be excited,
hattered and pleased. If they are simply
lectured they may sit out the lesson for
once, but they will not come again, and as
/ have required them again and again
have been obliged to amuse them, not by
standing on my head or eating fire, but by
kindred feats of jugglery, such as appeals
to their self-esteem, their combatlveness,
or their rumor. You know how easily
one degenerates into flattery, vindictive'
ness, or grossness.
How applicable the above is to our
American free traders every intelligent
person knows. In many of our colleges
and universities where English is held up
as the richest, most powerful, and greatest
of all manufacturing countries as an eX-
ample of what free trade has achieved for
her, and what it would achieve for us il
adopted. The reverse of this is true, for
England was under the highest protection
for fully 500 years Her tariff laws were
tie very incarnation of cruelty. Viola
tions of them were punished as felonles,
many were capital offences punishable
with death, even the
EXPLORATION OF MACHINERY WAS A
In the fourteenth century laws were
passed absolutely inbitive in many re-
spects, all for the protection of English in
dustries, with severe penalties for their
violation.
In 1867 a law was enacted that for the
expo1tation of sheep the offender should
forfeit all OF his effects, suffer imprison-
ment for year, and then have his left
hand cut off In a market town and on a
market day, and to be there nailed up,
and for the second offense should suffer
death" In 1867 a law was enacted for
the protection of wooden manufacturers,
requiring all persons to be buried IN WOODEN
shrouds, their collins to be lined with
wooden cloth; violations were severely pun
ished, penalties went to the clergymen OF
the parish, who were made prosecutors,
and were compelled to read the act from
the pulpit on Sabbath at least once In
each year. That law was in force for $50
wears. In 1721 a penalty Of 95 to flO0
piece of cotton or calico within the realm
This law was in force till 1888, when the
wearing of calico was permitted, ''provld-
ed the warp thereof was of linen yarn. "
There was still protective tariff of IA to
SO per cent-raised In 1919 to so and 671s
per cent-for the benefit of the manufact'
ures.
Our Young men who are invited to
join Jefferson clubs by American free
traders should remember what Jefferson
said on the subject of England declaring
the colonists from manufacturing. Seak-
ing of iron he said: "And heavy as the
article is, and necessary in,every branch of
husbandry, besides commission and in
surance we are to pay freight for it to
Great Britain and freight for it back
again, for The purpose of supporting not
men, but machines In these islands of
Great Britain" Trey were forbidden to
manufacture hemp, flax, cotton, or wool, or
duck sail cloth, to convert leaden ore. to
make steel ''for fear it might promote
domestic manufacturers. As Jefferson
said, an American was forbidden to make
hat for himself of the fur which he had
taken, perhaps, on his own soil, an lnstanc
of despotism to which no parallel can be
produced in the most arbitrary ages of
British history" Such were English
protective tariffs! Only through the
most rigid protection did England attain
her position, half century or so since, as
then the greatest manufacturing country
in the world Through several European
wars which disabled those countries from
manufacturing, together with the dis
covery of gold in California, Australia,
and New Zealand creating an Immense de-
mand for fabrics, England, through her
previous protection tor centuries, and the
development OF her manufactures, was en-
abled 10 supply the world with goods at
enormous profits. Then she declared for
free trade, and until other countries en-
couraged their own manufactures, through
tariffs, she remain Ill control of the mar
kets of the world. Her superiority then
began to decline, and she descended to the
second rank in products, etc.
ENGLAND WAS THE WORLDS SCHOOL
MASTER
and taught it the practical benefits to peo-
pie from protection and enlargement to
their industries The most practical les
son ever given the world was by England
through her exhibition in 1851, to which
she invited all nations. While an exposl-
ton of her great skill in manufactures,
was meant, IN measure, to awe visitors.
it was also lesson to them, and they ask
ed themselves the question: "lf England
can manufacture so wonderful through
centuries of protection, why can not we
adopt the same system and attain the same
success? They went home resolved to do
SO. They adopted protective tariff then
progressed and soon invaded England with
their goods, wares, and merchandise.
1t was really yenj yidi yicl resulting OPP