The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-11-14
WHAT is PROTECTION
An Answer by the Hon. Roswell G. Horr,
of Michigan.


of Michigan.
A few days ago 4. J. Balch, of New
York, sent to the New York Tribune
the following note, which was answered
by the Hon. Roswell g. Horr, of Michi-
gan:
TO THE EDITOR OF TIE TRIBUNE-Sir:
The duties collected on foreign goods in
the year 1890 amounted to the sum of S225,-
S,SSS, As this amount Is derived chiefly
from the iaboring classes and appropriated
for the support of the government, is there
any way III Which the government can be
supported by all the people in equal pro-
portion according to the value of the prop
erty? For Il. J. Horr to answer.
b. }. BALCH.
The answer is as follows, and every
line of it is worth reading:
The first mistake made by this CORE
spOndent is his assertion that the money
collected from customs duties In the United
States lis derived chiefly from the laboring
classes What put Sucn notion as that
into his head? The assertion is far from
the facts.
The laboring classes pay very little of
the total amount Of tariff duties collected
in this country. We levy no duties on the
imported neceSsaries of life, except in cases
where we produce in this country in large
ed. In all such cases the duty on the for
eign goods Invariably, in the long run,
cheapenS the price on the articles in our
own markets. and thus enables our labor
ing classes to buy such goods cheaper than
they could have bought them had we not
built up the home industry, and so
caused the competition which always
cheapens goods. In all such cases the
duties are paid by the foreign producer.
in order that he may get into our markets.
They are never add d TO the cost paid by
our consumers No duties are ever paid
by anybody on goods made in this coun-
try.
If duty is levied on the free trade
plan. that is, on articles which we cannot
produce i'll this country, then the duty
would always come out of the consumer.
II we should levy a duty on tea, for in
stance. such duty would have to be
added to the cost Of the tea, and the money
would be collected mostly out of the labor
ing classes, who consume most of the tea.
America cannot produce tea. and we caI.-
not bring about competition therefore in
the market between home and foreign tea,
or drive down the price, and so compel
the foreign producer to pay the duty IN
order to get into our markets. There is
no tea raised i'll this country with
which the foreign tea must compete: and
hence the importer must add the amount
OF the duty to the price, and collect the
Sdiiit from our CONSUMERS. y OF SO. loNtN-
cr, with an article we can produce in great
quantities in this county. Take common
salt an article OF prime necessity, used
even more universally than tea. The price
of salt has been constantly cheapened since
America began to produce 1t under the
tariff laws of 1861. salt is now at the low
est possible point in price consistent with
good wages to the men who make salt.
The great bulk of the salt consumed IN
this country is made here IN the Unlted
States: and any foreign salt-maker who
gets into our markets must do SO by pay
ing the duty himself.
\ duty levied on the protective plar
IS seldom, If ever. paid by our people.
We do levy simple revenue duty on
large numbers OF articles, but only on
such as are IuXuriCS: and such duties
all come out of the rich. none of them out
of the poor. The moment anyone will
show protcctIoniSt that any duty comes
out OF laborln@ classes. on any article. he
will be for putting that article on the free
list That was the reason why we put
sugar on the free list. We were compelled
to do it against the vote Of every free
trader in Congress.
| beg Mr. Balch to examine this ques
ton carefully, and he wilt then learn tnat
a protective tariff is always in favor of the
lahoring classes. never against them. 1t is
enacted, among other things, for the pur-
pose OF securing good wages and cheap
goods. 1t does both. The wages in this
country are the best which are paid on the
face of the earth, and the cost of all artl
Giles to ultimate consumers has been cheap
encd by building UP industries IN the
United States and making those goods
here at home. There is not a single eXcep-
ton to this rule. This is simple question
of fact not OF theory.
Another question asked by this cOrrc
SpOndent is whether there is any way in
no N tod
by all the people III equal proportion, ac-
cording to the value of property An eff
fort to do this is beng made in most of the
states. so far as township. city. country
and state governments are concerned. SO
far ii is a me1e theory. Large quantities
of property are never put upon the tax
rolls. There seems to be no way to pre-
vent its escape. There ought to be: but so
far the way has never been discovered.
The result is the local taxes are much
more burdcnSome than The duties paid
to support tie general government. |
doubt If there will ever be any consider
able number of people who will seek to
raise money for The support OF the general
government by direct taxation. SO long
as duties are levied SO as to build uD and
benefit our own people, the present plan
should not be changed. As nation, we
are very prosperous under the existing
system. No other nation in the world is
doing as well as ours. There are more
happy homes in the United States, accord
ing to population, than can be found any
where else on tie face of the earth. What
better test of prosperity can there be than
that? Good wages. good food, good
clothes. good schools. gOOd homes-there
is little else in material conditions to be
added to make a people happy. We have
all those in the United States of America.
What other ration has them as universal
ly as this country?