Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-08-15

"A protective tariff was the frst meas
IRE provided by the first congress of the
United States. No nation can be inda-
pendent without a diversity Of industries.
A single occupation may answer for an in
dlvidual, but nation must be composed
OF MANY men OF many enpoyments.
Every nation ought to be independent of
other nations in respect to all productions
necessary for life and comfort that can be
made at home, These are axloms of
political economy 50 manlfestly true that
they need no demonstration The measure
of protection is a proper subject OF dis
quite, but there should be no dispute as 10
the principle OF protection in a country
like ours, possessing almost every raw ma
terlal Of nature and almost every variety
Of production.
We have prospered most when our in
dustries have been best protected. The
vast variety OF our manufactures, now
rivaling in quantity these OF countries
much older than ours, is the result of pro-
lection. Every president from Washing
Ton TO Jackson, inclusive, declared in favor
OF protection. Every eminent statesman
Of the early period, inluding Calhoun,
favored this policy. The owners of slaves
engaged chiefly in the production OF cot
ton, became hostile to protection, and,
with those engaged in foreign commerce,
we're the representative free traders of the
United States. Now that slavery is abol.
lshed and the south has entered upon the
development of her vast resources, and it
has been proven that our foreign commerce
is greater under protective laws, there
4 hnnlH ha - ,g,a y.f
our country TO the protection OF
American industry by wise, discriminat-
ing duties.
The principle of protection should be
applied imparually ard fairly to all pro.
ductlon whether of the workshop or farm.
The object Is to diversity employment
and to protect labor, and the protection
should b. inpartialiy applied, without re.
spect to the nature of the production. All
experience has established the invariable
fact that domestic production, 10y inducing
competition in a brief period lowers the
price of all protected articles. In the
whole range OF productions this result has
been univel sal Whenever it is apparent
that a new industry can be established, as
is the case with the manufacture Of TIM
plate, it is a good policy to give to the in
dustry a liberal degree of protection, with
the certain assurance that, If we have the
raw material on equal conditions, we can,
after a time, compete with the imported
article.
The policy of nation upon economic
questions should be fixed and stable The
Mckinley law as now framed, though ii
may be open to criticism as to details, is a
strictly protective measure fair and just
as applied to all industries, with ample
provisions to secure reciprocity in the OK.
change OF domestic productions for articles
We cannot produce. 1t ought to be thor
oughly tested by the experience of several
years. 1t is not good policy to disturb il
or keep the public mind in suspense about
it, 1t Will as | think, drmonstrlte its
wisdom; but if not with the light Of ex-
perience, it can be modified. The highest
policy and the greatest good to our people
lie in the full trial of this effort TO estab-
Iish upon q firm foundation the domestic
production of every article essential to
American life and Independence.
"JouN SHERMAN. "