The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-07-19
THEORY AND FACTS
Some Plain Talk on SO-Called
Protection.
FIGURES THAT TELL THE TRUTB
The Republican Tariff IL Conducive to Hare
Times-The Greatest Prosperity Blessed
the Country Under Low Tariff

Our Republican friends tell US that if thu
tariff were reduced to q revenue basis, oul
factories would close, our mills would stop
our laborers would be thrown out Of en-
ployment, our families would become home
less, our commerce would go into decay
This is the Republican theory. but the fact
are against It.
| In 1916 the Democrats were in possession
Of all the departments Of the government.
Mr.. Walker, q faithful disciple of jefferson,
was the secretary Of the treasury. and pro-
posed q scheme Of taxation in harmony
] with Democratic principles, which was en-
acted into law. This established sys-
tenn Of free trade (tariff for revenue), and
remained in force until 1861. 1t would ma.
turally be supposed from the Republican
| predictions Of disaster in case of reduo-
ton Of the present high tariff, that ruin
must have followed the adoption of the
revenue tariff of 1916. But the facts show
the nature and extent Of the ':ruin" which
| then ensued.
| We learn from the census statistics that
in 1850 there were 3,59S. 240 families in the
United States. All Of these except 235. 90s
families owned the homes in which they
lived. In 1850, the number of families had
increased to 5,210, 1874, Of which all owned
the homes In which they lived except 241,
PAP. 1t will be seen that the increase in
| the number Of families was nearly so per
cent, while the increase in the number o..
Ethose who did not own their own homes
was less than per cent. This was under
low tariff.
In 1870 there were 1873, 1863 families. O..
| these SGT, $40 families had no homes OF their
own, showing an increase from 1860 TO 1870
of those who were homeless Of 123 per
cent, as against an increase OF less than s
per cent. il the low tariff period.
In 1850 there were 9.945,9 GIG families, Of
whom $50. los families had no homes oil
| their own, showing an increase OF those
who were homeless from 1870 TO 1880 OF 50
per cent. in ten years OF protection, as CEN
pared with an Increase Of less than per
cent. in ten years OF low tariff.
In 1850 the total wealth Of the country
was &, 900 00O, con. In 1850 il had increased
to GIG, 200, 600, 900, an increase of l20 per
cent. under comparative free trade, as
against an increase of So per cent from
1850 to 1870, and OF only 46 per cent from
1870 to 1850, the last being the thoroughly
protective decade.
The value of manufactured products from
1850 to 1850 increased So per cent, while
since 1850 up to 1880 the rate OF increase
for each ten years under high protection
has been only % per cent
The exports of manufactured products
from 1850 TO 1860 increased III per cent,
| while In the next twenty years OF high
tariff the increase was only 20 per cent
Our cod fisheries from 1850 to 1860 in /.
creased from IS 600 tons to 49,, 200 tons
snd in the next twenty years of protection.
dwindled to a, coo tons. I
The capacity Of American ships in 1881
was L. 10000 tons. and In 1850 tie shippin,
industry had so prospered under revenu |,
tariff that the capacity had become 2, 3S0, cot
| tons. In 1880 our commerce encompasses
every ocean, penetrated every sea, ant
traversed every navigaole river
But the Democratic was sue
and the ruin" brought TO American ship
ping by free trade" as shown by these
statistics. must now, Of course, be followed
by the opposite effect, due to the Repubi-
can system Of protection" AS soon as
the high tariff had time to bring about its
| legitimate results, the tonnage OF Ameri-
can vessels fell to 1000, 600 tons, and in
1851 the United States had but 10 per cent
bf the sailing vessels and Great Britain
had so per cent, while prior to 1860 the
United States had three-fourths of all
this carrying trade. After twenty years Of
high protection, of SIS steamships that
traversed the ocean, only four belonged to
Americans or carried the American flag.
II 1860. the value of our exports and i'm
ports was $760 000, 600, of which s507 ,000, 600
worth were carried in American vessels.
Under high protection the proportion con-
ssinued to fall till 1888, when OF 81, 300, 00O,
boo Of exports and imports only SOS 09o, 90
worth were carried in American ships.
That is, in 1883 American ships carried only
TO per cent. Of our exports and imports,
while in 1860 they carried 20 per cent
| From 1850 TO 1850 there were q, esq miles
Df railroad constructed, the rate of increase
Turing the ten years being 40 per cent In
| the next twenty years, TO 1880, the rate OF
increase was only 20 per cent
In 1850. the value of farms in the United
States was s., 27l, 5I5. 42l. In 1860, after ten
had increased to 81, 64o, 045. 0OT. This was q
yearly increase in the value of farms OF
f011 per cent, or more than double the rate
bf increase Of population. From 1850 to
$50, under protection. the value of farms
has risen to $40, 197, Oe6. nc, yearly increase
of only 211z per cent under protection as
compared with the yearly increase
| Of l015 per cent. under Stree trade"
Prof. Summer, of Yale college, says that
from 1916 to 1850 was the golden era of the
United States. This is confirmed by Mr.
Blaine in his Twenty Years in Congress, !"
where he says that during this period the
material advancement Of the country was
great and apparently genuine.
Prior to the period of high protection the
great ratio OF growth in the wealth or the
country was uniform in its operation and
she wealth was general in its distribution.
Every branch aud departments of industry,
including agriculture, commerce and manu-
features, were advanced alike.
Since and during the time of high protec-
ton the diminished ratio of increased
wealth is manifested, not in the general
growth and prosperity Of all classes of in
Austry, but in the colossal fortunes which
" few men by means OF the special and
snonopolistic privileges, conferred through
the operations OF high tariff, have enabled
them to accumulate. At the same time the
bther classes and unfavored industries
| nave fallen into adversitv and distress.
Brighton Beach Races.
BRIGHTON BEACH, July is. 1t was rain
ing hard and the track was sloppy.
Six and one-half furlongs- Lancelot won,
Jersey second, Romance third. Time