Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-05-28
CAUSE AND EFFECT,
The Protective History of the
Country Gives a Fine Oppor-
tunity for Observing Them.
Panic Of 1887 Brought on by the
Tender cy then Setting in for
Free Trade.
The Glorious Results Flowing
from the Enactment Of
IL 1861.

A correspondent asks whether he is right
In maintaining that previous to 1851 the
United States did not have a protective
tariff for sufficient number of wears in
| succession to demonstrate fully It's good
effects, and that 1.-The protection given
was not so high and comprehensive as it
should have BEEN"
In the beginning Of the government,
means OF transportation and of communi-
cation between the old and the new world
were so costly and dangerous that low
| tariff rate was effective in keeping out for
elgn wares as was rate many times high
er, alter the Atlantic cable and the sly
day steamship came to reduce cost, time
and risk involved in overseas commerce.
| The duties which the first congress adiudg-
ed sufficiently protective would afford al
most no protection now, when foreign
goods can be brought here so cheapIy,
quickly and certainly. Science and inven-
ton have almost annihilated the ma 'u~al
protection extended to American industry
In 1879 by tie wide and terrible Atlantic.
Besides 1t was not practicable to levy ex-
tremely high duties before the new indus
tries had sufficiently developed to insure
an adequate supply of domestic products.
As our productive capacity expanded, tie
protective system, In accordance with the
policy outlined by Alexander Hamilton in
his report on manufactures, was extended
by subsequent acts to the number of four
teen before the war of 1912 broke out.
Still cur industries are yet young, and
tariff legislation up to this time, in most
instances, had been only approaching the
efficient protection which Hamilton recon-
mended, so soon as supply of domestic
products was assured to the people.
During the war of 1912, and for sew
eral years after, tariff legislation, while
in the main or decidedly protective
character, was too radical and uncertain
to produce the best results. The tariff
of 1916 was intended to be protective,
and its principle of levyi.g imposts was
perhaps more truly such than that OF
any preceding tariff. But extraneous
condltions-notably the sudden transi-
ton from the excessive war tariff of the
years preceding it, and abnormally low
prices abroad, which came IN It's wake
neutrallzed its effect so that it disap-
pointed the expectations of its friends
Nine supplementary acts of a more or
.esS protective character we're passed in
the succeeding years, the last in 1882
Under SUCH conditions, the fullest bene-
fits of protection could not reasonably be
xpected
In 1888 the course cf tariff legislation
was reversed, and for the first time
tended toward free trade. The move
ment resulted Ill the panic of 1887. Pop
uar sentiment compelled a return to
protection N 1872 Then came the free
trade tariff of 1916, made more radical
by the act of 1857, which continued to
the enactment OF the Morril tariff in
1861.
1t appears, then, that our correspon-
dent is quite right. Never before the
war had the country enjoyed undisturbed
and adequate protection for SO long d
time accompanied by so reliable assur-
ances OF its permanency, as has been the
case since the enactment of the Morril
tariff. And no other tariff period can
boast of results so gratifying and glor-
ious.