The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-06-01
THE FOREIGN TENDENCY.

Among Many of Our People, Does Much
to Neutralize the Good Effects of Pro-
tection-It is Foolish. Unpatriotic. and
Entirely Opposed to the spirit of Jeifer'
sons Teachings.
or the forces arrayed against protec-
ton to-day, not one is more powerful
for harm than the lamentable mania
for foreign goods which prevails among
the American people. 1t would require
the employment of hundreds of thou
sands of workers and the payment Of
millions in wages 70 produce the things
annually imported which might just as
well be produced at home. A protective
taritf is all right and effective so far as
something else is needed. In letter to
Jean Baptiste Say, Thomas jefferson
wrote:
The prOhibtiye duties We lay on all articles
of foreign manufacture which prudence requires
us to establish at home, ,0ifh the patriotic de-
fsr1aisdtioH Of epery good citizen 10 use no for.
eiga article Which can 6s ma is pdhin ourseloss,
cahOm regard 10 difference in price, secures us
against relapse into foreign dependency.
Jefferson clearly saw that the CO.
operation of the people must accom-
pany the protective tariff which he
vigorously championed in order that it
might wo rk out its greatest good.
Would that the illustrious patriot
could speak to the American people to-
| day. He would not need to ask them
to voluntarily pass by cheaper, and per-
aops batter, foreign articles and pay
lore for inferi,r dom ,tic goods as he
did in the early days of the republic,
Great changes have occurred since then.
Under the policy inaugurated by the
fathers of our government, man ufactur-
ing has so grandly developed that
| American products in these last years
Of the nineteenth century fully equal,
both in price and quality, those Of any
other country on earth. And the peo-
pie of every other country in the world
recognize this fact. American wares
find their way to every corner of the
earth and are eagerly sought by the
peoples of all other nations Only in
America will you hear American prod
ucts decried.
This state of things is all wrong. 1t
is enough to make one almost ashamed
of being an American to see the foreign
insignia pictured on the 81 gns OF trades
men in any of our large cities, to
behold Warranted English, ""Genuine
French, Real Imported" and similar
labels filling the show windows, and to
hear the ignorant botch Of q tailor in
dignantly repel the insinuation that he
keeps any American goods. The vendor
Of "French" boots, English" jack
knives, Turkish" rugs. German
china is he who gets the lucrative trade
in these degenerate days. The mar
who sold only American products would
speedily find his way to the poorhouse
Foreign" and Imported" are thu
words with which to allure customers
The tradesmen are not to blame. They
only cater to the tastes of the public
The trouble is that the tastes of thu
public are vitiated. We need TO apply
once more the principle inculcated ant
acted upon by jefferson, to purchas
nothing foreign, whefe an equlValen
domestic fabric can be obtained, with
out regard to difference of price" TIL
American purchaser of to-day takes tn
exact opposite of the course jefferson
advised. Instead of selecting the dc
nestle article without regard to differ
ence of price, he chooses the articl
stamped Foreign" no matter what
costs.
Every protectionist should set his G
her face against this tendency. Ask &c
American products. If your grocer c
your clothier does not have them, go
another store. If all protectionist
would adopt this rule, we should yer
soon witness thinning out among TIL
Foreign" and Imported signs alon
the business streets, and untold GOO
would result to all departments of d,
mestic industry.