The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-02-13
Jackson's words Applicable To-day.

Jackson's Words Applicable To-day
i Andrew Jackson once wrote letter +
DR.. L. H. Coleman Of North Carollna
The letter il historic; and nom y ~
quote the following - showing what VI
j HickoryS views were upon subject ina
then engaged the attention OF the Amer
lean people: :,
uHeaven smiled upon and gave u lib
ertv and Independence. The same Prov
ifanoe haa blessed u with means OF M
tional independence and national defense
he has flied our mountains and oul
plains with minerals with dead and iroE
and copper-and has given Us climate
and q soil for the growing of hemp and
wool. These being the great materiall
of our national defense, they ought to
have extended to them adequate and fall
protection, that our manufacturers and
laborers may be placed in fair competi.
ton with those of Europe, and that We
may have within our country supply Of
those leading articles % tial to war
In short, sir, we have been too long sub
ject to the policy of British merchants
There is no doubt about what Jackson'l
attitude on the question of protection
was; but: the foregoing expression of his
views is particularly interesting, at thia
time. We have just been threatened with
a foreign war. If it had come it might
have led to complications that would
have involved Us in struggle with the
most powerful nation of the world. The
lesson that the incident teaches is that
the world has not yet reached stage in
which war is impossible, relieving the
nations from the duty of making them
selves independent:
The underlying principle of free trade
is mutual dependence Of the nations upon
each other. The theory, Of free trade 10
based upon an ideal condition not to be
disturbed by the avarice of commerce
nor the alarms of war.
One of the great reasons why the free
trade idea secured such foothold in the
south during ante -bellum times, was that
protection would build up the north,
giving it such q preponderence Of wealth
and creating resources for it that would
make it invulnerable in the event Of war
between the sections. The south, with
its slave system, could not profit by pro-
lection, and it was on its guard lest the
protective system should give strength to
an arm that would sometime strike it
down.
To-day, if we had followed the advice
Of the free traders, we would be at the
mercy of circumstance if war should
break out that would interrupt our com
merce with other nations. Our great
iron and steel plants would not have been
80 splendidly developed and We would
not have been In position to respond to
the demands Of the conditions of war.
During the rebellion the south suffered
immeasurably because it had no manu-
featuring industries, and if We should
now adopt free trade, under any name,
we would put ourselves in position in
which the whole land would suffer for
necessary things in case q great war
should come.
Jackson was right: and his words are
as applicable to day as they were in 1924.
We have the resources needed to make US
independent of all the nations of Europe,
and it would be worse than folly to abate
in any particular the policy of develop
ing them to the uttermost.-
1t would hardly be worth while to
suggest to the writer of the fore
going that General Jackson might
possibly have been mistaken, as it
suits. protectionists to saint him
now, and a saint is and must have
been incapable of error or mistake. |
The utterancee of saint are neces-
,arily oracular, and beyond cavil. |
would it avail to hint that
prevailed at that time
20 totally different from those Of
our own time that a policy which
vas wise and beneficial then, as
night easily be conceived, would
oe unwise and even pernicious now
,r further, that tariffs in Jackson's
ime were not sought to be levied
or the same, or even a kindred
purpose as they are now. Protec-
ionists studiously ignore these
acts, but they are facts, neverthe-
ess, and, moreover, are pertinent
o tariff discussions. In Jackson's
ime manufacturing was just being
Introduced into the United States.
t was in it's incipient or experiment
ll-stage. We were but a handful
# people, contending in the utter
most isolation for recognition and
! place in the industrial marts of
he world. Our competitors were
he long established nations of Eu-
ope and the East. They were
equipped with the best machinery
hen in existence, and their workers
we're the most skilled and expert
need to be had. Ages of suppress
ion had reduced the labofing
classes TO hopeless servitude, and
wages to a minimum barely suffi-
'ient to sustain life. The markets
we're monopolized. To overcome
hese well-nigh masquerade obsta-
les was our task, and it is no won
Ter. that our statesmen quailed /: !
10 wonder they cast about them, de-
rising many ways-many of which
we're futile if not obstructive-for
he accomplishment Of the task in
,and. We had little machinery,
little. skifl Or; experience, few Shops
jr foundries, and .opr products were
without recognition or reputation
n the markets Of the world. Tar