The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-10-28
4 B 6 OF THE TARIFF.
A Simple Explanation of the Differ
ence in Systems.
PROTECTION REALLY PROTECTS.
How Free Trade would be Disastrous
TO tho Industrial Interests of the
United states..The Issue Presented
in Plain Language, so That all can
Understand.

TEN OF free trade, or open competition
with the manufactures and labor OF the
world. The other is the Republican
principles OF protection to the Ameri-
can industries and the sustaining OF our
workmen on the present high level OF
wages.
If foreign producer wants to enter
our market under our present system
of protection, hc must first pay into the
hands OF our custom officers tariff
equal in difference TO the wages Of his
own and our nation, and by so doing
place the cost OF his material on a level
with the cost OF American product
under onr system of high wages. Tho
question then arises us to whether pro-
lection does not mako the goods dearer
10 tho consumer. "A thing is cheap
or dear not in the proportion to its
money price, but to the quantity oil
labor required to obtain it." II this be
true. the first thing that would become
apparent would be the decrease in the
ability OF community to consume the
different products.
Lot the voter go back to the beginning
OF protection in America. In lS42 not
single ton of railroad iron was pro
duced in the United States because OF
free trade Tho average consumption
in the ten years from 1882 to 1872 was
$4,000 tons. In lS47 under protection
We manufactured 100000 tons Of railroad
material and still consumed the import
of $4,000 tons. Under protection we
were able to consume just10O, 600 tons
more railroad iron than we did under
free trade. A ton OF anthracite coal was
worth in Philadelphia in 1926 about 50
ton, and yet we only produced 10000
tons. or about one.half Of what we con-
sumed. In 1916 the price of anthracite
was 81 per ton, and we produced TWO
and half million tons and consumed
$4,000 tons OF imported coal. By this
will be seen that homo production in
creased the demand for over eighty
times the amount produced in '26 and
increased tho imports five times, and
still reduced the price just so per cent.
1t can be seen from this that when
nation is capable OF supplying itself
other nations desiring to sell will come
TO them and sell at the lowest price,
thereby increasing the demand.
Under the free trade OF "a TO '43 our
furnaces and rolling mills were closed
down, and still our consumption OF iron
imports fell of from $500, 900 in 81 TO
S5,5OO000 in '4S. So it was with cotton
goods. The imports fell from eight
millions Of yards down to five millions
under free trade. With the closing
down OF our factories and mines we
throw the principal consumer out OF
employment. They are forced 10 seek
other employment and to eventually go
to tilling the soil to sustain himself and
family. lie produces the necessaries OF
life for himself and at the same time
takes his trade from the farmer.
Diversity of industries is the life OF
nations. One industry is inter-de-
pendent upon another. The carpenter
exchanges his labor for food and cloth
ing; the saw mill man exchanges his
lumber for clothing, ETC.; the iron
worker exchanges his labor for the
things required to sustain life; the
farmer provides the food, he in turn
pays the miller for grinding his grain,
the miller employs the carpenter to
build his mill. the carpenter employs
the wooden mills to make his clothing,
the saw mill man exchanges his lumber
for the iron product OF the iron worker,
and so on down the list.
1t is claimed by the free trader that
protection cuts the American farmer
off from the market OF the world. This
10 false theory. In the first place the
best market for farmer is home
market. When farmer has demand
at home for all he raises he obtains
higher prices for all his products than
when he sends them abroad. In the
one case they obtain nearly as much
more at home as the cost OF transporta.
ton to the FOREIGN consumer, while II
they send their goods abroad they re-
ceive as much less than the price II
foreign market less transportation to
those markets. Close our coal mines
aud factories and convert our miners
and mechanics into farmers end the
price set by foreign buyers will have to
be our prices, less the cost of transpor-
tation. We know that the more miners
and mechanics we have the greater our
consumption OF farm materials. We
know that under protection the number
of miners and mechanics increase and
thereby increase the consumption Of
food. We know that under free trade
the producers OF food increase and the
consumers decrease. From this it can
be readily seen that it is to the farmers
interest to increase the consumers and
thereby reduce the producers and by
h. n
price There is but one way to do this
and that is to increase the diversity of
industries in the union, and this can
only be accomplished by protection.
II must be admitted that for long
time to come We will have surplus OF
grain for export. The question is what
will procure to the American farmer
tho best prices for his surplus stock. 1t
has always been known that the de-
mand regulates the price. Then it is to
our farmers interestto keep the supply
down as much Us possible by home con-
sumption. Russia and Germany have,
like ourselves, adopted protection and
thereby increased the home consump-
ton, and il all the world would adopt
our system the surplus would be less,
tho demand greater, and thereby in.
crease the price.
Whenever there is a surplus of any
commodity then the price of that com
modify is certain to fail, or when there
is deficiency then the price Of the
commodity is certain to rise. Labor is
n commodity, the owner of which seeks
to exchange it to his best advantage.
Labor and capital are inseperab!e. The
first is the means whereby the machin-
CRY Of the latter is made productive.