New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-23
THE TARIFF GOOD FOR ALL.
TT ENRICHES TIE WHOLE COUNTRY.
~ 70 FOR THE GOOD OF THE MANY, NOT FOR
TIE BENEFIT OF A FEW.
tFrom The Weekly Tribune.

TIE BENEFIT OF FEW.
From The Weekly Tribune
10 the Editor Of The TIL oune. ~
s.r. VIII the Hon. Il. G.. Horr please answer the
following inquiries: o.ooo
Whore is the Justice in compelling the 64'ooo'-
noo inhabitants OF the United states TO pay an 40
oormally high price for their goods III order ~
protect Tor rather enrch the people engaged III -,
facturfnc who constitute only small per ec"' u
the populatiOn7 , . -,
Q What right has the Government to compei nv "
the Tariff law to buy nv goods from an Ame''''i,
when can buy them from foreigner ioi ~ wall
why does not the Government protect me a. "e"
as the manufacturers u oN''-
Dallas Tex, May Ia 1So" -
IT, would most surely be unjust anu "rons
to frame the laws so as to compei o@'ooV'"ov ~,
r,e n nav an exorbitant price for goous ioi 'no
nurnose of making a few men rich VINO manu-
f,cture such goods ! do not suppose 'heie - :"
man in the world who will deny tha' p, -
The fact that Mr.. Campbell conid aSN 'uI"
question shows that he has never ihioriie" ,i'-
elf even concerning the elementary piihoip'e'
of Protective tariff.
list WHAT THE BENEFITS ARE
He ouestion assumes, if a tariff IS eVieo o"
.rv class OF goods and their manufacture Is 'he'e-
nv occurred in the United States, that srch Id"
will result in increasing the price OF such soo"'
u. sbouN know that what he is claiming 10 DC
,ru. is not a fact at all. Every Protectlonlst
will tell him that in the case OF MANUFACTURED
goods. without exception we always cheapen SUI"
Foods for the people who consume them /" 'l'o
United States by making them here. deiy MI
Campbell or any else. to name an instance
where such has not been the result. Understand
~. 7 challenge them to name an instance where
The production of large quantity of any klna
Of roods here in the United States has not re-
smiled in lowering the price of those goods so that
the 64O0O,OO0 people in the United o'a'eS
could purchase them great deal cheaper ohan
they ever had previous to building up the III
dustry in this country.
Mr. Campbell's question assumes that tarlh
is levied for the purpose Of protecting and making
rich few manufacturers. That is not true. Inc
main purpose in levying duty is to enaoe our
manufacturers to pay better wages to the men
employed in making goods in the United STATES
far better wages than are paid anywhere else III
the world They are doing this
also challenge contradiction of another state
ment Several millions of people in the United
States are laborng in the production of protected
goods These people get never less than seventy
Der cent more than the same kind OF labor gets
in the Old World In many cases they are get
ting twice much, three times as much. and III
some instances four times as much as is paid for
the same kind Of work elsewhere on the face OF
the earth. The tariff is levied TO protect this
enormous army of working people. and not for
the purpose of benefting the few. This fact
has been stated over and over again, and proved
in thousand instances within the last thirty
years. Is it not true? Why. then, should this
correspondent so frame his question TO take for
granted one Of the most barefaced misstatements
that the Free Traders of the country have been
rpneotipo durinu tho vea ~ Uonp byo
Under our form of civilization people who labor
with their hands for a living get better wages
than are paid in any of the manufacturing cen
tres of the Old World. Hence our laborng people
are able to live on a higher plane. They are en-
abled to consume more Of the necessities of lie
and to enjoy very much more Of the comforts OF
life than the same classes OF people on the other
side Of the ocean. The protective system rccos-
uzes this fact: and laws are so shaped as to
enable people to maintain this high standard of
labor, and at the same time to manufacture In
this country. Our markets are by far the best
markets on the face of the earth. That is simply
so, because the mass of our people get these high
wares and able to purchase and consume vast
amounts of goods Experience has shown us that
if we levy duties so as TO give our own man'i-
facturers control of own markets they
will. by the division Of labor, by tie marvellous
ingenuity of our people, and by the cheapcnhe
process which attends constant operation ana COM
retition. be able 10 pay these high wages, and at
the same time, fdrnlsh goods cheaper than ever
before. and cheaper than they would be now ii
we were not producing them in this country. II
sncb has been the result | submit that such laws
have been for the benefit Of the Ga 100000
neople which include both the laborng men and
our manufacturers | assert again that such
has been the case In every instance
within my knowledge for the last thirty years.
The Mckinley bill raised the duty linen
,abrics, plush goods and tin plate. Here are
three articles which can he taken as a test. Give
our manufacturers a little Tine say two or three
wears from the time when that law went INTO
effect and see whether we do not cheaper the
price of every one of those articles for the con-
sum.rs of the United States. If we do this l
submit to Mr. Campbell that the result VIII slio"
that the law is for the benefit Of all the people
and not merely for the few. | know very well
the Free-Trade theory is that no such thing can
take place But suppose il actually does take
place What then will become Of the theory /?
AMAN PAYS MORE BUT GETS MORE
E. The second question in this letter is Of
precisely the same import as the first IL con-
tains the same assumption that the tarlil laws
compel to pay more for goods thah nc
would be compelled 10 pay if there were no such
laws This much may he true. Mr. Camppe'l
may he able TO go TO London and buy ION vi
steel rails for lees money than he can buy 'ne
,ane rails for in the United States to-day. lHa'
fact does not settle this question at all
| we'll remember when no railroad iron was
made iu the United States. | also remember the
prediction made when the duty was levied on ran
road iron and the industry was started IN '"is
country We were told that the enactment OF
such law would increase the price Of railroad IRON
and would ruin the building Of railroads IN 'Ihs
country. Theoretically that seemed to be true
Practically no statement could have been fnaue
that would have been farther from the Uuth'
From that day down to the present time the price
Of railroad iron and steel rails has been con-
nn4l,- IucoL nnl haNo lnilf rtlII-