The Forrest City times., 1892-03-25
EVILS OF THE TARIFF.
Important Industries That Can Not Be
 Protected.


 The organ of the American Pro- tective Tariff league delivers a series of short sermons" on the tariff. The organ reaches the conclusion that 'raw material" is material upon which labor has been expended; therefore to make raw material free is to leave the labor expended n its production un- protected. Free ore and coal mean ruin to the miner Free wool means ruin to the sheep raiser. Free lum- ber free salt. free this and free that each means ruin to some American industry. Tho conclusion is that protection protects everything from the moment the hand of man first touches it up to its highest and most finished manufacture.
 Very good. The intelligent Tree trader will not deny that the producer of raw material is as much entitled to protection as the producer of any thing else, but he does most emphati- cally deny that protection protects everything" There are many things including some of the most important products of American industry says the Chicago Herald, that tariff .protec- ton does not and cannot protect The Mckinley economists now make it their boast that under the new tarif more than 90 per cent of our imports are admitted free. That does not look like protecting everything.
 It will not do to say that the free imports are not produced in the coun- try. and therefore there are no home producers to protect Many free ar- ticles are produced in the country. There is raw cotton for instance. There is no tariff on that and no pro- tection for those who produce from S250. 000 900 to $500, 600. % worth of cotton every year. Why do the Mckinley economists refuse to pro- tcct the producers of this valuable crop by means of tariff tax? The only answer they can possibly make without confessing their injustice to cotton growers is that tariff tax would not protect these producers. And the answer is true. Protection not only does not but cannot protect the cotton grower. The reason is be- cause he always produces more than he can sell in the home market He must sell large part of his product in foreign markets. and what he can get there, less freight, he can get at home. He can get no more at home because no one will pay him 10 cents a bale more for cotton to be worked up in American Mills than for cotton to be worked up in foreign mills. He can get no more than the prices re- sulting from the world wide competi- ton.
 But while he has no protection he is forced to contribute to the protec- ton of those who do not produce a surplus for export and who can there fore add part or all of the tax laid on the imported article to the price of their own product In like manner the producers of wheat corn, pork and other exportable articles get no protection from the tariff and cannot get any because. no matter what the tariff they must sell at the worlds prices made by worldwide competi- tion. They are not protected, but they like the producers of cotton, must pay exorbitant prices for the protection of others who are neces- sarily less important producers be- cause they do not produce enough to supply the home demand.
 Protection does not and cannot pro- tect all alike. and that is why it is iriquitous and utterly out of place in a country which professes to extend equal rights and privileges to all and special favors to none.