Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1892-09-28
TARIFF PRIMER.
The Subject Made Plain; by ID. II. Girls
SOM.

PROTECTION DOES NOT CHEAPEN GOODS.
QUEsTIoN-Do not protectionists claim
that protection cheapens protected goods?
AYswER-Yes, they claim this, but the
claim is not good, and the protectionists
themselves know it The very purpose of
imposing high protective duties on goods
is to increase the price and make it very
profitable to manufacture them in this
country.
Q. Yes that is true, but do not the high
duties encourage the manufacture of the
protected goods in this country, stimulate
competition among our manufacturers, and
so, in the end, cheaper prices?
A. Thai is the proiectionst theory, but
they do not really believe in it themselves.
New inventions and improved mechanical
and chemical processes in manufacturing
these cheaper prices, but high protective
duties do not. The idea is absurd. If our
protected manufacturers are so anxious to
compete with one another, and lower the
prices of goods, why should they be so averse
to a little competition on our own soil, with
foreign manufacturers, three or four thou
sand miles distant?
o. What are your reasons for asserting
that the protectioni,ts themselves do. not
believe in the cheapening effect of proiec-
tive policy?
A. One is that the protected interests, af-
ter twenty eight years OF protection, are
asking for still higher protective duties
Another is that some of them are admitting
that they cannot afford to pay protective
duties on raw materials, and are asking
Congress to allow them free trade in these
materials, so as to enable them to manu-
facture their goods cheaper. The manu-
facturers of iron pipe and other metallic
goods in Massachusetts, are complaing that
the duties on coal, ore and pig iron so in
crease the cost of making their goods that
they will have to abandon their business
unless these duties are removed; and when,
few months ago, Western members
OF Congress proposed to place protective
duty on foreign hides, which are now i'm
ported free, the leather goods manufacturers
and shoe makers OF Massachusetts protested
that such duty on hides would increase
the price, and be II severe tax on their bus
mess
The fact that protection does not cheaper
prices, but on the contrary, makes them
higher, is confessed by Hon. VIM. McK;n-
ley, Jr., of Ohio; one of the most distin-
guished protectionist authorities in the last
Congress. This gentleman, in presenting
the new tariff bill in the House, stated that
it increased the protective duties on woolen
goods, and justified the increase, because
the bill also increased the duties on wool.
The wooden manufacturers would have to
pay higher prices for their WOOL and must
therefore, have higher prices for woolen
goods. In the same speech he stated that
the bill increased the duty on tin pla,e and
admitted this would increase the price of
fruit cans and other tnware These admis-
sions show plainly enough that, even in
the opinion of protecionists, protection
makes the protected articles dearer, instead
of cheaper, not only Mt the beginning but
all the time.
O. fit were true that protection cheap
ems goods, would not goods be cheal er here
than in countries where that policy does
not prevail?
A. They would, certainly.
@. Well, what is the fact?
A. The fact is just the opposite. We
have been protecting sugar, rice and salt,
three necessaries of life, with very high
duties for nearly thirty years-and yet,
sugar, salt and rice cost twice as much
here as in free trade England-and tools,
cloth, clothing, blankets, glassware, earth
enware and in short, all protected manu-
features. are much dearer here than there.
An English inventor has introduced