The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-14


goods; the governments places tariff upon
those foreign goods whose manufacturers
undertake by cheap labor to steal the
American market from the American man
ufacturer, who. having the raw materials,
can through the exclusion Of the foreign
manufacturer in time establish bis indus
try and then the multiplication of interior
competition forces down the price and
makes the American manufacturer CON-
petitor in foreign markets for our share Of
the trade of the world.
We did not under the Mckinley tariff
tar sugar, because it is not product that
we can ever hope to make national indus
try. but We did levy tariff on steel rails
in 1850 when we didn'. produce 8 single
rail. Protection, through the multiplied
ton of interior competition. has cut down
the price Of steel rails enormously, re-
ducsd the price of steel and iron in all its
forms. and we are the first producers OF
iron and steel In the world to-day. The
American ak and plow has conquered the
English and continental market. With
the exception OF those articles which We
cannot for physical reasons produce in this
country. there is not single thing which
the farmer buys which Is not cheaper
than 1t was under tho revenue tariff
save labor, and cheaper because of the de-
velopment of hons industries through
protection. The increased duty on linseed
oil and cotton ties cd nc. increase their
price. but full proleoEan attracted so
much capital to these industries that by
increased interior competition prices were
reduced to the consumer.
IL this be ''patsrnalism" then make the
most Of it; Ii has reduced the cost of prices
on everything the farmer buys save
labor. Has the farmer or labor ANY kick
coming" against the Mckinley tariff
Paternalism is a very wide term, and so is
protection. There is paternalism pushed
TO the verge of bsdlam, and protection, of
course, has been and may be again mis-
directed and misapplied, as it certainly
was by both the Mills bill and the Wilson
bin. both Of which gave US taxed sugar
and free wool. To tax sugar was the mis-
direction aud misapplication Of protection,
because we never can hope to compete
with the sugar-making countries of the
world, for while coal, iron ore and lime
stone as fiux are widely distributed
raw materials which justified the applica-
ton of protection to build up a great ma
in spots in our country. and its productive
capacity is limited and cannot be in
creased. So under the Mckinley tariff of
| 1900 protection to sugar was treated as an
error and was wisely abandoned. Tho
people. instead of paying $50. 600 900 year
for taxed sugar, have ander the Mckinley
tariff paid q bounty to American sugar
makers that has not exceeded SIC. 0oo. 600
year. This bounty was a compromise
with the opposition TO free sugar, and We
saved at least SO. 900 600 year.
| IL protection 10 American industries, 20
| the advantage of both the American
/ farmer and the manufacturer in the crea-
alton and preservation of his home mar
ket. is ''paternslism. then Thomas Jeifer-
son, the father of the Democracy, was
false to his own philosophy when he de-
Tended the protective policy. Thomas
/ Jefferson was certainly the determined foe
! Of gross paternalism in government II there
! ever was one. and yet he did not consider
! that protection 20 national manufactures
was q proper subject for denunciation, for
In his message OF 1892 he included among
the primary objects of government pro
/ lection Of the manufactures adapted TO
! our circumstances" and III 1906 Jefferson
urged upon congress the necessity of
maintaining protection As q national poll
| icy. Referring 10 the surplus in the treas
ury, Jefferson recommended that IL be de-
voted TO the great purposes of public
education, roads, rivers and canals, and
such other objects Of public improvements
as 1t may be thought proper to add to the
constitutional enumeration Of Federal
powers"
SO far from proposing TO deal with the
subject by proposing TO put the products
| OF foreign industry on the tree list JefFer.
son declined 20 do this, saying: shall We
| give that advantage 10 foreign over domes-
tie manufactures In 1912 Jefferson, in
public letter. replying TO the criticism Of
the policy OF protection 70 American In.
| dnstries a. Chinese policy" called il an
"ahssra hue and cry" and further sr-
| pressed bis views as follows: Their doc
| trine goes 10 the extent Of sacrificing agrl-
culture and manufactures 90 commerce, TO
the calling Of all our people from the In
terror 10 the seashore 20 turn merchants,
and 70 convert this great agricultural
| country into = city OF Amsterdam. Bat
| trust the good sense Of our country will
see that It's greatest prosperity depends on
due balance between agriculture. manu-.
/ features and commerce"
Gen. jackson. another idol OF the Dem
oerscy that deaouaess protection as IN
| constitutional, VAS = prosecsonist in 1874
and ISIS. and in ISIS expressed his salts.
faction With the protective tariff OF Isss,
for which he had voted when in congress-
II protcstlon he paseFnAlism then Jsfsr-
san. the great Democratic champion OF the
indivsaaallssie conception Of tas functions
oi government as opposed 90 those Os
Hamilton. d.a net know whAt paternAlIsm
J meAnl for he advocated protection IN q