The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-03-31
The Cost Of Protection.
Indianapolis Sentinel.

Indianapolis Sentinel
Our attic contemporary, the Crau
fordsyille Journal, thinks that tn
German government is doing a wis
thing in paying bounty on sugs
made in that country and exporte'
from it, and that we ought to do tn
same thing. 1t thinks that the "pol
icy of buying of other nations VIII,
can manufacture things cheaper thai
we can would be capital policy i
we were all millionaires and had fix
ed incomes, but inasmuch as we ar
not We ought to tax ourselves to Civ
ourselves incomes. The thing APP
pears to be automatic to the Journal
for it asks: If We buy our supple
from nations that can manufacture
them cheaper, on account of cheaI
labor. than we can, where will gu
own laborers find employment" Ant
after Eliminating on this proposition
it winds up with this statement o
the case:
"The theory of the Sentinel ant
those who train with it entirely ig
more the consideration that before
poor man can buy be must be abb,
to earn something to buy with. HI
has nothing to sell or exchange 70
what he wants but his labor; and i
is idle 10 propose to him q polio,
that promises him cheap goods a
the expense of sacrifice of the onl,
market in which he can sell his la
Dor II we buy Of other nations an(
Thereby destroy our own industrie,
where will our own laborers find EN-
ploymentf Who will answer thi,
question:
This is a false assumption thai
other nations can produce cheaper
than we can. AS matter OF fact i
is known to everybody that there il
no nation which cannot produc,
enough to support its people cheaper
than any other nation can furnish
support to them. 1t makes no diff
ference how ignorant the people are
or how poorly supplied with the tool:
and processes which science and arr
have devised Where is the nation
that is not selfsupporting, free trade
or tariff, black or white, civilized oil
uneivilized? There is none. All ma
tions supply themselves in some way
and where they are not pushed into
artificial lines by mistaken legisla
ton they always produce that which
they can produce to the greatest ad
vantage. La this particular case
Germany cannot produce sugar as
cheaply as other nations can. The
fact that her rulers have given fhis
bounty is conclusive evidence Of that
Her farmers. who are now raising
sugar beets, have been taken out oil
employment at which they formerly
themselves, and put into
employment at which they are sup
ported by the government. And this
is the universal case of remuneratiye
employment and puts them in unre-
employment, in which
they are supported by taxes levied
on their fellow citizens. This is the
fundamental principle of protection
ism. 1t is conceded by all protec-
tionists. The justification offered fof
it is that after a while these indus
tries will become self supporting, ana
the tax on the remainder of the com
munity will be Withdrawn. But, il
we may believe the political protec-
tionists Of this country, this time
never comes. We have been protect.
ing various Industries for a century,
and we are still informed that if we
do not continue to tax ourselves
these industries will be ruined. The
Sentinel does not believe this. 1t
does not believe there is single in
dustry of any kind in this country
that cannot compete with foreigners
in this country or elsewhere.
1t does not believe that "cheap la
bor' is as cheap as dear labor" or
that it can compete with it anywhere.
But the Journal and other political
protection papers insist that this is
all wrong, and let us suppose for the
that they are right Suppose
that we are in condition where none
Of these industries we have been sup
porting for a hundred years are able
to take care of themselves. Suppose
that the moment the people quit tax
ing themselves to support them the
industries go to pieces, and the work
men are thrown out of employment.
What then? Necessarily this. We
have subjected ourselves to perpetual
taxation to support people who would
have supported themselves if our leg
islation had not put them on an arti-
fetal plane. Ii this be true, certain
ly any country is foolish to start
more industries Of the same kind.
That is exactly what Germany is
doing with its sugar bounty. When
the time for the expiration of the
bounty comes the interested classes
will say, you induced us to go into
this business. You induced us to
buy farm machinery and build sugar
factories-We have built up a great
industry. If you withdraw the boun-
ty the business will go to pieces and
the men will be thrown out of EN-
ployment. That is just what the
sugar planters and refners of this
country are saying today. Hence
you must continue the tax on people
in remunerative employment
to keep others engaged in unremun
erative employment. IL there any
wisdom in starting such an industry
Would any sensible man act that
way in his affairs? And yet this
country is to-day taxing the people
who are earning their living in order
to support others who are engaged
in industries at which they say they
cannot earn living. That is pro-
tectionist theory. AS a matter OF
fact we think the people are taxing
TO build up gigantic for
tunes for manufacturers and mine
owners.
~. Plantation colored
Sx VA people are often
49, 5gA afflicted, as DR..
- = as fla Fenner fou n d
n ~ 'ssE 80 \ when travelling
4 EA#F in the south.