The herald., 1894-05-10
PROTECTION AND FREE TRADE.
The Debating Society at Unity
Church.
Hazard and Post Lock Horns in
Discussion.
An Evening Spent I'm Listening to an Ex-
p1anstion of tho Views of what
These Gsntlemen Consider
Political Principles.

church last evening to hear the discus
sion on Protection and Free Trade be-
tween Hon. Louis F. Post, the advocate
OF the teachings of Henry George, and
ex-Mayor Henry f. Hazard.
The chairman. Ralph E. Hoyt, intro
duced the speakers, stating that they
would discuss the merits of protection
and absolute free trade as presented by
Mr.. Post. while Mr.. Hazard was the ad-
yocate OF protection.
The frat speaker was Mr.. Post, who
began by saying he believed thoroughly
in free trade. Some years ago he told g
printer who owned lot to put in his
spare time digging cellar. The printer
said he could dig it better with his COM
posing stick than with o shovel. That
remark contained the whole philosophy
OF time. Trade was the absolute master
Mankind was always making roads to
make trade easier. Railroads, ships
had been built that trade might be cas-
Ter; that people might secure great re-
suits with less effort. Trading ia
naturally voluntary, and there was
no law to compel free trade.
The condition OF free trade ia that man
is absolutely at liberty to trade where
he will. The question to discuss was
free trade or no trade. Protection YVES
interference with the natural laws OF
trade-acts Of congrsss which restricted
men from trading where they pleased.
American protection WAS a tax put on
goods. If the tariff is for revenue it is
partial protection, and to the extent that
the goods come in, to that extsnt it does
not protect. People who want that kind
of goods must pay the additional duty.
Protective tariff ia better method for
monopolies than the system of Civ
ing bounties to our manufacturers.
Protection is an old evil imported from
Europe and is found in the octroi OF con-
tinental cities. If it is good thing to
prevent foreign competition, it should
be equally good to have protection be-
tween states, counties, eities and vii
lages. 1t ia for the benefit of monopoly
that protection is established Free
trade enables the lsborer to compete
with the world. The benefit of protsc-
land that raises the oranges, and the
benefit is reaped by the men who raise
the oranges.
cussion, and said in substance that the
illustration of the printer who could
dig the cellar easier with his composing
stick. The old day of barter and ex-
change. To-day it is cold blooded pur-
chase and sale. If the nations honestly
met one another then he would be ready
to eulogize these theories. The medium
of trade is coin, and the printer without
his composing stick would stsrve. One
unscrupulous man in q community of
barter and exchange would wipe hia fell
lows off the face of the earth in his
search for the almighty dollar. Take
the early days of California when this
land was filled with q generous people.
They traded and bsrtered, and when
the Yankees came they wanted money
and mortgages followed and the ranch
erias disappeared. Free trade takes
from our country the tools and imple-
ments of trade. How much more IN
iquitous it is to see the money of the
country going across the sea as result
of the impending importation of the
goods of the cheap labor of Europe.
The protectionist proposes that the
industries of this land shall be-
fostered, and this policy was made
part of the law OF the land before Wash
ington was president, and for that rea-
son it is American protection. Every
time it has been sought to introduce free
trade in this country we have been
visited by periods of direst depression
such as we are passing through today.
How can American labor compete with
the pauper labor of Europe? The bal
ance of trade sgainBt nation means
times of depression for that land. a. few
men in New York can tie up all the gold
in this country. Free trade has direct
tendency to take the money out of q new
country, and when the factories close it
is because of anticipated cheap foreign
competition and ths laborers join the
army bearing the strange device ION to
Washington" Our manufacturers pay
taxes and their obligations to our gov
ernment and the maker of foreign goods
does not pay these obligations to US
under free trade and ia thus given an
awful advantage over home in.
dustries. There is no bar to
any man being manufacturer
in this country. We formerly paid over
500 ton for steel rails to English
manufacturers. With protection we
have built up these industries and we do
not pay one-third of that price to our
mh6uLhCtuEGIns w AO2 tA0 phuk OI
England finds the money going out of
the country it raises the rate of ex-
change and brings the money back.
The tariff 10 to us as the rate of ex-
change when we consider our factories.
Every article we buy that has been
made in Liverpool, Londen or Paris,
sends just so much money out OF the
country that might have hSsa expended
in our own land.
MIR. Post stated the argument was that
we must protect ourselves frem tae fer
eign manufacturers. We are not COM
PEELED to buy them, so that the policy is
to prevent tho American buyer from
buying these goods. AS to eur infant
industries they are bald headed and the
wind blows through their whiskers. The
protection of buyer against getting
goods that he cannot get without money
is likened unto protecting babe. While
steel rails fell in price in the United
States under tariff they fell in Eng
land without tariff. Tho tariff had
nothing to do with it, as it was the
Qoanapar ataal Dr0paaa Ta hod on o..