Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-10-04
GETTING TANGLED.
SOME FRIENDS OF PROTECTI On
LED FROM THE RIGHT TRACK.

An Impracticable Idea That Cannot
Reneflt the American Farmer
Forests, Mines and Factories Must
BE Included-Protectlon Has En-
abled the Construction or Ameri-
can Steamers.
Representatives of the Atlantic
coast shipping interests met in Phila-
delphia to take action toward "secur-
ing equitable protection, through
National legislation, for agriculture
and shipping" Among the resolu-
tions passed was the following:
Resolved, That since neither Of the two
great unprotected industries can derive any
benefit from tariff on imports, we call
upon Congress to equalize the protection
system by extending to agricultural staples
and American shipping in the foreign trade
that Just measure of protection to which
they are entitled, as long as protection is the
controlling and public policy of this Nation.
and that this be done by an export bounty
on the staples of agriculture and to Ameri-
can shipping in the foreign trade, either by
bounty on tonnage or differential duty
which shall discriminate in favor OF American
and against foreign ships all to the end that
rest oration may be brought about of our
merchant marine and that the independent
land-owning farmers of the Nation may not
be driven into bankruptcy and ruin by the
competition Of the cheap land and labor
countries of the world
This resolution is incorrect. Both
the agricultural and shipping indus
tries can derive benefit from tariff
on imports. 1t was by tariff on iii.
ports, discriminating tarlif, that the
American shipping interests were once
SC. .rveperous. BY similar tariff, ON
imports, discriminating tariff, Ameri-
can shipping interests can again be re-
stored. And we are heartily in fa-
vor of the renewal of this policy.
which is SO simple and so thoroughly
effective.
To say that the agricultural indus
tries OF the country derive no benefit
from tariff on imports is equally un-
true. What has been the experience
of farmers who grow wool or hops, for
instance? The necessity for protec-
tive tariff on foreign farm products
will become more and more apparent
with each coming year as the farm
supplies of India, Australia, South
America and Russia increase in guam
tity and seek markets for their surplus.
We believe In giving both to agri-
culture and to shipping "that just
measure of protection to which they
are entitled" but we do not believe
in doing SO to the exclusion OF the
products of our forests, our mines or
ignored by the shipping and agricul-
tural representatives at Philadelphia.
But where would the money come
from to pay such n bounty?
Our farm products are the finest in
the world, rs are the products of our
shipyards, the manufactures of our
shipbuilders. Mr.. Charles H. Cramp,
the great ship manufacturer of Phila-
delphia. does not believe it would be a
good thing if the United States were
manufacturing country alone. We
quite agree with Mr.. Cramp and we
are glad that we are able to produce
almost every article of consumption
that is necessity and comfort to
our daily life.
As Mr.. Cramp we'll knows, we can
build in this country steamships second
to none in the world. 1t is equally
true of our sailing vessels. The idea
that we. cannot build iron vessels is
rubbish. We have the iron and we
have the steel in abundance and of
the best quality. 1t was not SO much
the superiority of the iron and steel
vessels that caused the English ship
yards to give up building wooden ves-
sells as it was their inability to secure
an abundant supply of the proper kind
of timber needed in shipbuilding at
as low cost rs they could procure the
iron and the steel. The English ship
builders were looking for cheapness
in construction. That was the gen.
eral reason why they abandoned
wooden ships and gave the preference
to those built of iron and steel. With.
out protection to our iron and steel
interests Mr.. Cramp would not to-day
be able to manufacture the splendid
specimens of naval architecture OF
which his shipping yards are capable.