The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-22
PROTECTION
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BY ABBOT KINNEY

The busy life of Mr.. H. D. Barrows has
evidently prevented him from investi-
eating and thinking out tie economic
and moral pr inciples underlying all forms
of taxation. am sure that Mr.. Barrows
desires to be IN formed on these points
and 1 propose to min, in the most polite
manner in the world, that he peruss
some standard work on political econ
omy. say Mills, Ricardo, Bastiat, Adam
Smith among foreigners; or, among
Americans, the old, reliable Francis
wayland, Prof. Sumner. or perhaps the
brightest and most readable of all, the
very American work of Henry George
on Protection. In fact, any reputable
writer on economics will surely prove of
advantage to Linn.
Like all those VINO stun BILE about in
the perplexing detail Of ex parte assertion
made by the beneiciaries of protection,
Mr.. Barrows evades discussion OF the
great principles violated by the protec-
tive set eme, viz, those of pure econom-
les and those OF morals or pure justice.
A man setting up plan of motion for
the heavenly bodies at variance with the
facts would be in the same mental no.
thoroughfare as the protectionist pro-
tagonist He would be forced to deny the
theory of gravity and set up some state
ment about balloons full of gas going away
from the earth wnen liberated instead of
toward it as proof that no such force as
gravity existed. Such an arguer would
doubtless dispose of the facts an6 princi-
Piles fatal to his fallacy as the theories of
doctrinaires. He would treat Kepler.
Copernicus, Newton, Calico and the
grand galaxy OF astronomers as mental
feather gifts for the balloon to toss
or toy with.
Thus our protectlonist advocates gasbag
Adam Smith. Herbert Spencer, Henry
George and the economic thinkers of the
world. 1 presented the plain statement
that free government cannot justly tax
one portion of community for the BEN
eft of another. That is about as plain a
proposition of justice as anything can be.
1t is msn;fsstly improper for free gov
eminent to favor any person or class.
Such favors cannot be gwen except at
the general expense. The use of the gov
erning power to add to the private gains
Of any person, combination or class is an
abuse. The whole experience OF the
world. Including that of America, is that
the delegation of the taxing power for
private gain or the giving of bounties
and subsidies to private persons from the
public purse is always matter OF lobby
bargain and deal, and ends in pro-
foundly penetrating corruption. 1t Is. in
fact, an immoral economic departure
that substitutes government subsidy and
vile lobbying in the place of industry,
enterprise ands foresight as the incentives
to industry and achieven. ent.
Another point presented was the pre-.
tense of protection on the matter of
wages. The subsidies, taxes and pounties
are all given. delegated and paid by the
government to the rich and powerful.
In no case does the government give
bounty or subsidy to a laboring man.
For his share the laboring man can trust
to luck and hope for the best. This one
strong fact tears down the MASK of pro-
lection. The protected oarons like Car
negie paw their lobby and their corrupt
ionists, in congress, andout for their own
private gain. 1t is absurd to the point
of lunacy to think that tie costly Wash
lngton protection lobby is maintained for
laboring men.
My distinguished critic meets these
plain facts and moral axioms with the
usual bald assertions of protectionists.
mixed up with other matters not at all
to the point. One of these outside ques-
tions is immigration. On this he and 1
can agree. l believe that a quarantine
to secure the national health physically
is a proper function of government. |
also believe that this quarantine function
can be and should be extended to pre-.
serve the national health. both political
and moral. immigration should be
restricted to those physically end NOR
ally healthy. No class of people should
be admitted to our country who from any
duties of freemen in a free country.
All this importation of Huns. Geths
and vandals by the protected barons,
with the concomitants of brass tags and
num bers to designate human beings,
pluck-me stores and degraded stand
ard OF life is a nMstake-nay, more, a
political crime. We of California owe the
| mass of our Chinese to the importations
of our subsidized railroads. If Mr.. Bar
rows desires to apply this proper pro-
tective function of government to the re-
| striction of immigration l am heatily
| with him.
| So, also, We can agree that charity
should commence at home. But when
| he advocates federal tax charity to great
| com binatipns Of capital like our trans
| continental railroads, or to the iron and
coal barons of Pennsylvania, we disa-
gree. Mr.. Barfows thinks that wise
| protective system could increase our pro-
|
protective system with its corrupting
lobby and privileged class. All protective
systems absolutely reduce the indIvidu-
ality, self reliance and productive power
! of those who suffer from them. 10 better
instance of this effect exists than the
present stagnation of the inventors of
gunpowder. of the compass. the pump.
etc, in the Chinese empire, after cent lr-
les of the highest protection ever carried
| out. The result is moral decreptitude,
industrial stagnation and intellectual de-
cay. We can there note the blighting
effect of false system and perceive the
magnitude of the protective handicap to
race so far advanced when thcs ruled
out of the worlds progress.
The comp OK character of the rebates,
bounties anu delegation OF taxes of the
Mckinley system might vol confuse any
one. We have. however. most fortunate.
ly. a very clear illustration of protective
taxation of the many for the few in oui
recent laws: one, indeed, that those O