The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-16
PROTECTION A BACK NUMBER

ni,qIev protective tariff law has been
confounding 20 the free traders, ana aI'er
ouoting a paragraph from a recent article
in this paper on the subject of protecuon'
saws that If The Times will only refer 10
the official figures showing the increased
foreign trade under the operation OF the
Dingley law. It will come TO the concur
sion either that that law IS not protec-
tive tariff law. or it will confess that pro-
lection does not operate as a Chinese
wall and adds:
That IL is a protective measure inc
Times has time and again charged ina
under it our foreign trade has grea''y III
creased The Times cannot deny
Tho Dingley tariff law has not con-
founded the free traders. as our conteh-
norarv Is pleased to designate those VINO
believe in a revenue tariff, but il tns
operation Of that law has not utterly
COMPOUNDED the protectionists and ami
bnated the protection principle, then we
do not understand their recent argument
about foreign markets. trade expansion
and so on. The home market idea as
everybody knows, IS the backbone ot-the
protection theory why a tariff at all!
because. said the protectionists, we OF
this country cannot compete with the
pauper labor of Europe, for to 90 so
would be TO put our labor on plane with
the paupers of Europe and TO reduce our
men and their wages to that level. There
fore they oontendel always that there
,uust be a tariff sufficiently high to meet
tive difference between wages in this
country and wages in Europe. And so
the Mckinley tariff bill was passed and
later on the Dingley tariff bill, and all
other measures Of that character
But what do the facts show? In spite
fthese contentious of the protectionists
We have been shipping iron and steel ana
the PRODUCTS of iron and STEEL ana all
sor.s of manufactures into the European
,oarkets. there to compete with the man
ufacturcs Of "pauper labor IN Europe
II &c only a few days ago that MI An
drew Carnegie declared that steel could
no made in Pittsburg and delivered any
,vhera on earth cheaper than it can be
made at any point across the Atlantic
we have made such strides in manutac-
turing that we have overstockei our
market and the protectonists have no"
oho,doned the home market idea' and
arc contending that we must have Tor
o,,p market for our surplus products
Mr. Blaine foresaw this when he startled
the country with his reciprocity idea
which was nothing more or less than free
trade in certain directions.
Now then. having confessed that we
cannot live within ourselves, and that we
must have foreign markets. the Republ'
cans have confessed everything, for If we
car compete with the world, there is no
need Of a high tariff and If we are going
in n occupy foreign markets, we should
remove every barrier and should do
everything in our power to cultivate the
most friendly trade relations with the
nations of the earth. We should keep
ourselves safely out Of all sorts OF for
eien entanglements. We should 90 TO all
nations with the outstretched hand OF
friendship and liberalty. We should in
vito them TO trade freely with us In order
that we may enjoy the privilege of trad
ing freely with them.
our Harrisonburg contemporary speaks
of the wonderful increase in our foreign
trade. Quite 50. But does it pretend 10
say that our export trade has been helped
by the Dlngley tariff? Is it prepared to
say that our export trade would not have
been greater had there been no such
thing as a protective tariff? We say that
our foreign trade has grown in spite OF
the Dingley tariff. and we say that If
there is a country upon tho face Of the
earth to-day that is interested in the
freest possible trade between nations,
that country IS the United states.