The Globe-republican., 1899-01-12

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The Wheeling (w. Val News sx
presses the belief that protection has
been practically abandoned. and that
another great political battle via
never be fought on that issue. The
reasons for this belief are stated -
follows:
Our industries have long since
passed the swaddling clothes period;
our manufacturers, who ten years ago
were ardent protectionists. are now
confident Of their own ability to COM
pete with the world in the worlds
markets. For the great majority Of
our more important industries. the
tariff duty has ceased to be . protec-
ton; it is simply a tax. and in many
cases a hindrance to the upbuilding OF
foreign trade. The necessities Of rev.
enue will hereafter be the important
consideration In the regulation Of tar
III duties. and in a few years We may
confidently expect to see the complete
disappearance Of the protective pol
ICY"
One by one the Democratic newspa-
pers are taking their cue from Golden
lite headquarters and joining in the as
sertion that protection has outlived Its
usefulness and is about to be aban-
doned by its friends. This line Of ar
gument is now taking the place Of the
abuse and denunciation which free
trade writer's formerly INDUCED in re-
garding the defensive policy. Not SC
about the failure of protection" its
robbery Of the many for the benefit
Of the few" its "destructiveness Of all
possibility of foreign trade expansion"
and all that sort Of thing.
The present attitude of the enemies
Of home development is not so openly
aggressive as before. for it implies a
tacit acknowledgment of the effective
ness Of protection in building up do
nestle industries to the self-sustaining
point. and in enabling American manu-
facturers to successfully invade the
markets Of the world. All this is
necessarily granted. for otherwise
there would be no ground for the con-
tentiOn that the manufacturers them
selves are leading the way In the
movement for a complete abandonment
OF the protective system.
or course. the contention is false
and foolish. but 1t is none the less pop
ular among free traders on that ac-
count. Nobody possessed OF logical
mind and a fairly developed faculty OF
discerning the difference between the
probable and the impossible will fail
to perceive the utter absurdity of a
of $4,000. 5000 safely in hand in ex-
change for $2SS. 0OO. 900 mostly in the
bush. The Northumberland proverb
never contemplated so wild and hope
less disprOpOrtiOn of risk and profit
as that which is expressed in the sur
render to foreign competition Of
s.. OO0. 900 900 worth of home trade for
the possible requirement of a little
more than 3 per cent of that amount
in foreign trade. Yet that is precisely
what is involved In the proposition
that the manufacturing interests Of the
United States are now ready for the
abandonment of protection and the in
of free trade as the Amer
lean policy. II the skies should fall 1t
would be easy enough to catch larks.
Such is the cheerful and expectant
feeling of free traders regarding the
probable course of American industrial
interests. When the manufacturers
are agreed that protection is no longer
requisite for the control of the home
market and the occupation of foreign
markets at one and the same time.
then shall we have free trade. The
Cobdenites are waiting for the skies
to fall.