Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-04-03
PROTECTION is NOT NEEDED.
ny Henry ware Allen. Ell raso, Tex.

positive advantages to the industries |
protected, the ultimate effect of this |,
stimulus, except where combinations |
for the purpose of preventing domestic
competition have been affected, has
becn to attract increased competition,
to force production beyond its normal
limit and so to do more harm than
good to the branches of trade affected.
Where competition has had free play,
any special privilege to the American
manufacturer has been dissipated by
the natural factors Of supply and de-
mand. When a manufacturer pays duty
on raw material, he adds this duty to
the selling price of his product, Of
course; but he gets no more special ad
vantage from having to pay this un
! naturally high first cost than he would
get by having TO pay excessively high
| rates for rent, fuel, or wages. So that
this prejudice against manufacturers,
which exists especially in the West, is
NOT we'll founded.
That the manufacturers interested in
/ this league expect to benefit directly
or indirectly by the advent Of free
| trade will not be denied. The ad.
vantages which they aim to secure by
absolute free trade, however, are not
intended TO he secured at the expense
of any other interest, by the granting
of special privileges, or by any fayors
whatsoever of the government. What
they would DO is simply to remove the
unjust and discriminating taxes which
| hamper trade. The motto Of the league
might we'll be Live and let live.
The same iduu is expressed by the
motto il has adopted, Equal Rights
to All, Special Privileges to None. "
A curious phase of economic incon-
sistoncy on the part of upholders of
custom houses is illustrated by their
zeal in advocating the annexation Of
foreign domains They annex the
Sandwich Islands, Porto Rico the
Philippines, and would annex Cuba,
Mexico, and Canada. Yet these same
patriots would spare neither naval eX-
trnvugance nor the lives of armed
guards in keeping out, so far as pos
sible, these countries products at the
present.time. They instinctively realize,
in spite of their economic creed, that,
as free trade over the mighty domain
of the United States is clearly a benefit
to all concerned, free trade over n larger
area would he proportionately more de
sirablc: but with foreigners never !!
Their only alternative is to secure this
free trade by the clumsy method of
/ llllhlIE pN-tlliEtllh VI ltlt NIEhl
makers of Cuba, the miners of Mexico
or the mongrcl population Of Hawaii
The narrowing of trade to our home
market" is not business proposition,
and is advocated only by those lingo
patriots who are on principle opposed
to everything foreign simply because
, it is foreign, and those trusts which
by means of protection" are munopo.
LIKING the home market. Those pseudo
Tatriotio fraternities, homo market
, clubs, have reason enough &c be salts.
fed with our present tariff law.
{ Numerous manufacturing industries in
New England, having prohibited the
| Newfoundland coal supply, have NJ
/ alternative hut 10 shut down theii
works, as many have done, or to gel
their supply in the Pennsylvania
"home market" at unnaturally higf
cost. The importation of Mexican ORES
, being heavily taxed American capita
: has been forced over into Mexico Il
build shelters there. True, this ha
/ taken millions upon millions of dollar
n away from American manufacturers
4 but it has served admirably in givin,
n 'home market" distinction to u fey
of our mining camps. The tariff wa
precipitated by our recent tariff reform
i, enactment has also caused European
powers - boycott certain of our stapl
A products, but American live stock ma.
thereby feel more secure in the prospec
a of having thor ca rcasses strung up in
home narket and, il the sugar trus
n is felt to DO n trifle oppressive, on
national pride may no BATTERED b
! knowing that it, like the steel raj
trust, the lead trust, the whisky trust
the cordage trust, and the bicycl
n trust, is product of our home market
American manufacturers have i
Ia times past, with great expense an
risk, succeeded in establishing certai
" channels of trade with foreign countrie
only TO have an American congress,
please some political party, clap on
new tariff which has entirely upst
trade conditions and ruined large II
II vcstmcnts. These acts of commerce;
"a hostility on the part of our govern
w ment have then been followed by +,
IA taliatory tariffs on the part of aggrievc
n nations, thus running or greatly il
az iurng other channels of trade. Thei
~ after commerce had again adapte
itself to new conditions, another set
l., politicians at Washington has provide
i, new schedules, and so made an entire
:" new adaptation again necessary, al
,u so on.
N Year after year the tariff has been
On football for political parties, a pla.
~ thing and stock in trade of politician
:, while commercial interests have Lee
!" ieopardized, sacrificed, ruined, OF
i, manufacturers having accepted tin
" interference with commerce as an i
~, evitable condition.
az But the American Free Trade Leag1
'' is an expression of an awakened co
"A seriousness Of natural rights; it is
~ new Declaration Of Independence.
~ large manufacturer said not long al
4 in an address delivered before Il
y, Kansas City Commercial Club: ct
ins pretensions and the usurpation
70 politics have grown apace in Il
,n0 United States until every business
~ the country is subjected to the
4 capricious control. There turks
!. danger in this condition of alTai
,t which cannot be overestimated.
ar matters have come to such n pass tn
important interests which have groi
up under long established law a
ruthlesSly torn down; il the securi
nv of capital invested in mills, in ra
!, 4 roads, in the building up of towns,
os,' endangered: nay, if the commerce
n tween nations can be destroyed for
our sole purpose of political reward or q
her vantage it is indeed timo that I
, M business mon Of the country shot
assert their rights. -
It. Hon. Tom IL. johnson defined I
attitude Of Legitimate American mar
featuring interests in speech deliver
lay in the House of Representatives
mic January 1894, in which he said;
ing THAT you can injure industry a
3D. hurt labor by abolishino tariff tn,