New Britain herald., 1914-08-22
COURANT SACRIFICING FACTS
 FOR POLITICS.
FACTS

We continue our surprise that the New Britain Herald should be preaching free trade in these strenu- ous days, which demonstrate so clear ly that, if we had not had protection, We should today be helpless instead of being better off than any other peo pie in this world disturbance.
 Tt is surprising to find free traders talking out loud anywhere, but to find one in New Britain is going some. Why, if we had not had the protec tive policy in this country, New Brit ain, one of the most successful and progressive communities in the state would be today, as it was years ago, a COW pasture. Just two things have turned those fields into a bustling town known all over the civilized world. One is the protective policy, and the other is able, honest and forceful citizens, who knew how to make use of their opportunity.
 ''The best of men. could not have built up the city of New Britain with out the tariff to protect the develop ment of their business. But, given that tariff, the right sort of men sprang up there and what they have accomplished is all the more remark able when it is compared with the de- velopment of other Connecticut cen- ters where natural facilities were so much greater.
 "As we said before, New Britain is no place in which to preach Tree rade."-Hartford Courant.
 There is no one preaching free trade in New Britain, no one wants 1t so far as we know, no one has said it was wanted, there Is no one talking about it except the Courant and that has been done evidently for the pur- pose of trying to distract the atten- ton of the people from the main 1s- sue. The Herald is a believer in pro- lection when it is needed, it has al- ways held this view, but what 1t ob- jects to is the effort made to make people believe that the new tariff is an injury to the prosperity of this country; and were 1t not for the wal in Europe a great many people would have believed it; but notwithstanding that, the Courant wants the public to swallow it even now. The policy of protection is that European countries goods cheaper than we do in America and in order that we may be able to preserve our own market for ourselves and employ our own people the government enacts tariff law, placing a certain duty upon goods made abroad so that the low cost shall not place the American manufac cturer at a disadvantage. That is sensible way to look at the propo- sition and the application of that idea has undoubtedly been the means of building up New England and particu- larly New Britain, though it would suit here were it not for the energy, the persistence and farsightedness of the men who were in immediate charge of the business in this city.
 The late Philip Corbin, who in his early days was his own salesman, did not bank so much on the tariff as he Olu on Ills OWL aDllIIy IO make DeCIeT goods than any one else, so that when he sought an order he told the. prospective purchaser that he would make him a superior article, he did so and got the order. But for the sake of argument we will admit that if the tariff did not protect him he could not have undersold his foreign competitor That, however, was many years ago and the ambition to make better goods than anyone else, which was so characteristic of Mr. Corbin, has been going on ever since; this country is manufacturing better arti- cles now than any other country and with our improved machinery and skilled labor we make them for less money. There were number of people who did not know this until the Flu ropean war broke out and the Courant does not seem to know it yet, but when shipping ceased because of a fear of unfriendly interference on the ocean we found that business had been injured here because of the loss of the foreign trade and that 1t was