Year: 1870

COMMERCE-AMERICAN SHIPPING.


Everybody talks about the Tariff, its injuri-
ous and beneficial effects and yet but few very few,
ever the trouble to inquire into its origin and the
principles upon which it is based


A tariff for revenue" has in it principle and in
wolves satemanshp. savage, when he. is hungry,
goes into the for game 10 satisfy his hunger the
needy man. when in want of money raises 1t as he best
cam and the Government experiencing the same wants.
follows instinct which prompts the savage and
the needy man. and supplies its wants by imposing what
is familiarly denominated ga tariff for revenue Ihe
statesman however looks upon tariff from an entirely
different stand point and the great principles which
should guide him in imposing duties upon foreign I'M
portations should not be- and in fact not in any
way controlled by the condition Of the Treasury True,
after having imposed such imports upon foreign manu-
features the principle Of Protection demands he is
then guided by necessity and expedency; and he pro-
ceeds TO levy additional duties the wants OF the
Treasury require taking TO stop short at point
which may defeat his purpose Of revenue by killing
the goose which lays the golden In carrying out
the principle of Protection however there need he no a
prebensons this regard and they existed they
are not to he regarded.


Now what Protection and who and what is to be pro-
tected hy wise and staesnankc egisatiOn9 This ques
ton rarely asked, and less frequently inegby ana
honestly answered The Frcetrader tells us, 1t is the
manufactures and the mOnopois who are alone protect
ed bya tariff; and although majority of the people are
made TO believe there truth in this assertion, ut
is nothing more vet such the benefits of Protective
Tariff and so manifest they the least rejecting por
tions OF the people large majority ofthem very
decided supporters of Tariff for Protection They act as
their fathers taught them right and patriotic; but
they do not sufficiently often analyze the PTf"cPeS III
vOlved in a Protective Tariff.


IL is not true high duties any duties whatever
are imposed the benefit Of the manufacturer ana tOr
him alone On the contrary, in carrying out OF the
great principle which underes the Protective Tariff the


1ara nd IL
regarded except the humble instrument necessarily
used in illustrating the principle upon which our fathers
as statesmen and political economists determined 10
bud ND the United States of America and secure to the
greatest number Of the people the greatest happiness
with our boundess arabic land and great extent
of seacoast required prophet to imbue them with
conviction that we were destined become great agTi-
cultural and commercial nation and that to accomplish
our destiny our Agriculture and shipping required the
fostering care of Government Consequently we flnd
prominent in the early legislation of the country mpots
laid upon fabrics Of foreign manufacture, in order that
similar articles might be manufactured amoog ourselves;
and by thus employing large portion OF the people
create consumers OF the products of Agriculture and
home market for the tdrmer. Agriculture was per
ceived TO be the basis of the nations prosperity ana
greatness it was to occupy the thoughts and give en-
ployment to the energies Of the great bulk OF the
American people, at all times and under all cir.
cumstances and 10 secure their prosperity-the
prosperity Of the American farmer-it was
absolutely necessary that a large clasIp OF the
people should bedrawn from the cultivation OF the SOL
and made consumers instead Of being all producers OIL
agricultural products because one man can produce
more than five can consumer, and II all or too many
continued 10 be producers there necessarily could he no
steady and certain home market at rcmunerang prices
TO the producer. There was profound wisdom ana
practical craftsmanship in all this and hence from the
BEGINNING, comparatively high duties were imposed
upon all of foreign fabric not for the benefit OF


the manufacturer but for the purpose of protecting the
interest of GgrieulurSt by creating home market
for the farmer and thereby rendering him prosperous
and independent.


Having thus provided for the farming interest our
Fathers next turned their attention to our commerce.
And at an early day they determined that to secure to
us entire independence Europe and at the same time
divert large class from farming 10 the WORKSHOP there
TO be fed and cared for, vessel should sail under
American coors which not an American bottom-ln
other words that was built in the United States.


What was this Tariff for the protection OF ship
buidugl An actual prohiJitOry tariff And 1t was
wise TO enact prohbiory tariff 10 secure to us monop
oily of this business and 10 mechanics remuneraVe
prices aud to farmers home market by thus feed-
ing the thousands thus distracted from the SOIL and over
production thereby prevented-whO shall argue that it


would not rise If necessary for the interests OF
agriculture prohibit aRy other description OF mpOrta
tonsl may not import ships, because the interests
OF our people independence and greatness as
nation forbid il and should and so II ever Will De-
other matters when II Is rendered clearly
what the interests OF the people and the Nation re-
ouir The Traderthose who deal In foreign fabrics
and seek 20 find market for them in the United States,
10 the exclusion Of American productions and thereby
force sn our people in workshops back upon the
so-wi OF course protest against this doctrine, and
strive 10 render it unpopular with the peoDe. 1t is his
right so 10 do With the exception Of some honest and de-
nded converts among ourselves these Free Traders are
working in the interest of England who aspres TO become
the panufacturer Of the world and will become II
our neople suffer themselves TO be guled by her.


Sir Robert Peel, when advocating the Repeal Of the
Corn Laws in the British Parliament told that body
that the great Of the capital OF England the richest
country on EARTH had been forced into manufactures
and that being there and mmOyable, homecOmpeuton
had made England the cheapest manufacturer III the
world He gravely stated that the pduer Id0or Dy Wcn
her manufactures are carried on had no fixed value at
tached TO IL but that it, price was just that sum per day
which would purchase sufficient TO Keep Dody ana SOU
together He therefore urged the Repeal OF the Corn
Laws the duties imported Food OF all KINDS oe
cause the manufacturer could and would reduce wages
according to the reduction in the price OF food-gvine
the manufacturing labOTer more than was necessary
TO sustain life. Parliament the wisdom OF the pro-
eeeding and members justified 1t regarded the pau
per manufacturing labor OF England, because the
rate Of labor just what was barely sufficient Sir
Robert had told them 10 keep body and soul together and
therefore IL mattered nothing TO the abOrcr, whether


free gde fn c0rn did did exist; while the reduc-
ton OF the prce Of food TO the manufactures would