Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1882 — THE TARIFF. [ARTICLE]

THE TARIFF.

Arguments Which Protectionists Furnish to England. Senator Beek has received a letter from ex-Gov. Seymour, directing his attention to the effect that the policy of protection is likely to have upon the policy of foreign nations in their deal, ings with us. Touching this question Senator Beck said to a correspondent at Washington the other day: The taunts of the advocates of protection and restriction that we who advocate a revenue tariff are working in the interest of English free-traders, and that our policy would tend to destroy or to cripple American industries, are absurd. We could with far more justice charge that they have entered into a conspiracy with the landed aristocracy of Great Britain to break down the great measures which the people of that country, in the interest of labor and cheap exchange of products all over the world, have extorted from the privileged classes after years of struggle. Every protectionist is to that extent a prohibitionist. He insists that each nation ought, ns far as possible, to exclude the products of every other nation in order to protect home production. He taunts Englund, whose people buy 55 ]>er cent, of all our exports, with allowing our wheat, jxirk, beef, butter, cheese and other products of our farms to enter her forts duty free. He says to the English'* Fair Trailer:” “Discriminate against us if you aro Wise. Protect your home industries. No country or system of government can succeed that allows free competition.”

The American protectionist makes war on our export trade. His theory carried into effect tends to the ruin of our farmers while protecting manufacturers. Those laws of England which give ns an equal chance with her own colonists in her markets he in effect denounces, and it is to be remembered that all his arguments are heard and weighed as intelligently in Europe as they are here. A system that is enforced here and lauded as the best for this country must be, they might say abroad, the best for other countries. If the arguments and deductions of our protectionists should prevail in England, what would lie the effect upon us ? To illustrate; Leaving out of the question all her great colonial possessions in India, Australia and elsewhere, and her dependencies all over the world, England has great colonies on this continent whose people are entitled to Iter protection, if protection and restriction are to be again resorted to a» trtle national policy. 1 went to Winnipeg last summer and there saw a thriving city of 15,000 peoEle, with a railroad about finished to ,ake Superior. It was being pushed with great energy and abundant means Westward to, the Pacific ocean to reach the trade of Australia, Chius, J span and the Indies on English soil, with cheftp ships ready to furnish free goods for transportation over this continent to Europe. I went west of Winnipeg nearly 200 miles on that road and saw thousands and thousands of acres of wheat, Clearing forty bushels to the acre, weighing sixty-three and sixty-five pounds to the bushel, and was assured by undoubted authority that on Peace river, 1,200 miles northwest of where I was, wheat was being produced in immense quantity equal to the liest I saw in Winnipeg, while great herds of cattle were being fed without cost on as fine grassy land as the world affords. In short, between our northwestern line of 49 degrees and 54 degrees 40 minutes (Gen. Cass’ fighting point), there is a country owned by England with greater grain and stock-growing capacity than all the lands on the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Combined 1 ? The land laws of Canada are now as liberal as ours, as to the homestead pre-emption and free claims. People are crowding there rapidly, and towns are springing Up as if by magic. Their great railway will reach the Pacific at the grand harbor of Puget sound before our Northern Pacific will, and it will be extended eastward promptly to Montreal. The distance to Liverpool will be 000 miles shorter than any American line can get the wheat of Dakota there.. The best steel rails are being placed on the road, 100 tons to the inile, at $56 per ton, while on our parallel line of the Northern Pacific like rails (protected) cost about $70 —$1,400 a mile in rails alone in favor of the -Canadian Pacific, American protectionists not only tell English statesmen, but denounce of Us Who do not urge that policy, that it is their duty to protect Canadian products against American competition in England. 1 assert, without fear of successful contradiction, that if England takes their advice, and, in order to have “ fair trade ” and protect home industries, shall impose a tariff tex of 10 or 20 cents per bushel upon American wheat and other grains, allowing Canadian wheat and other products to enter her ports free, she cah bankrupt the termers of our Northwest. She can. by a like discrimination as to beef, pork, butter, cheese and other farm products, cripple, Ts not ruin, our farmers all over the country, because it is too apparent to need argument that, with our vast Milroad system and the agricultural lands developed by it, our own people capnot consume what our farmers produce. France and Germany are moving rapidly in the direction urged by American protectionists, and there is building Upsa party in England which is pressing warmly the same views as are held by ' American protectionists. The landed ■ aristocracy of-England is at'the back of this party, and, in their greed, the advocates of this policy may yet succeed in overthrowing and destroying the agricultural interests and prosperity of their country. No nation can find fault with even a high revenue tariff at our customhouses. Wo have come out of a great civil war; we are burdened with an enormous .debt which we are struggling to pay. That effort commends itself to all nations, and they do not seek to retaliate because of restrictions on their commerce imposed by us to obtain money to sustain our credit and develdp our resources ; but when they see a numerous and influential body ol men maintaining a policy of actual protection and restriction merely to ennch a class nt home, they may well pursue the same policy and Justify it by the position maintained here. . , Senator Beck’s views on this subject are practically those held by Gov. Seymdur. , Thbodore remarked, when Angelina’s father shoved him off the doorstep, that the old gentleman had considerable push about him.