What A Protective Tariff Means

Every step in the world's advance sinca the historie period commenced has been mado over the ruina of tho " Protectiva Systems." The isolation of nationalitiea ; the iealousy of rival sttccess ; tho combined sentiment of hate and fear, and tho ' ' ttoe of anything like fraternal feeling, hedged in tho ancients with walls of prejvidice, which cost ages of timo to overthrow. In more recent times every advance in the soience of government, and tho freedom of the würlii, has been gained only by battering down this same exclusive system, in whatever form manifested. All that we most admire in liberalized EngLand avis. s frorn the destruction of its oíd iiii-ciiücrl proteotivo system ; and to the extent that suecess hascrownedthe effort, we extend the same sympathy to France, 'i' ■ 11 r i : 'iiy, Bussia, and every other power. We boast of the extensión of our commeroe with all nations, and pride oursclvcs 1 hit liberal ideas have braken up the crust of ages of mismanagement ; and even in the remóte seas of China and Japan have opened new and nobler fields tor Dommi rcial enterprise, by the uprooting of senseloM preindioe, and the destruction of barriera to human progresa. St rango that we, who hail the advance of mankind ovorywhc.ro, and the freedom. of trade as proof of that advancement, should ourselves tolérate the growth of a system at home which we cannot look opon without abhorrence in any other country. The ruin that narrow and jealous lcgislatimi luis wrought, and for which the goveVnmeiit has reeeived no benefit, is soen all about us. It has withered the nation's commeroe, closed up ita shipyarrls, diied up th! fountains of commercial enterprise, stopped the mighty traffio of netion with nation, whieh has everywhere and La uil time enriclu.dboth siles, and whioh is only possible by a free and mutual exchange of production. It lias made the diseovery and opening of luw and tbc riehest mines a curse instead of a bletttng, by demanding the exclusión of i'iimpeting products froiu other lands, mtl au :iont of its own gains by i direct levy upon the gains of industry n the hands of the consumer. It has enibled a few wealthy men to monopoliza lic Bupply of salt for near forty milliona of people. It has Beized upon tho ooal ields, and uxtoits tribute from every iousi!io!.l for the most nocessary want of ife. It haa doivbled the co-st of manuactnrod fabrica in many oaaes, andforced whole eoinmunitics to puxoháse inferior irtidcs, al a lavge advanoe in prioo ove? )ettor onfesi whioh it oxoludaa from tho aarkot. And goneraUy to whatever it ias been applied, ttni whatever iutei1sts it has been olaimed to benefit, havo jeen unit'onnly at the expense of the real abor interèsts of the country. If to this t ia added that ife hM ui the same timo iiminished the public revenues, complica ;wl their collection, and for every dollar collocted i'nr national support, has made he people pay Bve, the anaignment of ;he systciu will only be partly comilote. Considered as a labor problem, if it can bc shown to really benefit a single laborer, it taxes a score of other workraen, equally entitlcd to the bread their industry has earned. Tf it has aiven,a stimulus to local enterpriso, of extra employment te a thousund men, it has at the Bame fcime leviod tribute upon the earnwj of whole States ; and for every penny fcb.ua taken labor has not really received one, whore capital has taken a hundrod. AU ita workings are in the inand for the Bole benefit of capital. It is not the workmen, but the capitalista who ask it. Every argument that haa ever boen made in the name of "protection to homu industry,'' sifted to its ultim:i1c, ainonnts trwxaetly this : That if a oation will ! l:iw c.c!ii(!e tree competition, the capitalist will invost his money in gome form of manufacture, which will thus thrive only becauso the exclusión will increage prices and the increaso fall upon the eonsuniei'. Tariff enactmenta, in the interest of particular classes, are only aonght for this end. No such legislation luis ever oheapened prices. Free coiiipcr.rinïi in the markets ot tne Woiia can only aceoniplish this rcsult - and it is toe the blessing of unshaokled trade, with its resulting benefits to the millions of toileis in America, that a revenue reform moveinent has been inaugurated. A people as wise us own onght not to hesitate a moment in aiding its final suecess.