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PROTECTION. . .
(From'the Bathurst Free Frets of May'10.)
Tho dead carcasa of Protection has lately been resits
oint»'' » u lew trmleemon or Sydney, who, by dint of
oeasoless newspaper correspondence, pertinacious lnqàa
oity, with direot appeals to tho selfishness of particular
classes, have contrived to breatho into tho,inanimate
corpsn a - little Promethean Aro, and have gathered
around it a rather considerable body of followers. Such
is human mituro, that the items of which it is composed,
aro .much more quickly stimulated by . probabilities of
profit and futuro advantage than by the highor senti-
ments whioh Anally nctuato it. To give tho movoment,
in behalf of their thousand timos exploded dogma, some-
thing Uko form and tangibility, the groat guns of tho
cause convened a publie meeting a week or two ago, at
which an extensivo amount of spouting was done, and
n great doal said in behalf of "Protection to nativo
industry," and an attontivo persual of tho speeches
delivered upon that occasion quiokly convincod us either
that tho causo Was a rotten ono, or that its leadors wero
very unfortunate exponents of its principles. '
Amongst tho misorablo victims to tho Free Trade
policy of tho country, was n melancholy chair-maker, who
protested, in most heartfelt and spirit-stirring eloquence,
against tho introduction of Yankeo-manufaotured furni-
ture, inoluding chairs which had been sold nt lialf-n
crown each. His trade is ruined, or, at all events,
soriausly injured, for the timo-boing, but by so m o means
or othor the purchasers of thoso chairs aro bonefltted to
the extent of their cheapness. And so with regal il to
every other commodity in' which tho cheap labour and
poculiar resources of other countries enable thom to
competo advantageously with New South Wolos. The
mistake whioh . the Protectionists of this as . well as of
tho mother, country have boen in tho bi bit nf making is,
that they look only to partial instead ot general interests
-to thu well-being of sections of tho community instóad
of the whola. They seo how particular callings, aro
injured by tho operntiou of a l-'rjo Trado polioy, nnd
can very easily comprehend how th«y would bo ailvnn
togod by the imposition of. a pro'octlvo or prohibitory
duty upon tho class of goods in tho manufacture of
whiuh they have a speoinl interest. Uut the ono great
difficulty whioh they never yet surmounted has been to
demonstrate how tho oonsiimcrsof thoso goods, who aro
tho great majority, aro benclltcd by tho additional cost
which is the result of stioh duty, liy all means let'ns
have ronnnfauturos if they will add to.tim wealth of the
oolony, but if, instead of contributing to its capital, or,
in other words,, its stock-in-trado, they subtraot there-
from, or require protection by becoming u tax upon its
present .productive onorgios, wo had better dispenso
with them. . .
Now South Wales, at present, possesses oortnin resour-
ces pooullar to itself, orin tho management and develop-
ment of whioh it possosses advantages ovor ovory other
aountry of , tho world. Our olimnto, soil, and natural
grasses aro admirably adaptad to the branding of sheep
and tho production, of wool.- No country, in foot,
approaches us in . tho, -excellence of this particul-tr
oommodity, and from the oom bined advantages roferred
to, wc can produoo a bottar and oho ipor article than can
bo produood olsewhoro.. England is our best customer,
not because or any ties of consanguinity, but bcoauso she
saes nor advantage in dealing with us. Could the.
Capo or .Germany supply her with a bettor and oh. npor
artlolo, any natural prefcronoo sh o may. havo for, Now
South Wales would gs but a small way towards, per-
petuating the. prosent commorolut" connection,.", Again,
our mountains and valleys aro irlobly,impregnated with
gold, nnd our population aro actuated by a very nntijnil
desire, to despoil thom,of thoir wealth, bjtako thomselves
to gold digging as a. pursuit. So far as wool and gold
our two principal articles of export-aro aonoornoJ, this
land possesses ospeolal nnd-peaultnr advantages oyer.
any other, and, following an almost instinotivo blas, ¡we
cultivate thom. Our pjpulation is fully nnd benoflololly
employed In tho growth of wool, tho produotlon of gold
or in sornu subsidiary occupation .which oontrivos; to.
maintain n prolltable existonoo, dospito our. Freo Trade
Tariff nud the absonoo . of Protection.. ; Wo. havo i no
hunger, no poverty amongst us which is not the, result
af ideness or dissipation-no' half starvod, ill clad,
because only partially employed and wrotcliodly paid,
medíanlos nnd nrtiznns via ,our midst. .. l'haro?
is - onough ; nnd - - to ?., spnro - of - tho ;.; flood
things of this lifo for everyman who is nblo nnd willing
to toil, nnd with provident, habits, i uoonomy, and thrift,'':
something to spare fqr."'n. rainy ¡day,".-Thon -, why dis
tu rb this comfortable position i pf, thing* hy ,tbo foroed
prnsoontlon.of trades nnd ¡inniiufuoturos. for(tho.micoAn
fut conduct of which we ar* vory,,,Imperfectly propnroil.
Why, in tho name of commun. sonso,: abstract menfijnm
pursuits In wlitoh.they aro prplPably employed,( both|for'
thuniRolvos and.tho.ooiiutry.ito transfer i them..to' others
which «nu uxlstonly through tho. bolstering up of a oro.
teotlve duty, dr, in other..'words,- at,thu public expense?'
ls lt not.ulaar that'sueh a course,would ibo suiqidul, indi
could novor bo dreamt ol'exoaiitiby Bullish nnrrowra|n(lt?d
meii, or man whinaohtiuii to bo considerad »»ne are of a
doubtful obaradorp . . . .rr .;; :. i j ,T.
-..??.'.'.'.. .. ' . .- / : - i .' '
But say tho Protectionists-" Look at Tariff-protocleJ
America ; bow mighty sha has grown under tho (¡rati-w
shado of Protection." And yat nano of theta latter du
sagas bnvo proved that tho gigantio growth of thu gre*
republlo has not been iitliiiiod, rather in sp i tn than j,
oonsequencB of its unminereial polioy. Tlio SouUien
States export largely of eotton and tobacco, tho Wester,
of bread-stuff* Mrid ugricultiiral produce, and tho liaste»'
or Now York, Pennsylvania hud Nuw Englund Sfatcs ¡
munufuotures which, from tho fact of their exportatip.
require no prntootion, . and in; return for llmir stipea
buirdnnoo reoeive tho surplus producá of other eountria
From thoso sources-she derives a vast portion of he
wealth, and not from her protected industry, which fr«
its yqry nature, cnn only rob her oitl/ens of tlio«|¡¡
cost of the artioles. produced. America's resources I»1
in her,boundless traoks of fertile territory which «1
furnish homes for whole nations, her navigtU)
streams whioh-.intorseot the territory in ¿
directions, and supply vast facilities for commerce
In her forests of valuable timber, many of thom la»
enough to swallow up several kingdoms of tho Ol
World, and in- her imranuso bods of coal hardly re
touched, and not in her protooted raanufacium
England also grow great and powerful, with a cora Iii
in existence whioh compollod the poor man to cat dei
bread, but will the new fledged protectionists-of Botar,
Bay argue that her power and greatness are in any dsgre
tho fruits of that abominarlo1 law of old Tory creation
The argumont.in foot, is. jes- a» applieablo in one case>
the other, and is absurdly fallacious in both.
To tboso who are well nocmain tod with tho commit
oial history of England and the United States of ¿meriti
it is well known that the English Corn Law wai th
parent of tho American Tu l iff-that in fact, tho latlt
was called into existence in a spirit of retalUtica
England would not receivo tho .bread stuffs of Aneri)
duty-free, and America, therefore, imposed a duty HM
British manufactured goods. Manufactories were calli
into existenoo under the. fostering caro of Proteclin
and grew and flourished. A larga amount of apiti
thus became invested in, manufactures, and those iii
invested it becamo ns irrevocably wedded to a pc
tectionist policy, ns a Southern planter to the institut«
of Blavery. Here, fortunately, wo havo no «pnrict
interests or prnteetinn-brod manufactures. Whatetr
we grow or produce is oalled into existence under tit
healthy operation of complete commercial freeden
And ¡tis to avoid this grand mistake of older states tin
every friend and well wisher of the country is calle
upon to support tho liberal TariO'upon which our core
meroe is basdíl,' ns well as to scout the self interest
crotchets of a handful of Sydney peddlers and polhill
nobodies who would fain fatten and grow big upon t|¡
very vitals of tho country's prospority.
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