1) US tariffs invite retaliation.
2) If not the WTO, some organization would need to be created to negotiate lowered tariffs. .
3) Tariffs are obstacles to commerce. (like any other tax) .
"Please restate the question, I don't understand what you are asking. "
How did the North prosper despite ultra cheap labor in the south? You say that creep labor in Asia will destroy us, but historically, we’re able to thrive despite it.
1) US tariffs invite retaliation. ... Yes they do, but remember very few of our trading partner are low tariffs nations. Most (Japan, India, China, EU) have high tariffs that are protecting their markets and their producers. That we have now is a far cry from free trade. But to your main point, yea, if we impose a tariff then we can expect others to do so too. And yea, world trade will suffer. But as long as the tariffs aren't to high then the effects will not be all that bad. Remember we were a high tariff nation up until the 60's or 70's and did just fine.
2) If not the WTO, some organization would need to be created to negotiate lowered tariffs. . ... Absolutely correct, if we want a level playing field in trade then some kind of world government will have to have the power to impose a level playing field. This is one of the things that I most fear, a world government.
3) Tariffs are obstacles to commerce. (like any other tax). Correct again, (you are getting better) but taxes are a fact of life, tariffs make importer pay for the cost of the federal government. I kinda like that, the jewel of the world is the American market, why shouldn't the rest of world have to pay a price to partake in it? And remember I want to use tariffs NOT the progressive income tax to fund government so for you and me this is a win/win/win. We keep more of our money (no income tax), foreign manufacturing pays the cost of our government, and the size of government is limited to only what a tariff can support.
How did the North prosper despite ultra cheap labor in the south? You say that creep labor in Asia will destroy us, but historically, we’re able to thrive despite it.
Somehow I keep thinking that I have answered this question but for some reason you are not understanding. I'll try again, the north did not use the labor of the south directly, like todays corporations use out sourcing, yes they benefited indirectly with cheap cotton and cheap tobacco but that's about all. The northern states were not slave states and the people of the north would not "out source" to the south. They had a moral objection to slave labor. Remember in pre civil war America they were no corporations, no board of director to hide behind. No stock holders demanding higher returns on investment. In those days the owner of a business was the owner of a business and was held to the same code of conduct that was expected of ordinary citizens. Using slave labor to produce a product for sale in the north was unacceptable, and would get the individual that did it run out of business.