New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-06

chose writers who zee in the cheapenng Of the labor
and az the materials Of other countries the real
Brtieh road to wealth and power.
Thrcughout Northern and Central Europe, there has
BEEN IN the last half century, rapid increase in the
eedinees Of the societary movement and In the fce
don Of mau--abat increase being the natu al conse
uuence Of increased rapidly Of motion resulting from
a growing diversihcation in the demand for human
services and growing competition for the pNrekase of
labor. In Ireland India, Spanish America, and Tur
key, the reverse Of this ia secn--prcducers and con-
sUmers becoming widely separated and exchanges
becoming mere 6tfpl and irregular, with growing COM
petition for the sale Of labor. Why this difference
Becaa,e tho ppicy of the former has been directed
toward protecting tho farmer 10 his efforts to draw
che market nearer to him, aud thus diminish the
wasting tax Of transportation, while the latter have
&sen steadily becoming sbd more subjected to the
eystem which seeks to locate in the little island of
Brsin the single Workshop of the world.
How it has been among ourselves, is shown liz the
following brief statement Of the facts of the last half
century Fom the date of the passage Of the act of
lSl6 by which the ak Yves laid TO the root Of our then
r%ty grow ing manufactures, our foreign trade stead
lily declined UNTIL in 1884, the value of our imports was
ees than half Of what Il had been Elk years before
Thenceforwsrd, there little change until tho highly
protective act of 1898 fairly into operationthe
average amount Of our mporatoDs from 1892 to $780,
having been but so millons-and the variations having
been between 90 millions year aud 20 in another
Under that tariff the domestic commerce grew with
great rapidty-ensbljpg our people promptly to sell
their abor and TO become better customers TO the peo-
pie of other lapds shown by the following figures
representing the vslae of goods imported:
$1oS 600 900
ltSi loleoo00s
l ls iesScSSoo
Here my dear Sir is nearly regular growth the last
oftbeee years being by far the highest and exceeding
by more than 80 PER cent the average Of the eight
years from 1872 TO $780, In this period not only did
we contract no foreign debt, but paid OF the whole
Of that bich previously had existed the legacy Of the
Warof Independence; and it 10 with nations as with
individuals, that "out of debt ia opt of danger"
The compromise tariff began to exert ts delete
Ii0us Misunderstanding the building of mills and the
opening of mines and thus les-ening the power to
maintain domestic commerce How il operated on that
with foreign nations is shown in the facts that the i'm
pcrts Of 1897 went up $3.50 COO and those Of 1893
down to S1lS eco Goetbose OF 1889 up $62 GOO COO
and those Of 1870 down $l07 100000 while those of
1872 were tess hos th,y had been ten years 6rs In
bs period, we in debt to foreigners to the extent
VI huboicot W inuons, ana CLOSED win bankruptcy
90 universal az 70 have embraced individuals banks
towns cites, States snd the national treasury it,eS
That instability is the essential characteristic of the
system called free trade, will he obvious you the
most cursoy examination of the facts presented by the
several periods of that system through which have
thus far passed. From than 900 GO0 in 1917
our imports fell in 1921 to So 0OCo0 In 1926 they
TO 500 Geo geo, and then two years LATER they
were but $79y000,Oo0 From 1899 to 1884, they grew
almost regularly, but sooner had protection been
abandoned than instability, with its attendant specuta
ton, IespPeGed-the imports of 1886 having been
greater by As per cent than those Of 1884, and those
of 1910 little than half great those Of 1885,
Once again, in 1872, protection restored; and
once again do we find steady and regular growth in
the mower 70 maintain in with the outer world
consequent upop the growth of domestic commerce. as
l. shown in Il e following figures:
1lWcOOVo
IlS-lt
We have here constant increase Of porer to 60 to
Foreign markets accompanied BY constant decrease in
the necessity for resorng to shem-the domestic pro-
scton Of cotton and wooden goods having doubled in
chs brief period while the domestic production ofron