Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-01-31

IL Is plausible argument which Is likely
to succeed with shallow thinkers that Free
Trade makes everything cheap, and that
therefore it must be the best system for all
who are in any degree consumers. Such
reasoning is as fiippan upon the tongue of
most Of the New York press, us their coquet-
ry with immortality and wickcdness. and il
finds its mitators too often outside of that
great metropolis Of Free Trade Fashion, and
French Frivolily. 1t is urged We find, upon
the farmers OF Delaware. that the heavy du-
ties upon imported articles make them cost
more in the country stores. or on our city
counters, and that therefore u high Tariff is
burdensome to the Agricultural interests.
This might br true, if farmers only wished
to purchase, and never to sell. But they
must dispose oftheir crops to he able 10 buy,
| and they must have Il market where these
can be sold. Such n market is only made by
| the encouragement of other classes oflaborers
who will consume the products of the farm
ers, and these classes are the employees Of
manufacturing industry. These, then, it
will benefit the farmer to have protected
from foreign competition. lfthcy are en-
ployed at good wages they can purchase his
produce; they are broken down by the
pauper labor Of other countries, they are IN
nble TO buy and the farmer loses his market.
| We know how trte and worn these ideas
are, and yet the stolid ignorance, which ad-
heres to the Free Trade idea is still great
enough to demand the repetition of these
time-honorcd truths. Until all are cnlglii-
ened we must teach the old lessons
In his recent able and exhaustive speech
At Washington, Senator Caitcll, of New .Jcr-
scy, well illustrated the point we have been
explaining, viz: that Agriculture will be ben
Gifted by a strong system Of Protection, in
the home market which such system builds
up for Agriculturc's products
Twenty years ago last autumn, said Mr.
Cattell, embarked in the trade of bread
slutfs in the city of Philadelphia. Al that
time, and Tor some succeeding years, the en-
tire volume of my business was made of CON
signmcnts of agricultural products from the
valleys Of the Susquehanna, The Juniaia, and
the l.ehigh. have not the figures AT com
mand, but am sure speak within bounds
when say that my own house and tile four
or five others doing business from the same
points must have received from this quarter
four or five millions of bushels Of cereals per
annun. Philadelphia is sill the natural
market for the surplus products Of this tern
tory, but Tor some years past there have not
been consignmcnts enough received from
that entire section TO realize commission SUI
ficient to pay the salary of receiving clerk
| In ash mn, ~ Ia, f,,ll II
| answer no; Oh the contrary it has increased
But the whole line of these valleys has been
dotted with furnaces, and FORCES, and rolling
mills, and saw mills, and factories, and work
shops filled with operatives, and the consu-
mer ofagricultural products has been brought
10 the farmers doors lie now finds read
: Ter market for his products at home. at price
equal TO those ruling on the scaboard. of which
he avails himself. and thus saves all the cos,
Of transportation and factorage equal AT
average prices at about twenty per cent.
Nay, more, sir. My own firm has frequent
", within the past few years. sold and ship
ped to millcrs in one Of these vallcys-that
in which the iron interest has been most de-
veloped, the Lchgll-whca drawn from
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, to
supply the deficiency in the consumptiyc
want and those products Of the prairie west
were sold, too, At a price far in excess oi
what could have been realized by eXportu-
ton to any country on the face OF the globe.
~ consequence ofthis state ofthings. land
has risen in value through all this section.
and farms that could have been bought If
teen or twenty years ago, at forty Or fifty
dollars per acre, are now salcablr u, ON
hundred and fifty and two hundred dollar,
per acre. Villages have grown 10 be Town,
towns have grown 10 be cities: agriculture
, anu manufactures have claspetl hands and
prosperity regns,