Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-09-06

For the benefit of those who have never
thought It worth while to examine the argu-
ments on this subject which have been ban
died about Of late, we shall now proceed to
state the whole question as it stands to-day,
for it is only upon clear knowledge of the
situation that proper measures can be pre-
dicated
Left to itself without any legislation at al
upon the subiect-lelt to free trade, IS
broad country would support but one clas5
of industries, and that ctass agriculturs
This, with few fishing establishments O
the coast and a few manufactures for ile
heavy and more bulky class Of goods, wol 4
constitute the support of the entire country
and IN this condition the United States
would be entirely dependent upon the mar
kets of Europe.
If the harvests In Europe were bad, a
great advantage TO this country would en-
sue. Our grain would be sold at high
prices, and for a single year everything
would go as happily as marriage bell. .
! With the proceeds Of our exports of agricul
ture We would purchase enormous quanti-
ties OF foreign manufactures, and the country
would be stocked with these wares from the
lakes to the gulf. If next year the harvests
OF Europe turned out to be even tolerably
good, all this would be changed. The enor-
I
IN our warehouses without purchasers would
rot upon our hands. In short there would
be no sale for the only thing we had to sell /;
and year OF desolatiOn and misery Would
| inevitably follow. Since in the long Tan
there are more good harvests than baG on
IN Europe-as indeed there ought to be,
even without the advantages of the appli-
cation Of superabuudant capital and improv-
ed culture, bad European harvest is a rlr-
| ity-the result would be that only once in
ten or a dozen years should we be able to
dispose or our surplus produce TO adyan-
tage. This Is the millennium to which free
trade desires to bring us-the condition of
an agricultural community without mark
et-the condition Of Southern Russia; the
/ condition Of Egypt; the condition of Indif
Who ever heard Of an agricultural country
that was rich; or of a manufacturing coun-
| try that was poor? The reason that these
| things can never be IS plain enough. The
fruits Of manufacture can be replanted and
grown twenty times owes within the year;
the fruits Of agriculture but once. The
cultivation o. the earth Is essentially a slow
/ process, depending as It does upon heat
| moisture, the seasons; in short, upon a long
concatenation Of circumstances over which
man has no control The farmer depends
/ upon the Skill energy, effort, and capital
properly applied To avoid such a condi-
ton Of affairs as we have pictured, there is
but one remedy-that of protective tariff;
a tariff sufficiently high to discourage for
eign importation and TO encourage the
growth and support of American manufac-
tures-such manufactures as the agricultur-
i demands in return for the products of
the soil. Ln this way, not only Is the far
mer gratihed in obtaining the clothing, i'm
/ pleWcuts aud other Manufacturer he stands
1 in need of, ineXchange for his agricultural
I products, but new market is built up for
: the latter, in the shape Of the large indus
/ trial class who manufacture for him the
wares be requires This reciprocal relation,
/ once established makes the country entirely
/ independent of foreign markets, while on
/ the other hand no one Is prohibited from
selling his products abroad, and he Will
/ doubtless export them whenever he can
4 do so to advantage The foreign market is
/ still as open as it ever was, and If there
( is anything to be gained by supplying it,
surely nobody is prevented from doing 50.
/ On the other hama, manufactures have bee
/ established which, after answering Il
great purpose we have mentioned, work
s.ill furt her benefit to the country; thy
i accommodate large classes Of persons vi
/ are unfit for agricultural employment, and
/ who would never, in any event, make sue
ceeslu sgriculturists They take advantage
! of and ecouomize the natural resources that
surround US on all sides-water- power, fuel
and convenient transportation; and added
to this, they place the country in such a
state Of preparation that in the event Of
war it is enabled to equip and send armies
into the field or Davics over the seas, and 20
maintain them 10 the end Of the contests in
which they are to be engaged. This is one
reason for protective tariff We shall now
furnish another
The amount of revenue required for the
support Of this Government for the next
two years, without paying off any debt at
all, is estimated at about eight hundred mil
lions of dollars This revenue Is required
/ for various purposes, which are roughly as
/ follows
T,ro Years Expenditures. Million DaHa.g.
Civil Lst........ II
Foreign Intercourse (includirg Russian
| Navy epartment...... ......... ............ 80
! War epartmeut......... ...-.,... 300
PENSIONS .......-. --.-... 80
lBdlanS........., ..... ~
miscellaneous. ..... 20
Interest on Public Debt....................290
1Nldl ..-ss-..l 20
Now, there are two ways of raising a reye-
nue.. One IS by taxation, the other By loans
As for borrowing money, we believe it viii
be conceded that we have done enough Of