Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-09-03


starting in at the headwaters of the
Monongahela-at an expense of from
three hundred to five hundred millions
of dollars. These gentlemen are seek
ing cheap outlet to the sea; but what
do they have when they do get water
communication with the sea as cheap
as they can have it, to float the corn
and wheat raised in the Northwest TO
Liverpool for a market?
DIVERSIFIED INTERESTS THE TRUE REM
EDY.
The true interests of the people of the
West are that we should direysify our
interests. In the history of no nation
on the face of the earth can you find
great prosperity where there is so large
a per cent of the people engaged in
agricultural pursuits as you find in the
West and South. Twenty-Five per
cent of the American people engaged
in agriculture is sufficient to supply all
the people of the nation with all they
need in that direction; aud yet there is
near fifty per cent of our people enga-
ged in agricultural pursuits. If twen-
ty-tive per cent of the people were en-
gagged in farming, and the other seven
ty-tive per cent in other pursuits, you
would have better times in this coun-
try than we have ever had before.
Take Illinois and Iowa, producing
corn in such abundance that they burn
it for fuel, and why? Because it is not
needed anywhere on the face of the
earth for bread. European countries
take from us just so much breadstuff
as they absolutely need in order to
keep their people from starvation, and
if they need none they take none. That
is their history, and has been for years,
in dealing with our people. And, gen.
tlemen of the Convention, this ques-
ton of protection and building up
American industries, American manu-
facturers, in the South and West is a
question to be determined by the poll
cy of Congress in the future. | sympa-
thize with the people in their demands
for cheap transportation. L sympa-
thize with them in their demands for
fair rates on railroads, but do not be-
lieve these things will give them the
great relief they demand.
HOW MANUFACTURES HELP AGRICUL-
FURE.
Take, if you please, this district, and
the heavy produce that is raised on the
farms of the people in these FIVE coun-
ties which finds ready market here
at Bellaire, at Martins Ferry, in the
city of Wheeling, and in Steubenville,
pays every dollar of taxes, Fed
eral, State, and county in the district.
II you had cheap transportation, if you
depended on foreign consumption for
your market entirely, you could onl y
send away the finer of your products;
you would allow to perish and rot on
your farms the fruits, the vegetables,
the productions that go into the mar
kets here at home and pay your taxes.
PROTECTION CHEAPENS MANUFACTU>
RED PRODUCTS.
As to the cry of those who talk about
a 'reveuue tariff" or "free trade;"
1--WE ought to be allowed" they say,
''to buy where we can buy the cheap
est" A word-I remember perha ps
the ableSt article ever produced, and
one that was the most labored, by the
late Democratic candidate for the Pres
idency, Horace Greeley, written some
years ago, in which he went to the sta.
tistics, and by the statistics of the coun.
beyond the possibility of a doubt that
protective tariff gave the people
cheaper articles than a revenue tariff
And upon the matter of statistics, as
will be borne out by every one who
ever followed Horace Greeley, he was
correct. He was not one of those statis-
ticians who approximated, but he was
absolutely correct in his statistics. He
demonstrated this fact And in the
present low price of iron in this coun.
try, we have further proof of this doc.
trine, that home competition will give
us cheap goods.
HOW FREE TRADE CHEAPENED HOPS.
l have i'm my mind just now mat
ter illustrating this very subject that
will call your attention to. Some two
or three years ago there was a tariff OF
hops of ten cents, believe, per pound
and the price of hops, an article that
fiuctuates very much, ranged from sew,
enteen up to perhaps thirty cents pei
pound FROM year to year. But two
years ago the consumers of hops de
manded reduction in the tariff, and
the tariff was stricken down to five cent.
on the pound. And what was the re
suit? The foreign producers of hops a
once went to work to control the Amer
ican market, and they did control it
They put hops down to nine, ten anC
eleven cents per pound, and drove ev
cry American producer out of the bu-
siness. The hOpyards in the North
west were plowed p,and in six month:
after they had gone out of business, the
foreign producers and shippers of hop
put the article up until last winter they
were above fifty cents per pound.
FOREIGN CONTROL DESTROYS AMkRI
CAN INDUSTRIES.
And so it ever has been when the for
eign producer of any article had tn,
power to break down American pro
duction, that they break it down, 81
as to control the market, and make u,
pay dearly for their goods. Business
of this character is in the hands of
few men abroad, and they control it
and control it for their own interes
and purposes; and when your marke
is gone-when they break down you
production, then they supply the mar
ket at their own prices. l need no
speak here to this Convention of the ef
feet that a revenve tariff, or free trad;
would have on those who are engaged
in manufacturing industries in Ou
towns and cities here. II the people o
Great Britain understood to-day tina
they could have the American lnarke
without the tariff, or if you will pu
down the tariff on iron and glass to sucl
an extent that they can have this mar
ket, they will put out the fires of every
mill and glass -iiouse here within sis
months, by sending into this countr,
their cheap products.
And let me tell you here: There i
talk about protecting American capi
tai invested in iron and glass. 1t is no
so much a protection of capital as it il
a protection of labor. You can find coal
here in the hills back of the city o
Bellaire cheaper than you can fine
them anywhere in Great Britain. Yol
can find iron in the Superior country
in Missouri, or in Alabama, cheape
than you can find it anywhere abroad