The daily gazette., 1877-08-09
CONGRESS ON THE NEW QCEs
TTnNZ

CONGRESS ON THE NEW CUES
TIOSS.
In long article under the above head
the New York Herald says:
The country suffers no; from poverty,
but from a plethora Of wealth. 1t has
more machinery, more workshops, more
ingenious and industrious mechanics.
more coal, iron, copper, more cotton and
wooilen goods, more locomotives, cars
and railroads than by the existing laws it
is allowed to use. II is the victim Of
laws which disable it from selling its sur
plus products abroad, and which. there
fore. make our labor-saving machinery,
our inventive skill, our productive abili-
ty, curse 10 Us. The question is how
to remedy this condition Of things, how
70 provide outlets for what We can make
but cannot consume. Mr.. Atkinson, of
Boston, wrote not long ago, as the result
Of extensive and careful Investigation,
that al ''present about ninety per cent. of
our people, using the improved tools and
machinery, can produce all that one hun
dred per cent. can consume Of the staple
articles Of food fuel, clothing, tools,
wares, and the like, and can in addition
produce all that We can now get mar
ket for abroad" But that leaTes ten per
cent. Of our whole population without
/ employment. II means that over four
millions Of our people are not needed as
producers, because the remainder can
produce all that the whole population
can use. Mr.. David A. Wells, In a re-
cent article in the North American Re-
view, gives a number Of detailed state
ments which more than bear out Mr.. At
, kinson's assertion.
he shows that three men with impro-
we'd machinery now produce as many
boots and shoes as six men could before
! 1850; that our capacity for producing
/ stoves is now thirty three per cent greater
than the country can use, and three men
! produce as many Stoves now as six in
! 1860 that il the manufacture of straw
goods three hundred operatives, with the
new machinery, now DO what used 10 re-
quire thousand {; that the steam press
now turns out four hats to the minute
instead of the old rate of one hat in four
minutes ; that ninety cloth producers
now make as much cloth as 23l could in
| ISIS and that, reckoning not only the
factory operatives but the farmers need
ed 70 supply them with food, 225 persons
are equal in 1877 to G9l persons in 1898.
Finally he shows that while our popula-
ton increased between 1860 and 1870 less
than twenty-three per cent. our produc-
tive power increased in the same period
by reason Of improved labor saving ma
chinery ffty-two per cent. or nearly thr-
ty per cent more than the increase in
. population.
Now, when man produces more than
he and his family can use he must sell the
surplus, else it Is was: e. and does hin
: no good. If you prevent him from sell
ing his surplus you condemned him tc
idleness and poverty. But the same is
true OF HatlOn: we must sell our sur
t plus produces Our law prevents us from
t doing so,because they for bid us to buy ii
q return. Secretary Evarts said rightly, til,
other day in Philadelphia, that this is no
question of protection of free trade. 1
4 is question of existence; il is a question
q OF bread and shelter and clothing for fou
millions OF America MS who are dow sur
Il plus, who cannot gain livelihood, who
I are starving and who are gradually be
r coming tramps because restrictive law
disable US form selling what they coult
make.
: Why can we not sell our surplus manu-
h factures abroad ? Because our laws for
did US TO buy in return the products Q
other countries, which yet we need
d There is not gold and silver enough il
II foreign countries TO buy what we need l.
d sell. Four millions of American men
4 women and children are surplus becaus
y OF set of absurd and antiquated laws an
2 commercial treaties which make it impos
1t sible for us to sell our surplus manufac
= lures abroad. Every industry is prostrat
!, Tor the same reason. Does any sensibl
ii man believe that the country will tole
Isl rate Congress given us to party manuu
vres, session spent in attacking th
southern policy, in raising the "blood
snlrt," III petty and.vulgar squabbles owe
Offices in the presence of this universe
y suffering? Senator Lamar is right; th
.o questions OF tariff, trade, commerce, trar
d spoit itation begin engross the attention {
the people, and these are the live que!
tlons which wise public men will haste
" 70 discuss as soon as Congress meets, an
= which will so press for discussion that L
,e demagogue Will be able to keep thel
back.