The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-08-18
SOMETHING WRONG,

How nation can be impoverished by over
production Is one Of those things which Stuart
Mill saws he is unable to comprehend. Yet the
present condition of this country presents n
distinct case of national starvation in the midst
of national plenty. With abundant labor and
capital enforced idleness prevails; with teem-
inc and generous crops, want of remuneration
/ is complained of; with everything that natures
bounteous hand can offer to make us a pros
porous and contcnted people the universal
complaint is hard times" Where is the
philosopher to furnish lis II solution OF this
enigma?
A well governed nation, political scientists
tell us, should resemble well ordered family
Apply our present national condition to a
large well ordered family. Say it is compos-
ed of twenty-five or thirty members, most OF
whom are engaged in pursuits for the common
support of all Some are raising wheat corn,
potatoes, fruits, &c, others are spinning and
weaving; Others making shoes; others educat-
ing and nstructing the rest, and so on, the
whole aiming TO meet every eXigency and
over.abundant; the cardcrs, spinners, weavcrs,
clothes makers and shoemakers have labored
so industriously as to double what the family
nccds,-in fact every article of use or luXu-
ry is in excess. Under such circumstances
what would the family naturally do? Would
they sit down and whine about nothing to do
and hard tmesy Hardly. Like sensible peo-
Il pie, they would probably stop work and go
a-fshing; or have a celebration, or get up a
dance--in short, give themselves to beautiful
amusement and recreation.
Evidently over-production cannot impover-
ish that family nor labor.saving machinery
work them an injury. These would only tend
to bring them more leisure and ease--morc
time for amusement or to read books, study
and improve their minds.
| But the family we are picturing is supposed
to supply within itself all its wants. Our ma
ton is somewhat different. We produce many
things that we don't want, but which we pro.
pose to exchange for products of other nations
that we do want. Is it true that all the other
nations are ovcrstocked with the products that
we have in excess? South America China,
Japan and the South Sea Islands offer fair and
even high prices for many Of our cotton and
wooden goods that we have in excess, and
Thousand of people are dying in India for want
of our breadstuffs, while they are anxious to
Exchange for them many of their own products
that we are paying high prices for@-siks, cot.
fee, sugar, tea, spices, drugs, &c. Is there not,
perhaps, some fault in our system OF exchanges
in our tariff and navigation laws? Our ma
chincry for the manufacture of all the pro
ducts of cotton, wool, iron, leather, &c, is said
ITO be so superior to that of Europe and Asia as
largely to ovcrbaance their cheapness of labor.
/, Yet by reason of our tariff laws those countries
undersell us in all the important markets of
i. the world. Our national legislature has passed
, laws that stimulated the 0ver.production OF
: articles we do not want but which the world
e outside of us do want and then has put such
clogs on the wheels of commerce that we can
! not send them abroad. Our navigation laws
; have so hampercd the building Of ships thai
f even our coast trade is carried on in foreign
7 vessels and our ocean tonnage in 1860 exceed
I ing that of any other nation, is reduced below
that of Spain or Italy.
: Our "well ordered family" in such "A stua
ton, would hesitate less than two minutes
r what to do. If they wanted articles from with
I out in exchange for articles they had in excess
) Within they would instantly remove every bar
a rier or clog to Il free exchange and make ii on
I the best terms that were found practicable
!. And this is just what our country must do
S Rather than let our excessive crops, cotton and
/ wooden goods, and so on, rot on our hands, re
A move every barrier in the way, send then,
, abroad, and sell them for what they will fetch
i Instead of bowling at congress for cheap mon
+ ey, when money is already cheaper than ever
f known in the history of the country, let us
clamor for free trade in ships, for that will
bring low freights; free trade in articles of for
eign production, for that will create demand
for our own products in exchange; and free
dom TO weave and spin, without tariff restric-
0 tons and clogs whatever we can exchange for
? articles of necessity or luxury that we want
. from abroad There is no pretcnce that IN
these suggestions we have even approached a
solution of the problem with which we started
out; but we believe train of thought has been
touched that leads in the right direction.
COUNTY CLERKSHIP.
p Owing to the lateness of the hour at which