The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-08

last fiscal year amounted to $703, 373, 767,
and constituted 5L35 per cent. Of the total
value Of the foreign commerce of tha
United States.
1t will be noticed by these figures. that Of
our entire exports of bread stuffs and meat
England took 54.29 per cent. more than half
while she took 60 81 per cent. Of our entire
exports. In consideration of the above
statistics showing the Importance OF free
trade with England, and more especially
the amount of breadstuffs and meat which
she consumes, all Of which comes from
this section of the country, it is well to
consider the fact, daily becoming more
plain, that while she is at present dependent
on us for the food she eats, the time viii
soon come when she will cease to rely on
us for the necessaries. She is fast deyei-
oping in the Manitoba region of Canada,
country that will not only compete with
us In the markets of the world but do 1t
successfully. They have there country
every whit as fertile and as favorably sit
uated as any section of the United States
and although it is now new in beginning
to show its vast possibilities. 1t is so To-
Gated that cheaper transportation is posi-
Bile from there than from any of the grain
growing regions of our own country, and
above all it is not hampered and bound
down by the burden of a protective tariff,
so far as its relations to England are con-
cerned Manitoba farmers while getting
more for their wheat will pay less for their
clothes. their houses their plows, their
agricultural instruments Of all description,
and the American farmers can easily see
the effect that competition with class so
favorably situated will have upon their
own prosperity Again it must be taken
into consideration that when England has
got into position where she can be fed by
her own colony she will say to the United
States, you prohibit my goods from being
brought into your borders, / viii place a
protective tariff on your bread stuffs and
see that no American flour or meat is eat
en- in England, and no one could
well blame them if they did. Let the
farmers of Illinois and other Western States
look the matter in the face, reflect upon
the disaster it would be to them to have
this enormous trade with England broken
off, and then decide whether protection is
q thing they want, or whether they had
not better cast it overheard And what
affects the farmers will affect every other
class in our midst, as from them the entire
prosperity of the country grows.
The further effect of our beautiful sys-
tenn of protection is shown by the de-
cadence of our American shipping. Under
our present laws the American flag is
hardly seen upon the ocean, and an Amer
lean ship in q foreign port is as genuine a
rarity as four legged man or a horned
horse
The ascendeney of Great Britain in the
carrying trade of the world
upon the ocean, is at the present time
more marked than at any previous period.
Of the total tonnage of foreign vessels
entered at sea ports of the United States
during the last fiscal year. amounting to
IL, I'll. 392 tons, s.457,7S7 tens, or 66.5
per cent. was British tonnage.
In all other parts of the globe the ascen-
3ency of the British merchant marine is
equally marked Especially is this the
case with respect to steam vessels At
he present time British steamer lines to a
great extent control the principal trade |
upon the ocean. |