The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-01
An Able Argument by Professor Canfield, Of
the Kansas State University.

MUST TT BE UNIVERSAL TO BE SUCCESSFUL
We frequently meet with the remark
Free trade would be all right if it coulo
be universally adopted. Falling short o.
this it is simply ruinous, as it places ont
country entirely at the mercy of tn,
world" 1t may be well to examine this
assertion.
We will suppose that the United
States virtually abolishes the tariff, ant
that all other nations adopt the mos
stringent so-called protective system
| The results would be about as follows
England. France, Germany, Italy, Hol
land, and other nations would of course
still wish to export a portion at least
of their raw material and of commodities
in the production of which each had special
| natural advantages. The very assertion
/ that there is a special natural advantage
| means that there is something to which
| the given country stands so related as to
quantity, quality, ease and cheapness OF
production, that it can virtually dictate
| terms to the rest of the world. If England
has the only tin mines known, as far as
| we must use tin we.must pay England her
| price-subject only to the competition OF
| her producers of this commodity. IT Italy
has the finest marble, and we wish just
this grade of stone, we must make such
terms as we can or go without it. If
France and Germany can raise grapes bet
ter than all the rest of christendom, then
preference must be given them And SO,
| while there are very few things in which
any one nation holds an absolute mo-
nopely, each nation enters the worlds
| market with something respecting which it
can say: Here | reign supreme. have no
fear as to the results of an attempt to
crush this industry. In this product at
least no taxation on earth can compete
with me-"
Now, to what market will it be most
likely to send the surplus of this raw ma
terlal! Evidently to that country which
puts the least possible restraint on impor-
tation. If all other countries levy duty
of 20 per cent. on tin, and the United
States admits it free, then England is GO
Jag to send as much here as possible If
they protect" themselves against French
wines with tax of 40 per cent and it costs
nothing to enter an American port, then
French wine will flow in on us like water If
they viii not admit Italian marble unless
1t pays 30 per cent. for the privilege of
competing with native stone, then our
wharves will be covered with the products
of Italian quarries. This is perfectly inev-
liable. The country which adopts free
trade will have the first choice, in quaint
ties to meet her utmost demands, of all the
commodities in the production of which
other countries have special advantage
What will our free trade country give in
exchange for the class of goods. Evident
~, first, that which it can produce under
special natural advantages. In other words
it will buy that which it must have but is
least able to produce with that of which it
has the most, can produce most cheap1y,
and can most readily spare; but which is,
at the same time, that which the other nation
must have but are least able to produce. If
these are not the exact conditions of profit
able trade then where can they be found?
SO much as to raw material, or natural
products. Now as to manufactured goods
1t is scarcely supposable that tariff tax
is laid simply to stimulate manufacturers
to the point of supplying the home de-
mand. | have yet to meet protectionist
who held that doctrine. If this acre the
theory it would be untenable. 1t would
be simply impossible to so restrict opera
tons as to accomplish this. Even were
the effort made, there must be frequent
failures to determine exactly all the con,
successful. 1t is an admitted truth that
only the country which adopts free trade
can accurately determine its own |
wants and It's own power to salts |
fy those wants. So in the products stimu |
lated by so called protection there must be |
frequently surplus; accidental even if it |
is not desirable. The latter thought would |
seem to control, for the wider the market |
and the more the demand for all goods the |
better; unless this queer tumble of par |
adoxes, fallacies and untruths called pro-
lection contradicts this fundamental |
law of exchange, as it does nearly all |
others.
1t seems evident, therefore. that no coun-
try will wish to curtail the export of the |
products of the so-called protected in
dustries Certainly there viii be no laws
against such exports. To what country
will they go?
Under this so called Protective system
these countries have been so far as possible |
supplying their own wants Hence each |
woOlens, cottons, silks, |
leather, iron, steel, everything else that |
adds to the comfort orgratifies the taste of |
man" The surplus in each department
must find another market. For the same |
ason, as in the case of raw materials, it is /
even more evident,mo unnecessarily true,
mat this surplus from each will find its way
first to the country of free trade, and in as |
arge quantities as il can possibly absorb.
But another element now enters, which |
works directly IN favor of that enlightened
realm. No longer determined by special
natural advantages, competition sets in.
In order to use what has thus become a
common market for the same commodities,
Zach company must offer its own commod
ties on the very best possible terms, and
lnder conditions of strict competition
There are no corners in such a market, no
possible combinations to control prices, no
All foreign goods can be OBJ
aimed at the lowest possible prices. Is not
I'll this directly in favor of the country of
wisdom and unrestricted exchanges? The
simple fact is that if wei
we're the only free trade nation,
With the trade of fifty millions of people
he biggest plum in the commercial pie,
We should simply have the whole world at
,ar feet.
All this is very nice, but how is this
highly favored (?) nation to pay for all
hese thfDgs7" Well, how does it pay for
hem now under the so-called protective
ule7 If it can pay $57 per ton for steel
ails it can certainly pay $32. If it can
Jay $25 to $50 for suit of clothes it can
certainly pay S13 to $22 for tne same suit
t it can pay 20 per cent. premium on