The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-16

proposed, would encourage and develope
foreign trade. This is as false the pre-
tense that the money viii be used for the
payment of postage. American trade with
foreign countries can Only be increased by
an increased sale of American products
abroad As far as the agricultural products
of this country are concerned, they are
now sold abroad to an extent equal to the
necessities and demands of the foreign
consumers There is no lack of vessels to
carry at fair prices all the grain
and meats which are required in
Europe. When the price OF
American breadstuffs and produce is low
enough to make them more desirable than
those of other agricultural countries they
are sold without effort, and no gratuity to
shipping interests is necessary to assure
theirtransportation. But it will not be pos
sible for any number of ships, though built,
owned, differed, and manned by Amer-
cans, to increase the foreign sale of Amer
lean manufactured goods, for the simple
reason that American goods cannot be laid
down in foreign ports except at premium
similar goods manufactured in other coun-
tries. This excess Of cost must continue
perforce SO long as the American manu-
facturers are enabled to charge from 80 to
40 per cent more for their goods, by means
of protective tariff, than the same class
of goods bring when supplied by compel
ing manufacturers In other countries. No
Government gratuity, no matter how large
it may be, nor what form it may take,
can change the law of competition, and
Mr.. John Roach might build ships from
now till doomsday on subsidy money, at
a cost of SO per cent. more than would be
necessary if he could obtain materials as
cheaply as they are furnished English
American goods in foreign countries so
long as those goods shall continue to be
one-third higher in price than compet-
ing goods.
The tax on imports, as arranged at
present, amounts in effect to a tax on ex-
ports. 1t enables the American manufact-
urer to charge home customers say 40 per
cent. more for his goods than the English,
French, Belgian, or German manufacturer
charges. There is necessarily this differ
ence in the price of goods when laid down
in common market-say Mexico, Brazil,
or Cuba. The American goods cannot be
sold in the foreign market at the artificial
American scale of prices, and must be sold
at a loss on the English scale of prices.
No foreign trade can possibly be built up
under these conditions by any device of
legislation or any amount of gratuity to
ships.
1t is the surplus revenue which attracts
and encourages the subsidy-hunters. The
want some of it. The other
contractors demand share. The lobby
lists are hungry 1t is said that the River
and Harder bill this year is likely to
amount to $25, 1000, 000 which simply
means that so much money is likely to be /,
distributed among the contractors of vari
Gus sections of the country. |
The Mississippi improvement jobbcrs
will want about $4,000, 600 more New
railroad and canal projects may be expect
ed to knock at the doors of Congress
There will be very flood of subsidy de-
and the only safety win be in the
absolute exclusion of every proposition of
that kind, whatever its pretense may be-
ChicGo0 Tribune.