The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-04-18
THE SAFE MHDDLE-GROUND
TarfG Reform fer Farmers and
Manufacturer.

AN ABLE EXPOSITION OF WHAT THE CoUN-
TRY NEEDS, BY A DEMOCRAT WHO Is AN
IRON MANUFACTURER.
EXTRACTS from the speech Of Congressman Hewitt
We are now prosperous, but our pros
perity will continue only so long as there
is an adequate market for our products.
At present we have . market only for
raw materials-such as food products,
cotton, petroleum and tobacco For our
manufactured products the markets of the
world are closed against us-closed be
cause it is impossible to sell our goods in
the open markets of the world In competl-
tiOn with other manufacturing nations
The reason of this is mainly that our tar
if legislation has erected artificial bar
riers to the free introduction of raw ma
terial, and by the imposition OF unwise
taxes we are handicapped at the very out
set in the commercial race. These OBJ
structions cannot be removed too soon.
They are we'll known and can be enumer-
ated without difficulty. We tax food, of
which we are the great exporters; we
tax wool, which is the foundation of a vast
industry we tax bituminous coal, iron
ore and scrap iron, which lie at the base
of the great iron and steel industry we
tax copper ores, alcohol and oils and num-
erous chemicals, without which many
branches of industry cannot exist.
Having thus created an artificial sys-
tenn, we find it impossible to compete
with Great Britain and France and Ger
many, whose industry stands upon the
firm and natural basis Of free raw mate
rials. This defect in our revenue system
could be remedied by a joint resolution in
and Means could then take as much time
as might be needed to consider and ad-
Just the infinite detail involved in the re-
construction of a tariff covering $500 ar
ticles. Unless a remedy be speedily ap-
piled the industry of this country will be
surfeited by the excess of products for
which it can find no market. There is a
limit to the amount of food which we can
sell abroad, and it is great mistake to
suppose that Europe cannot raise food in
competition with America The question
is not, as many seem to suppose, so much
the relative cost of production as the
amount of rent which can be collected
from the farmer In Europe in addition to
the cost of production. 1t is, therefore,
purely question Of rent. Foreign farms
will not be abandoned, but the rents will
be reduced and the products will be in
creased, 50 that instead of larger we are
likely to have more restricted markets.
The process of readjustment is now going
on. Rents have been reduced from
twenty to thirty per cent, and if that is
not sufficient they will be further reduced
until land is as free in Europe as it is upon
this continent. Nations will not aban-
don the soil, but they will resist the i'm
position of rent and taxes which it will
not bear.
Mr.. Hewitt proceeded to show that it
was 6 not possible by any schemes of leg
islation to add to the natural resources of
any country !" that the only effect of
taxes on imports is to alter the direction
or distribution of human effort that
wages could not be advanced by the tar
il, because wages, ike water, seeks a
level )" that in any changes of the tariff,
however, we should proceed slowly so as
not to interfere with interests already in
voIved In the tariff; that our surplus of
cereals was, however, becoming steadily
and greatly enlarged, and that when that
surplus becomes unstable through abun-
dance abroad there win be great distress,
for which the only adequate remedy will
be in the export Of manufactures, for
which we should prepare ourselves by re-
ducing the cost Of raw materials and re-
ducing duties to point that win protect
American labor and no more. He con-
tinued
Happily in considering the situation
we are relieved from MI the necessity of
deciding the vexed question Of free trade
or protection. That question, important
- L i, is not now involved in the work
before q. have already pointed cut
that interests have grown under the ex-
isting taEi6, which hns lasted for twenty
years, Of sach vast and complicated ma
taFe, and employing such large proper
ton Of our popalaEioa, that sny interfer-
encs which woald tend to disl0cate this
inanstTy, that woald be likely to impair
In eGeiency and not advanee the snbstan-
tial elements Of It's prosperity, growth
and incEsass, Wonld not oaly be N act Of
foIIy, bat would prodnce resulfs 20 diaas-
tEcas - tie wh0is eommuuity that -
party O. - of men Who might undertake
& would b sustained BY the popular sp-
pEosaI hut would BE eonaisned 70 obIis-