The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-09-14


RUINS OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE.
Ishall now call your attention to the
principal interests of the country, and
consider the effects of the protective
tariff upOn them And first, what Is the
effect upon our foreign commerce? 1t
is perfectly manifest that all its intlu-
eDees upon these interests must be in
5urfous. Foreign trade depends upon
fhe opportunities of exchanging our
wroducts for the products of other ma
hons. The protective tariff places huge
duties upon foreign goods, and disables
Them from coming here, and to the same
Axtent disables our products from sell
ing abroad. 1t is as though road had
bean constructed and put in perfect re-
pair between two neighbOrhoods, and
after this result had been accomplished
one of them establishes an obstacle in
she center of this road before III reaches
It's terminus. This plainly makes IL
more difficult to transport goods from
one place to the other. If the other
WAiphborhoOd should likewise place an
obstacle in the way the difficulties OF
TRANSFORMATION would be doubled. Every
Fariff restriction is an obstacle to trade.
Every duty which our tariff laws I'M
pose is a hinderance to foreign COM
Hnerce, and embarrasses the exchange or
commodities. 1t does 1t dOuhiy IN many
eases, for it affords excuses for other ma
dions to put restrictions upon the sale OF
american goods abroad. Let me Illus
sEste: Suppose that an American takes
A cargo of goods to Brazil, and at the
same time to the same port an English
man carries a cargo of his goods. When
Fhey reach Rio JaneirO the Englishman
seeks the merchants of that city to OBJ
tain goods for which he may exchange
mis- own. He selects wool and hides
and leather and tallOw, and other Bra
8ilian products. He soon strikes par
,gain, fills his vessel with cargo and
returns to England with foreign goods
which he readily sells at profit in the
ENGLISH market. The American, 1m1ta-
ting the Englishman's example, under
sakes to do the same thing. He also fills
mis- vessel with Brazilian products and
returns to New York. When he reaches
that city he is required to pay duty of
sOper cent. upon his wool, and hides,
and leather, and the other articles of
mis- cargo. After he has unlOaded he
inds that the articles imported have
cost him so much that he cannot sell
shem except at loss. The Englishman
who had no duty to pay has made money.
The American who has paid duty has
lost money. Is it not plain that tariff
restrictions hinder and embarras foreign
4Ommerce?
OUR SHIPPING DESTROYED BY THE TARIFF
The effect upon our carrying trade is
sven more disastrous. II has almost
ceased to exist, In 1855, 400 vessels
we're built in the United States for
foreign trade; in 1879, 81 In 1855, IS
Der cent. of our imports and exports
were carried in American bottoms; in
1890. scarcely II per cent. In 1867
great Britain had $4,000 tons engaged
between it and the United States, She
has now 100000. Germany thel had
but 10000 tons, now she has $4,000,
Norway and Sweden twenty years ago
had $4,000 tons; now they have over $780,
900 During this period the decrease in
our tonnage has been from 4,14O,OOO
tons to 100000. So completely has all
Shis trade passed under foreign control
fhat last wear our people paid to foreign
ship owners $135, 100000 for carrying
gDr own products abroad and bringing
back foreign products in return. Out
of thousands of ships which passed
through the Isthmus of Suez in 1880,
not one carried the American flag. Out |
Of four hundred steamships plying upon |
the high seas, employing sixty thOus- |
and men. and earning more than mil |
non and a half month, there are only |
four which carry the stars and stripes, |
and saw it stated the other day that |
chose had been withdrawn. A dlstln-
gnished officer in our navy told me re-
GENTLY that when he made his first vOy-
age in 1857 more than half the vessels
ne saw in South America carried our
dag, while on his last voyage, two years
ago, to the same ports, he did not see
I6e American flag except upon vessels
owned by the Government. At this rate
1t is a question of only short time
when the American flag will entirely
disappear from the high seas.
This condition is directly the result of
The protective tariff. That system pro-
hibits foreign built vessels from an
American registry. The consequence is
capitalists desiring to engage in the
carrying trade buy a vessel, put it under
4 foreign flag, engage foreign sailors
and the profit of the moneys goes large
" into foreign pockets. American ship
builders are unable to build ships in COM
petition with the builders on the Clyde.
Towns in New England, which used
10 thrive through ship building for for
ign trade. have fallen into decay. The
easOn of this is the high prices of ma
erial which protection always makes.
n the construction of ship labor is 28
er cent. of the total cost. OF course, |
aean to be understood as speaking of
nc ldbOl III pubbAAS blAC ohAp bOSCbhOl |
fter the materials are all ready. If
he material required is worth 100000
will cost $4,000, the cost being in ;
reased 40 per cent. by the operation of {
be tariff. in England, where the ma j
eriaI is free, the ship builder is not ,
bliged to pay any such increase. 1t is I
erfectly apparent that il is impossible {
Or America to compete with England {
3 long as the former is burdened with 4
be 40 per cent. increase of price of ma d
erial which the tariff makes. 1 know d
hat it has been claimed by some that t
ne reason we cannot compete with c
ngland in ship bnilding is the high I
ates of wages paid to the labOrers. The t
alseness of this proposition is demon i
rated by an incident which occurred 1
OF long ago at WyandOtte, Michigan, {
'hen one of the great railroad com I
anies engaged in building vessels for c
le lake traffic. The manager went to {
ae Clyde and brought over LIS ship Z
uildeIs. After they had worked some {
me they found them not even doing as G
Tell with their wages as they did in /
ngland. Those who worked by the day 4
lade $3.50 day, and those who worked '
? the piece made 81 and $3.50 a day. a
hey demanded an increase of wages, 2
hich was refused. The one hundred :
nd 6fteel then held a meeting and re-