The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-09
HEAR YE!
The Chicago Times ON Mr.. b. ID. Bu-
fOrd's Free Trade Views.
The Plow Manufacturers Receive No
Protection and Desire None.
From Saturdays Chicago Times.


writer is Mr. b D. Buford, who is the
head of one Of the greatest pillow manu-
featuring concerns in the world and who
wrote in reply to an inquiry by the Dav
export Free.Trade league. Somebody in
Moline printed statement that free
trade would wipe from the land every
plow factory" Mr.. Ruford says it is
charitable to suppose that the man who
made that statement is not plow manu-
faeturer, for piow manufacturers know
better "The pillow factories, says Mr.
Buford, land, in fact, the manufacturers
of all kinds of implements, ship abroad in
value 500 for every dollars worth that Is
imported They receive no protection,
and desire none. But everything they
export has cost them an extra price to
manufacture by reason of the high tariff
in the raw material used.
He goes on to say that his own con
Germ ships products to England Mexico,
South America, Manitoba, Australia,
and New Zealand. Now, upon all these
goods, he says, I'VE have paid protective
duties on the raw materials in them, and
besides the freight in New York we have
to compete with manufacturers who are
not handicapped with protective duties.
| 1t is plain that Mr. Buford is not of
opinion that free trade would wipe
from the land" his pillow factory. He
knows that the system miscalled protec-
ton, SO far from beneitting his industry,
| is burden to it. and places it at great
! disadvantage in neutral markets. IT he
can sell his products in those markets
! in spite of the burden which our system
of licensed rapine lays upon him, what
| might he not do if he were relieved of
! that burden? 1t IS more than probable
| that his business and that Of others en-
| gagged in the same general line of pro-
duction would expand enormously, and
that Americans would control the mar
kets of the world, and supply all of this
hemisphere, with Australia, New Zealand,
and probably India, with all kinds OF
implements, including edge tools, and no
thanks to our industrial dry nurses.
Mr.. Buford proceeds to speak of the
effect upon the farmers of the high tariff
on the materials of plows. He says the
taxes on the materials compel him to
charge more for plows, and the farmers
have to pay the enhanced price They
pay an average of about 80 per cent. in
creased price on everything they use and
everything they wear, even when these
things are staples, such as trace chains,
all kinds of hardware and wood, screens,
| blankets, clothing, hats and caps, and
| boots and shoes. When these same farm
| cal 4 hat
their hogs, cattle. and sheep, do these pro
tected manufacturers pay these farmers
anymore for their produce than the mai
kets of the world quote them at? They
do not" The only pretense of cOmpen
sating advantage to the farmer is the
home market which the protected manu-
facturers are said 10 give him for his
produce, Mr.. Buford shows what q
humbug this talk about home market is
by pointing ont that the protected indus
tries employ less than : per cent, of the
population employed in manufacturing
and less than ? per cent, their families
included, of all the country. He adds
The farmers can sell the produce and
meat that these , per cent, would consume
anywhere out of this country at as gooG
price; or if they had to burn it. or even
one tenth of the produce, they would be
better off, if by so doing they could buy
what they required at hale price, or even
ne-qurrter less
Mr.. Buferd is by no means the only
manufacturer who knows that his bust
ness is hurt by our monopoly tariff. What
is true as to his business is true as to the
business of manufacturing carriages, and
wagons, furniture, boots and shoes, anC
many other things. These manufactur
ers are beginning to produce more thar
enough to supply the home market, and
like Mr.. Buford, they see that they mus
be freed from the outrageous tariff i'm
position before they can gain firm foot
hold in foreign markets These men arr
not going TO submit quietly to the impos
ition very much longer 1t will not b.
long before we shall hear from grea
number of manufacturers who are no
protected, and do not want any protec
ton, and who would soon make this the
greatest manufacturing country in the
world if government would stop taxing
them for the benefit of others.
That there is an irresistible tendenc,
toward greater commercial freedom is ev
ident from many indications. Mr.. Blu
ford's letter is one of these indications
The free criticism of the high tariff plank
in the Minnesota republican platform il,
the leading republican paper of st Pau
is another Still another appears in
recent address by Hon. II. K Slayton
president of the New Hampshire
SCna.es association In enImerating tn
things required to promote our CONNER
cial and industrial growth Mr. Slaytol
mentioned "a lower tariff, with all raw
materials for manufacturing free" HI
went on to suggest reduction of ] pc
cent yearly in duties on manufactures il
which labor is large share of cost. AM
% per cent. yearly on all goods wher
labor is small share of the cost. II
added
THE nation whose values are high O
whose cost of manufactured goods is hig
i will in the course of one or two decade
find itself with an overproduction WI C
can not be sold at home nor sold abroa
without ruin to the owner. This stops th
employmet of labor, while the cost G
!. living is high
. The significance of this utterance wi
a be better appreciated when it
remembered that New Hampshire is
manufacturing state. and Mr.. Slayton is
: republican. 1t is not to be supposed tbs
8 Mr. Slayton would have made such
:, speech if it were not a fact within h
knowledge that the manufactures of Ne
Hampshire were turning their eye
h toward foreign markets, and getting read
4, TO assault the outworks of the protectiy
4 system. We may expect them. with
large proportion of the manufacturers
other states, to commence the assau
1t before very long. If they carry the
l. point the whole system will be doome
n for if protection is withdrawn from Il
producers of raw materials they W
u insist upon free finished product
THE DOUGLAS TREE.
;, During the Douglas and Lincoln can
\ paign, two elms were set out in the cou
house yard One was called the "Linco
| IL CtTlr,,r,loo