Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-12


the well-paid artisans and skilled laborers
of England, France and Germany, whose
wages have been shown to be as high as
those in this country. the dgricUtturlSt
has TO compete with the lowest grade OF
labor on earth, and without the privilege
of reciprocity. Ii it be said that you nave
a better home market for what you raise
on the other hand, it must be admitted
that a very large amount Of your surplus
productions, amounting TO SoJ2,0Oo SD
last year, and in 1881 10 SloO,OOO,OOO,
would have been lost entirely but lot the
foreign market.
You do not dispose of all you can at
high prices, as do the salt makers ana
copper miners, and sell the surplus Onty
at a sacrifice 1t is one price for all.
Is it not due, then, to this immense
interest that some attention should
be given to build up and improve
this foreign market, rather than 10
spend all legislative effort In raising
higher barriers to keep our produce at
home:
The protective system has not worked
so well that you find home market LOT
all that is raised, and the market you
have to seek abroad is not replaced or
made needless by the one it is attempted
TO build up at home. The last census
shows that there were employed in the
manufacturing establishments OF the L MI
ted States >. 73S. S95 men, women and emil
dren. or a little over ) per cent. OF the whole
population. and the profits earned upon
the products of their labor by the manu-
facturers. in the year 1881, were silva
sol. SAT. or over one thousand millions OF
dollars. If these are "intant manufac-
lures" the profits are surely not infantlle.
1t is well. then, to look at these things
squarely and fairly. and ask how much
good does the farmer derive from the ire
mendOus import tax of $216,OOO,OOO
paid last year? For it must be borne in
mind that if by this tax the price of for
eign goods imported is raised from thirty
to fifty per cent, the domestic article is
enot sold any cheaper for the same quality.
As a rule the selling price of home manu-
features is fixed at little, if any, below
that at which the importer offers to sell
YOU his duty-paid goods. / could go
on almost endlesSly to illustrate the hard
sbips of a system that, in many cases, Is
like the tax on mortgages, a double eXac-
ton, but this is not the time nor the
place to exhaust the subject.
What l have said may open fresh line
of thought to you, and raise many impOr-
tant questions in your minds. Perhaps
none will be more pertinent than to ask,
such being the state of things, what have
our Senators and Representatives in Con-
gress been about, that these abuses have
now gone on these many years, without
protest or remonstrance on their
part, nay, even with apologies
and defense? They may think only
of the wealthy iron companies, the
machine makers, the cotton and wooden
manufacturers, of those who have their
capital in mines, in banks, and in land
grant railroads, but not of you. Perhaps
they do not know enough; perhaps they
owe their election to the men who rally
their work people TO the polls on the cry
that the protection to their business is in
danger. and that the wages of their
operatives are threatened, and
that the mills must close. They
say nothing about the fear for their
own large dividends and immense profits.
but strive to leave all the burdens upon
the shoulders of the agriculturist.
Much. very much more could be said;
much about the dwarfing of our CON-
merce and the decline Of shipping;
for none can say, when eighty-four
seventeen-twentieths of our foreign
commerce is done under foreign flags, and
when the stars and stripes have almost
disappeared from the ocean, that prOtec-
zion and navigation laws have promoted
our growth and prosperity in this direc-
ton. 1t is, however, enough in itself to
awaken our serious reflection to repeat,
that the exports of agricultural products
from the United States were last year
$552, 600, 000, forming seventy-two per cent.
of the whole; that the returns of these ex-
ports in foreign goods paid d tax of S2l6,-
000, 600. and that the surplus revenue from
all sources, applied to the premature pay
ment of the public debt, over and above
all the extravaganza Of expenditure at
Washington, was $145,000.000.
Why should this tremendous sum be
exacted annually from the hard working
people Of this country? Who grow rich
by it? Look around you and you VIII see
that it is not the farmer. You may not
feel any particular pinch, it operates so
insIdiously, this indirect mode of taxa
ton, but do gOU GrOlr Tich[ Do you even
make a good living out of it? Those who
gather the spoils will appear if you look
at the large dividends of the various
classes of manufacturers, and machinists,
and implement makers, and miners, and
while only 81 per cent. of our population
is engaged in these pursuits, look
at their profits, look at their
accumulations in the way of ''plant' or
investment, constantly adding mill TO
mill, shop to shop, furnace to furnace, roll
ing mill to rolling mill out of their profits,
besides the regular dividends. Look at
the large establishments built in this
State by the accumulations acquired by
protection, which gives to certain classes
a practical monopoly and large assured
profits. Look at the large mills and fac
tories all over this great Commonwealth,
see how they grOw-While farms dwindle
and diminish in value. In a late debate
in the United States Senate, a statement
was read from the Hartford COurdnt, of
the dividends and the prices of the stock
of some of the manufacturing companies
in Connecticut, and among them, the
SouthingtOn Cutlery Company, whose
cash dividends, the last year. were
twenty and a half per cent. Mr.. Platt eX-
planned that these dividends were declared
on their nominal capital, but their real
capital was, i'll many instances, several
times as much. An unfortunate eXplana-
ton or admission, for whence came this
''real capital" but from accumulated
profits put into the business and into in
creased buildings and machinery piled
up, in addition to large semi-annual
dividends? And so it is in old Massachu-
sets! No wonder that our young people
leave the farm for the lighter work and
greater emOluments of protected industry!
After all l have stated, would not be I'M
derstOOd as advising, even if the people
were agreed upon it, ANY sudden, radical
change. 1t should be gradual, but it
should be begun. / would not hastily i'm
pinge upon what may almost be consid-
cred vested rights. However good the
principle of free trade may be, "buying
where we can buy cheapest, and selling
where we can sell dearest" we have
been so long building up another system
that to stop it suddenly would
be ruinOus to all; but now we are so
large and Independent nation, ought we
not to rise above a One-sided system, and
gradually, at least, amend it, Ought we
not to ask that some of the hardships and
inequalities and much double taxing, the
protection so called which does not pro-
tect, should be looked into and dealt with
wisely and in statesmanlike manner
and cOrrectedE
Is not the present tariff too much
adapted to hold up mot to build up, for
the expense Of the farmer? Must there
not be something wrong when everybody
else gets rich, while this, numerically the
largest class. grows poorer! Why must
a revenue of four hundred millions
of dollars be collected, when only
eighty, or at most one hundred mil
lions, are required to maintain our
national credit, pay our interest, and eX-
tingUish gradually the public debt, and
as much more for the economical admin
istration Of the government? Why should
not the farmers demand, and the demand
be yielded to, that economy and simplicity
shall be the rule of the government, as it
is in their own households, and lighter
weight of duties and taxes be imposed
upon them?
Suppose our iron and machine makers,
miners, manufacturers and railroad men
should grow rich less rapidly than for the
last twenty years, would it be any eUIy
Would not a return to simple, republican,
purer and calmer ways, with less fever
ish excitement, less of luxury and show,
be a public and national advantage