Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-07-19

4
millions OF dollars, 80 90 co 0D0l. On
the other hand. our sxp.rss frsn 1850
I 10 the close of the late fiscal year ex-
cseded twelve thousand millions Of DOL
lars. tue whole of 1, being the produc,
OF Amsrlcan labor. Evidently a pro-
tectlve 'ariff has not injured our export
tr-de, abs under It's lnausnce We ex.
ported Ia tveuty-four years forty Der
cent. more than the tots am unit that
nAd osen exported IL the entire previ-
oo- history OF American commerce. All
the details, when analszsd correspond
vito this gig sntic result. The CONNER
clAI cities OF the Union never had s1eh
CROWN as thfry have enjoyed since
LooO. Oar chief emporium. the city
OF New York With her cepe ndencies. has
within that period doubled her 1pala-
tlon and Increased her wealth five fold
during the sam p4riCd The imports
and exports which have entered and
LETT her harbor are more than double IN
bulk and value the whole amount re-
ported BY hsr between the settlement of
tas first Dutch colony on the Island of
Manhattan AMI the outbreak of the
civil war ia 1850.
The aQrIcuitnIa! inter st Is ~ far the
largest IN the y alton, and lsieniitled in
every adjustment Of revenue TO the fitst
consideration. Any policy hostile to
the fullest development of agriculture
IN toe United States must De abandoc-
ed. Realizing this fact, the opponents |
Of the present system of revenue have |
lAbored very earnestly TO persuade the |
farmers of the United States that they
are robbed by protective tariff. An
effort Is thus made to consolidate their |
- g. l..
PLY the farmers of America are intelll- |
gent and cannot be misled by sophistry |
when conclusive facts are before them. |
They see plainly that during the pas, |
u years wealth has not been ac
quired in one section, or by one |
interest, At the expense of an
other section or another interest. They |
ses that the agricultural States have |
made even more rapid progress than the |
manufacturing States. The farmers See |
that III 1860 Massachusetts ana Illinois |
had about the same wealth. between |
eight and nine hundred million dollars |
each, and that In 1880 Massachusetts |
had advanced to twenty-six hundred |
millions, while Illinois had advanced to |
thirty-tVo hundred millions. They see |
that New jersey and Iowa were Just |
equal In population IN lS60 aud that IN |
twenty years the wealth of New Jersey |
was increased by the sum of eight hun |
dred and fifty millions of dollars, while |
the wealth of Iowa was increased by |
the sum of fifteen hundred millions |
They see that the niue leading agricul- |
tural States of the West have grown SO |
rapidly in prosperity that the aggregate !
addition to their wealth since 1860 is |
almost AZ great as the wealth of the en- |
tire country In that year. They see that |
the South. which 10 almost exclusively |
agricultural, has shared in the general |
prosperity, and shat having recovered |
from the loss aud devastation of the |
war, 1t has gained So rapidly that |
Its total is at least double that |
which 1t possessed in 1860, exclusive of |
slaves. IN these extraordinary develop |
meats, tho farmers ses the helpful i'm |
pulse of "a hume market, and they see /
that The financial and revenue system |
enacted since the Republican party has |
come into power has established and |
constantly expanded the home marAet. |
They see that even In the case of wheat, |
which is our chief cereal export, they |
have sold in the average years since the |
close of the war three bushels At home |
to one they have sold abroad. and that |
in the increase of corn, he only otheI |
cereal which We export TO any extent, |
one hundred bushels have been used at |
home to three and half bushels ex-
ported. In some years the disparity |
has been so great that for every peck of |
corn exported one hundred bushels have |
been consumed in the home market. |
The farmers see that III IL creaslu9 com
petition from the grain fields of Russia |
and from the distant plains of India |
the growth of tie home market becomes |
daily of greater concern to them, and |
that lts impairment wonld depfeciate
the value of every acre of tIliable land
in the Union.
Such facts az these, touching the
growth and assumption of cereals at
home give Us the internal commerce of |
the United States. They suggest also
that in addition to the advantages wtich |
the American people enjoy from proteo-
ton against foreign crmpetltloH, they |
enioy the advantages of absolute free
trade over a large area and with greater
population than any other nation. The
internal commerce throughout the thir-
weight States and Territories is car
RED on without let or hindranca, witt
out local or governmental interfe'-
enes of any kind whatever. IL spreads
freely over an area of 81, 10000 squa o
miles, almost equal in exten. to the
whole oontinen. of Europe. It's profits
are enjoyed today by 56,0O0,0Oo Ameri
can freemen, and from this enjoyment
no monopoly is created. According o
Alexand, HaIuiltsn, when he discussed
the same subject in 1890, the int r
nal competition which takes place
does away with everything like monop-
DIV, by degrees reduces the price of ar
ticles t. a minimum OF reasonable
interest on capital. It IL Impossible to
point to a single monopoly IN the United
States that has been created or fostered
by the industrial system which is
Compared with our foreign COM
merce, these domestic changes are |
of iacoucsivably great amount, requir- |
inv merely as one fundamentally as
large mileage of railway As exists today |
in all other nations of the world com- |
bined. These internal exchanges are |
estimated by the Statistical Bureau of !
the Treasury Department to be annu |
ally 10 times as great in amount as our
foreign commerce. IL is into this vast
field Of home trade. at once the cres-
ton and heritage of the American peo-
pie, that foreign nations are striving by
every device to enter: IL Is into this d I'D
that the opponents of the present rev
enus system would freely admit the
countries of Europe, countries into
whose internal trade We could not resip-
rocaIly enter. countries to whom we
should be surrendering every advantage
of trade and from which We should be
gaining nothing In return. This would
be disastrous to the mechanics and
vorkinsmen of the United States.
Wages are undoubtedly reduced when an
industrious man IL not able by his earn
ines TO live in comfort, educate his
children and lay by sufficient for the
necessities of age. The reduction of
wages. inevitably consequent upon
throwing our home market open 10 the
world. would deprive them of the
power to do this; Il would prove
a great calamity TO our country
il would produce conflict between the
poor and rich. and in the sogrovful deg
radiation of labor xoIld plans seeds OF
pnblia danger. The Republican party
has steadily aimed 10 maintain Just re-
las.ous between labor and capital.
guarding with care the rights of each.
Conflict between the two has always led