Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-07-31

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Agriculture and the Tariff,
The agricultural interest is by far the largcs
In the nation, and is entitled in every adjust
mcnl Oi revenue laws Ia the first consideration
ANY policy hostile To the fullest dcvclopmrn
OF agriculture in the United States must In
abandoned, Realizing this fact the oppuncnt
OF the present system Of revenue have laborct
very earnestly Ia persuade the farmers Of III,
United states that they are robbed by Il pro
tcctiyC tariff, and the effort Is thus made Il
consolidate their vast influence In fayOrOf frc,
trade. But happily the farmers Of America an
intelligent and cannot be mislcd by Sophistr,
when conclusive facts are before them. Thci
see plainly that during the past twenty foul
years wealth has not been acquired in one sec
tion or by ono interest at the expense Of another
section or another interest They see that tllC
agricultural states have made even more rapit
progress than the manufacturing states
The farmers sec that in 1850 Massachusctt,
and Illinois had about the same wcalth-bc
tween $500, 10000 and $500, 1000 each-nnl
that In 1850 Massachusetts had advanced I,
S2GOOWO,OOO, while Illinois had advanced t,
S3,2OOOJO,OO They see that New Jersey and
Iowa were just equal In population in 1850 ana
That in twenty years the wealth Of New Jersey
was increased by the sum of SS5j,O0.O0j,
while The wealth Of Iowa was increased by The
sum Of $500, GOO. They see that the nine
leading agricultural states Of the west have
grown SO rapidly in prosperity that the aggre-
gate addition to their wealth since 1850 is al.
most rs great as the wealth Of the entire coun.
try in that year. They sec that the south,
which is almost exclusively agricultural, has
shared in the general prosperity, and that hav.
Ing recovered from the loss and devastation Of
war, has gained so rapidly that its total wealth
Is at least the double Of that which It possessed
In lSGO exclusive Of slaves.
In these extraordinary DEVELOPMENTS the
farmers sec the helpful impulse Of home mar
ket, aud they see that the financial and revenue
system, enacted since the republican party
came into power, has established and constant
ly expanded the home market. They sec that
even In the case Of wheat, which Is our chief
cereal export, they have sold, in the average Of
the years since the close Of the war, three
bushels at home TO one they have sold abroad,
and that In the case Of corn, the only other
cereal which we export to any extent, 100
bushels have been used at home 10 three and a
half bushels exported. In some years the dis
parity has been so great that for every peck of
corn exported 100 bushels have been consumed
In the home market. The farmers see that tie
increasing competition from the grain fields Of
Russia and from the distant plains of India.
the growth OF the home market becomes daily
OF greater concern TO them and that its impair.
ment would deprccatc the value Of every acre
OF tllablc land In the union.
Our Internal Commerce.
Such facts as these touching the growth and
consumption Of cereals at home give us some
slight conception Of the yastness Of the inter
nal commerce Of the United States. They suC.
gest also that in addition to the advantages
which the American people enjoy from protec.
tion against foreign competition, they enjoy
the advantages Of absolute free trade over d
larger area and with greater population than
any other nation. The internal commerce OF
our thirty-cight states and nine territories ia
carried on without let or hndranCc, without
tax, detention or governmental interference
OF any kind whatever. II spreads freely oycr
an area Of 3,50O,O0O square mllcs-almost
equal In extent TO the whole continent Of
Europe. Its profits are enjoyed to-day by 5G.
WU,OOO OF American frccmcn, aud from this
enjoyment no monopoly Is created. Accord.
Ing TO Alexander Hamilton, when he discussed
the same subject in 1890, "thc Internal conlpu-
tltiOn which takes place docs away with every
thing like monopoly and Ivy degrees reduces
reasonable profit on the capital employed -
1t is impossible To point TO a single monopoly
In the United States that has been created or
foStcrrd by the industrial system which Is up
held by the republican party.
Compared with our foreign commerce these
domestic exchanges are inCunccivably great in
requiring merely as one instrument
alltv rs large a mileage Of railway as exists To-
day In all the other nations Of the world com
bntd These internal exchanges are estimated
by the statistical bureau Of the treasury de
partmrnt to be annually twenty times us great
IN amount as our foreign commerce. ltis into
This vast field Of home tradr-at once the crca-
Ton aud the heritage the American people
That foreign nations are striving by every de-
vice TO enter. 1t Is into this field that tie up-
poncutS Of our present revenue system would
freely admit the countries uf Europe
tries into whose Internal trade we could not
reciprncalli enter; countries 10 which we
should he 'urrcndrring every advantage Of
Trade; from which We should he gaining moth
Ing in return
Effect Upon the Mechanic and the Laborer.
A policy Of this kind would he disastrous TO
the mechanics and working men Of the United
States. Wages are unjusliy reduced when m
industrious man ia not able by his earnings to
live in comfort, educate his children and lay
by = sufficient amount for the necessities Of
lgc. The reduction Of wages inevitably consc-
lucnt upon throwing our home market open
To the world, would deprive them of the power
10 Ito this 1t would prove n great calamity to
our country. 1t would produce conflict be-
tween the poor and the rich, and in the sor
rowful degradation Of labor would plant the
seeds Of public danger.
The republican party has steadily aimed to
maintain just relations between labor and cap
with care the rights Of each
a conflict between tho two has always led in
.hc past and will always lead in the future to
snc injury Of both. Labor is Indispensable to
The creation and profitable use Of capital, and
capital increases the efficiency and value of
labor, Whoever arrays the one against the
othcr is an enemy 10 both. That policy is
wisest and best which harmOnizes the two on
!he basis of absolute justice. The republican
party has protected the free labor of America
go that its compensation is larger than Is real
Zcd in any other country. 1t has guarded our
people against the unfair competition of con-
tract labor from China and may be called upon
% prohibit the growth of similar evil from
Europe. 1t Is obviously unfair TO permit cap
.tnllsts to make contracts for cheap labor In
foreign countries to the hurt and disparage-
ment Of the labor Of American citizens. Such
Time and other conditions Of home labor cXclu-
sively in the control Of the Cmployer) is in
furious to all partics-not the least so TO the
unhappy persons who are made the subjects of
NE contract The institutions Of the United
states rest upon the intelligence and virtue Of
al The people. Suffrage is made universal as
/ just weapon of sclf-protcctlon to every citi-
zen. 1t is not the interest of the republic that
any economic system should be adopted which
involves. the reduction of wages to the hard
standard prevailing elsewhere. The republi-
IAN party aims to elevate and dignity labor
not to degrade 1t.
As a substitute for the industrial system
which, under republican administration, has
developed such extraordinary prosperity, our
opponents offer policy which is but series
)f experiments upon our System of revenue
/ policy whose end must be harm to our man
lfactures and greater harm to our labor Ex-
pertinent In the industrial and financial sys-
en- is the country's greatest dread, as stability
s It's greatest boon. Even the uncertainty re-
'ulting from the recent tariff agitation in con-
yress has hurtfully affected the business Of the
'ntire country. Who can measure the harm
% our shops and our homes, to our farms and
,ur commerce, II the uncertainty Of perpetual
ariT agitation is TO be inflicted upon the coun-
ryt We arc in the midst OF an abundant har-
rest; we are on the eve Of revival of general
Nothing stands In our way but the
'hange In the industrial system which has
wrought such wonders In the last twenty
7cars, and which, with the power Of increased
'apital, will work still greater marvels Of pros
'ority in the twenty years To come
The Foreign Policy.
Our foreign relations favor our domestic de-
'elopment We arc at peace with the world
at peace upon sound basis with no unsettled
questions Of sufficient magnitude to cmbarrass
Or distract us. Happily removed by our &c.
ographlcal position from participation or in