Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-24

they are robbed by protective tariff, anC
the effort is thus made to consolidate theil
vast influence in favor or free Trade. Bu
happily the farmers OF America are inteili
gent and cannot be mISied by soph, ,Stry
when conclusive facts are before them
They see plainly that during the past twen.
ty-fOur years wealth has not been acQuire d
IN one section or by one interest at tie ex.
rense of another section or another inter
est They see that the agricultural state
have made even more rapid progress thai
the manufacturing states.
The farmers see than in 1850 Massaehu
chasetts and Illinois had about the same
wealth-between eight and nine hundred
million dollars each-and that in 1880 Mass
achusetts had advanced TO twenty.six hun
= dred millions while Illinois had advanced
to thirty-twO hundred millions. They see
that New Jersey and Iowa were Just eQual
in population in 1850. and that In twenty
years the wealth of New jersey was in.
creased by the sum of eight hundred and
nifty millions of dollars, while the wealth
OF Iowa was increased by the sum OF fifteen
hundred millions. They see that the nine
leading agricultural states of the West have
grown so rapidly in prosperity that the ag-
gregate addition to their wealth since 1860
Is almost as great as the wealth Of the en-
tire country i'll that year. They see that the
South, which is almost exclusively agricul-
and that having recovered from the loss
and devastation of war, has gained so rap
Idly that its total wealth is at least the dOu-
bic of that which it possessed in 1860, eX-
elusive of saves.
In these extraordinary developments the
farmers see the helpful impulse OF a home
market, and they see that the financial and
revenue system, enacted since the Republi-
can party came into power, has established
and constantly expanded the home market.
They see that even i'll 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 10
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 to three and half BUSH
els exported. In some years the disparity
has been so great that for every peck OF corn
exported 100 bushels have been consumed in
the home market The farmers see that in
the increasing competition from the grain
neldS 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 impairment would depreciate
the value of every acre of tillable 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 vastness Of
the internal commerce of the United States.
They suggest also that, in addition to the
advantages which the American people en-
Joy from protection against foreign cOmpe-
titiOn, they enjoy the advantages of abso-
lutte free trade over larger area and with
greater population than any other nation.
The internal commerce of our thirty-eight
states and nine territories is carried on with
out let or hlndrance, without tax detention
or governmental inter- erenca of any kind
whatever. 1t spreads freely over an area
of three and half million square miles
almost equal in extent to the whole eonti-
nent of Europe. its profits are enjoyed to-
day by 81 100000 of American free.nen, and
from this enjoyment no monopoly is created.
According t. Alexander Hamilton when he
discussed the same subject III 1870, the in
ternal competition which takes place does
away with everything like monopoly, and
by degrees reduces the prices of articles to
the minimum of reasonable profit on the
capital employed" 1t is impossible to point
to single monopoly in the United States
that mas been created or fOStered by the i'll
dustrial system winch is upheld by the Re-
publican party.
Compared with our foreign commerce
these domestic exchanges are inconceiyably
great in amount-reQuirlng merely as one
instrumentality as large mileage of rail-
way as exists to-day in all tile other nations
of the WUrid combined. These internal ex-
are estimated by the Statistical Bu-
reau of the Treasury Department to be an
hually twenty times as great in amount as
our foreign commerce. 1t is into this vast
field of home trade-at once the creation
and the heritage of the American peop e.
that foreign nations are striving by every
device to enter. 1t is into this field that the
opponents of our present revenue system
would freely admit the countries of Europe
into whose internal trade we
no ran -,-t..
which We should be surrendcr.ng every adj
vantage of trade; from winch We should be
gaining nothing III return.
THE MECHANIC AND THE LABoRER :
A policy of this kind would be disastrous
70 the mechanics ana workingmen of the
United States. Wages are uhjustly reduced
when an industrious man is not able by his
children and lay by sufficient amount for
he necessities of age. The reduction of
wages inevitably consequent upon throwing
)ur nOmt market open 10 the world would
ieprive them OF the power TO do this. 1t
would prove great calamity to our coun-
~. 1t would produce conflict between
he poor and the rich, and in the sorrowful
of labor would plant the seeds
# public danger.
The Republican party has steadily aimed
o maintain just relations between labor
nd capital guarding with care the rights
# each. A conflict between the two has
lways led in the past and will always lead
n tle future to the injury of both. Labor
5 Indispensable to the creation and profit
bic use OF capital, and capital increases
he efficiency and value oflaDOr. Whoever
rays the one against the other is an enemy
both. That policy is wiSest and best
Ihich harmonizes the two on the basis. Of
bsolute justice. The Republican party has
rejected the free labor of America so that
s compensation is larger than is realized
any other country. 1t has guarded our
eople against the unfair competition of
1ntraet labor from China, and may. be
alled upon TO prohibit the growth of sim
ar evil from Europe, 1t is obviously un-
lir to permit capitalists to make contracts
'r cheap labor in foreign countries to the
urt and disparagement of the labor of
hich would leave the time and other con-
tlons OF home labor exclusively in the
'ntrol of the employer) is injurious to all
artles-nOt the least SO to the unhappy
ersons who are made the subjects OF this
'ntract- The institutions of the United
.ates rest upon the intelligence and virtue
all the people. Suffrage is made univer-
j as Just weapon of self-protection to
'ery citizen. 1t is not the interest of the
epublic that any economic system should
adopted which involves the reduction of
ages to the hard standard prevailing else
nere- 1Ht IsepuDllcan party aims 10 elo-
tie and dignity labor-nOt to degrade 1t.
As substitute for the industrial system
hich under Republican administration has
such extraordinary prosperity,
It opponents offer policy which is but
rieS of experiments upon our system of
venue-a policy whose end must be harm
our manufactures and greater harm to
II labor. Experiment in the industries
Id financial system is the cOuntry's great
t dread, as stability is its greatest boon.
ven the uncertainty resulting from the re-
mt tariff agitation in Congress has hurt
lily affected the business of the entire
untry. Who can measure the harm to
II shops and our homes, to our farms and
r commerce if the uncertainty of perpet-
i tariff agitation is to be inf cted upon
e country. we are in the midst Of an
undant harvest; we are on the eve of
yival OF general prosperity. Nothing
lnds in our way but the dread of IA change
the industrial system which has wrought
ch wonders in the last twenty years. and
lich, with the power of increased capital,
ii work still greater maryels of prOsper,
In the twenty years to come.
OUR FOREIGN POLICY.
Dur foreign relations favor our domestic
yelopment. We are at peace with the
'rld-at peace upon a sound basis with no
settled questions Of sufficient magnitude
embarrass or distract us. Happily re-
wed by our geographical position from