The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-10-24

which the party stands charged Is tho gen.
erous pensioning of soldiers, sailors and Their
families-an extravaganza VIII. L embodies
the highest form of justice in the recognition
and payment of sacred debt. When reduc
ton of taxation is to be made, the Republic
can party can be trusted to accomplish it in
such form as will most effectively aid the
industries of the nation.
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE
A frequent accusation by our opponents Is
that the foreign commerce of the country
has steadily decayed under the influence OF
the protective tariff. In this way they seek
to array the importing interest against the
Republican party. 1t is a common and yet
radical error to confound the commerce of
the country with its carrying trade-an error
often committed innocently and sometimes
designedly-but an error so gross that il does
not distinguish between the ship and the
cargo. Foreign commerce represents the
exports and imports of a cousatry regardless
Of the nationality Of the vessel that may
carry the commodities of exchange. Our
carrying trade has from obvious causes suf-
fered many discouragements since 1860, but
our foreign commerce has in the same period
steadily and prodigiously increased-ip-
creased indeed at a rate and TO an amount
which absolutely dwarf all previous develop
ments OF our trade beyond the sea- From
1860 to the present time tue foreign com
merce Of the United States divided with APP
proximpte equality between exports and I'M
ports reached tho astounding aggregate of
$24 000, 100000 The balance in this vast
commerce inclin,d IN our favor, but 1t would
have been much larger il our trade with the
countries Of America, elsewhere referred to,
had been more wisely adjusted.
1t il difficult even to appreciate the magni-
tudo Of our export trade sine 1890. and we
can gain correct conception OF 1t only by
comparison with preceding results in the
samc field. The total exports from the
United States, from the Delegation of indie
pendence, in l776, down to the day of Lin
COINS ELECTION, in 1850, added Q all that had
eoeass FISH Sssp s ns sn'san
q. 4, to less than g, ooo, 600 ,99O. On
we vpuer manu-, ON rxpvr ', froc, 1850 to the
close Of the last fiscal year exceeded s13,-
CO., 600, 0O0-the whole of II being the pro-
duct of American labor. Evidently pro.
tective tariff has not injured our export
trade when, under its influence we exported
in twenty-four years 40 per cent more than
the total amount that had been exported in
the entire pro' ious history of American
commerce. All the details, when alalysed,
SSyrespegs with this gigaatie result, The
such growth as Trey have esjSyed since 1880
Our chief emporium, the city ST New York,
With Its dependencies, has within that period
doubled her population and increased her
wealth 6ve-fold. During the same per4od
tba ;,n,,d,ts apH axcs,,.t, ,yhfph, I'm v, assktyS
and LEFT her kerbar atc f $ than double S in
bulk pnd value tfswholo amount exported
by her between the settlement of the first
Dutch colony on the island of Manhattan
and the outbreak of the civil war, in 1860.
AGRICULTURE AND THE TARIFF.
The agriculture interest is by far the
largest in the nation, and is entitled in
every adjustment OF revenue laws to the
first consideration. Any policy hostile to
the fullest development Of agriculture in
the United States mus. be abandoned
Realizing this fact the opponents Of the
present system of revenue have laborej
very earnestly to persuade the farmers of
the United States that they are robbed by
protective tariff, and the effort is thus made
to consolidate their vast influence in favor
of free trade. But happily tho farmers of
America are intelligent and cannot be mis-
led by sophistry when conclusive facts are
before them. They see plainly that during
the past twenty-four years wealth has not
boen acquired in one section or by one inter
est at the expense of another section or an
other interest They soc that the agricul-
tural states have made even moro rapid
progress than the manufacturing states
The farmers see that in 1850 Massachusetts
oie t.1 oh H.
tween eight and nine hundred million dollars
eech-eud that in 1880 Massachusetts, had
advanced to $4,000, 600, 900, while Illinois had
advanced to 5000, 600, 600 They see thnt
New Jersey and Iowa were just equal in
population in 1860 and that in twenty years
the wealth of New Jersey was increased by
theEyp Of $3.50, 000, 900, while the wealth of
Iowa'was increased by the sum of 81, $780,
100000. They see that the nine leading agri-
cultural states of the west have grown so
rapidly in prosperity that the aggregate adj
dition to their, wealth since 1860 is almost as
great as the wealth of the entire country in
that year. They see that the south, which
is almost exclusively agricultural, has shared
in the general prosperity and that having
recovered from the loss and devastation of
war, has gained 80 rapidly that its total
wealth is at least the double of that which it
possessed in 1860, exclusive of slaves
In these extraordinary developments the
farmers see the helpful impulse of home
market, and they see that the financial and
revenue system, enacted since the Repubi-
can party came into power, has established
and constantly expanded the kome market
They see 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 to So bushels 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 increas-
ing competition from the grain fields of Rus
STA and from the distant plains of India, the
growth of the home market becomes daily of
greater concern to them, and that its inn
pairment would depreciate the value of every
acre of tillable land in the Union.
OUR INTERNAL COMMERCE..
Such facts as these touching the growth
and c6n c,,n,ption of cnrao1e ot bop,a ,i,,o ,,s