The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-07-26
Aen1cuLrrRE AND THE r.n1rr

| AGRICULTURE AND THE TARIFF
| lite agricultural interest is by far the larg-
| esf III the nation, and Is entitled In every ad.
| lustment of revenue laws to the first considera-
| uon. Amy policy hostile to the fullest develop
| ment of agriculture in the United States must
be abandoned. Realizing this fact the oppon.
| ents of the present system of revenue have la
iored very earnestly to persuade the farmers of
| The Unltec states that they robbed by pro-
| tectIve tariff, and the effort is thus made to
| consolidate their vast influence in favor OF free
trade. But happily the farmers of America are
| mteihgeDt and cannot be misled bv sophistry
when conclusive facts are before them. They
zee plainly that during the past twenty-four
| years wealth has not been acquired in ore sec
ton or by one interest at the expense of an
| other section or another interest. They see that
| the agricultural states have made even more
| rapid progress than the manufacturing states
The farmers see that in 1860 Mass chusetts
| snd illinois had about the same weguh-be-
| tween eight and nine hundred million dollars
| each-and that in 1880 Massachusetts had adj
vanced TO twenty-slX hundred millions while
lillaols lad advanced to tbirty-two hundred
| millions. They see that New Jersey and Iowa
| were just equal IN population IN 1860, and that
! IN twenty years the wealth of New Jersey was
| increased by The sum Of eight hundred and
| fifty millions OF dollars. while the wealth OF
! Iowa was increased by the sum of fifteen hun
| dred mullons. They see that the nine leading
| agricultural states Of the West have grown so
| rapidly IN prosperity that the aggregate add
| ton 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 ex-
| clusIvely agricultural has shared in the general
| prosperity, and thst having recovered from the
loss aud devastation of war, has gained so rapidly
! that It's total wealth IS at least the double OF
that wbich it possessed i'll 1860 exclusive of
| slaves.
In these extraordinary DEVELOPMENTS the
| farmers see the hopeful impulse of a home
| market, and they see that the financial aud
revenue system, enacted since the Republic n
party came into power. has established and
constantly expanded the home market They
zee that even III the case of wheat which il our
chief cereal export, they have Sold IN the aver
age OF the years since the close of the war
three bushels at home to one they have sold
abroad aud that IN the case of Coru the only
otLei cereal which We export TO any extent leo
| bushels have Teen used at home TO three and
one half bushels exported In SONS years the
disparity has been so great that for every Dc
| of corn exported leo bushels have been con-
| sumed in he home market. The farmers see
thar III the Increasing competition from the
| gram fields of Russia and from the distant
plains OF Inda, the growth of the home MAJ ket
! becomes daily Of greater concern TO them and
! that It's impairment would depreciate the value
of every acre of tillahle land IN the Union.
OUR INTERNAL COMMERCE.
consumption of cereals at home give us some
slight conception of the vastness of the in
teTnal comm cree of the United States TLey
suggest also that, in addition to the ADVANTAGES
which the American people enjoy from pIotec-
ton against foreign competition, they enjoy
the advantages of absolute free trade over a
larger area and with greater population than
any other nation. The internal commerce of
cur thirty-eight states and nine territories is
carried on without let or hindrance, without
tax, detention or governmental interference of
any kind whatever. 1t spreads freely over an
area of three and half million square miles
almost equal In extent to the whole continent
OF Europe. Its profits are enjoyed to-day by
| $4,000, GO CT American freemen. and from this
enjoyment no monopoly Is crested. According
| to Alexander Hamilton, when he discussed the
same subject IN 1880, 1.-The internal competi-
ton which takes place does away with eyerv-
thing like monopoly, and by degrees reduces
the prices OF articles to the minimum of rea-
sonsble profit on the capital employed 1t is
impossible to point to a single monopoly in the
United States that has been created or fostered
by The industrial system which is upheld by the
Republican party.
Compared with our foreign commerce these
domestic exchanges are incoDceivabv great in
manufacturing merely as one instrumental
lty as large mileage Of railway exists TO-DAY
IN all the other nations of the world combined
These internal exchanges are estimated bv the
| Statistical Bureau of the Treasury Department
to be annually twenty times as great III amount
as our foreign commerce. 1t is into this vast
field of home trade-at once the creation and
the herltag of the American people-thst for
eign nations are striving by every device to en-.
ter. 1t ID into this field that the opponents of
our present revenue system would freely adj
NIT The countries Of Europe-conntrIes into
whose internal trade we c.uid not reciprocailv
enter; countries to which We should be sur
rendering every advantage of trade; from which
We should be gaining nothing in returp.
THE MECHANIC AND THE LABORER
A policy of this kind would be disastrous to
the mechanics and workIngmen of the United
States. Wages are unjustiy reduced when an
industrious man is not able by his earnings to
live IN comfort, educate bis children and Law bv
a sufficient amount for the necessities of age
The reduction of wages newt by consequent
upon throwing our home market open to the
world would deprive them Of the power to do
this. 1t would prove a great calamity to our
country. 1t would produce conflict between
the poor and the rich, and in the sorrowful
degradation g labor would plant the seeds Of
public danger.
The Republican party has steadily aimed to
maintain just relations between labor and capi-
tal-guardmg with care the rights Of each A
conflict between the two has always led in the
past and will always lead III the future TO the
injury of both. Labor Is indsp ersabe to the
creation and profitable use Of capital. and capt.
tai increases the efficiency and value of labor
Whoever arrays the one against the other is an
enemy of both. That policy is wisest and best
which hamoniZes the two on the basis OF abso-
lute justice. The Republican party has pro
teCted the free labor CT American so that its
compensation is larger thsn is realized IN any
other couutTy, It has guarded our people
agaisnt the unfair competition Of contracC labor
from China, and may be called upon b prChIb-
1t the growth of q similar evil lSam Europe. 1t
Is obviously unfair to perm4 apItalists to
make contracts for cheap labor in foreign couu-
tries to the hurt ana disparagement Of the la
Dor of American citizens. such policy (hke
that which would leave the tine and other con-
diti0ns of home labor exclusively in the control
of the employer) is injurious to ali nsrties-not
the least SO to the unhappy persons who are
made the subjects of the contract. The insti-
tutions Of the United States rest upon The In
telligence and virtue of all the people. Suffrage
IL made universal as just weapon of self pro-
lection to every citizen. 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 else
where. The Republican party aims to elevate
and dignity labor-not to degrade 1t.
As substitute fer the industrial system
which under Republican administration has de
veloped such extraordinary prosperity, our op
pOnents offer policy which Is but series of
experiments upon our system OF reYenue-a
policy whose end must be harm to our manu-
facturers aud greater harm to our labor. Ex-
peflucll IN IDe system Is
the country 5 greatest dread, as stability Is its
creates boon. Even the uncertainty resulting
from the rec Mt tariff agitation in Congress has
hurtfuliy effected the business of the entire
country. V no can measure the harm to
shops aud orr homes to our farms and our
commerce., if the uncertainty of perpetual
tariff agitation il TO be inf cted upon the coun-
try? We are IN the midst Of an abundant har-
vest; we are on the eve of a revival of general
prosperity. Nothing stands incur way but the
dread of change in the mdsutriaI system
which has wrought such wonders in the last
twenty years. and which, with the power of in
| creased capital, will work still greater n1srves
of prosperity in the twenty years TO come.
OUR FOREIGN POLICY.
Our foreign relations favor our domestic de-
velopment. We at peace with the world
at peace upon sound basis with no unsettled
questions Of sufficient magnitude to embaTras7
or detrsct Us. Happily removed by our geo
graphical position from participation or inter
est in those questions Of dynasty or boundary
which so frequently disturb the peace IF
Europe, we are left TO cultivate friendly rell-
tons with all, and are free from possible en-