McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-07-24

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 agricultural interests is by far the larg-
est In the nation, and is entitled on every ad-
justment of, revenue laws to the first cOnsid-
Grafton. Any policy hostile to the fullest de-
velopment OF agriculture In the United States
must be abandoned. 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, and tho effort is
thus made to consolidate. their vast influence
In favor of free trade. But happily the farm
ers of America are intelligent and cannot be
misled by sophistry when conclusive facts are
before them. They see plainly that during
the past twenty-four years wealth has not
been acquired in one section or by one inter-
est at the expense OF another section or am
other interest. They see that the agricultural
states have made even more. rapid progress
than the manufacturing states
The farmers see that i'm 1860 Massachusetts
and Illinois had about the same wealth-be-
tween eight and nine hundred million dollars
each-and that in 1880 Massachusetts, had adj
vanced to twenty-six hundred millions while
Illinois had advanced to thirty-twO hundred
millions. They see that New Jersey and Iowa
were just equal in population in lS6O 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 millions of dollars. They see that the
nine leading agricultural states of the west
have grown so rapidly i'm prosperity that the
aggregate addition to their wealth since 1850
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 devasta-
ton of war, has gained so rapidly that it's to-
tai wealth is at least the double of that which
it possessed in 1850, 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 republican
party came into power, has established and
constantly expanded the home market. They
see that even in the prices OF wheat, which is
our chief cereal export, they have sod in the
war, three bushels at home to one they have
sold abroad, and that in the case of corn, the
only cereal which we export to any extent,
one hundred bushels have been used at home
to three and half bushels exported. 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 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 impair
ment 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 inter-
nal commerce OF the United States. They sug-
geSt also that in addition to the advantages
which the American people enjoy from pro-
lection against foreign competition they en-
joy the advantages of absolute free-trade over
Il larger area, and with greater population
than any other nation. The internal COM
MERGE of our thirty EIGHT states and nine ter
ritOries is carried on without LET or hindrance,
without tax, detention or governmental in
reference of any kind whatever. 1t spreads
freely over an area of three and a half million
square mileS-almOst equal in extent to the
whole continent OF Europe: Its profits are en-
jOyed to-day by fifty-siX millions of American
freemen, and from this enjoyment no monop-
oily is created. According 10 Alexander Ham,
iltOn, when he discussed the same subject in
1870, the internal competition which takes
place does away with everything like monop-
oily, and by degrees reduces the prices of arti-
Giles to the minimum of a reasonable profit on
the capital employed" 1t is impossible to
point 10 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 changes are incOncievably great i'll
amount, requiring merely as one instrument
atty as large mileage of railway as exists
to-day in all the other nations OF the world
combined. These internal exchanges are es-
timated by the statistical bureau OF the treas
ury departing mt to tie annually twenty times
as great in amount as our foreign commerce.
1t is into this fast fed of home Irade-at once
the creation and the heritage of the American
peOple-that foreign nations are striving by
every device 10 enter. 1t is into this field that
the opponents OF our present revenue system
would freely admit the countries of Europe
countries into whose internal trade we could
not reciprOca1ly enter countries to which we
should be Surrendering every advantage OF
trade; from which we should be gaining moth
ing in return.
EFFECT UPON THE MECHANIC AND THE
LABORER.
policy of this kind would be disastrous to
the mechanics and workingmen OF the United
States. Wages are uni ust ~ reduced when an
industrious man is not able by his earnings to
live in comfort, educate his children, and lay
by sufficient amount for the necessities OF
age. The reduction of wages inevitably con-
seuuent upon throwing r.hOme market open
to the world, would deprive them OF the pow
er to do this. 1t would prove great calamity
to our country. 1t would produce conflict
between 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
capital-guarding with care the rightSO OF each.
A conflict between the Two has always led in
the past and will always lead in the future 10
the injury of both. Labor is Indispensable to
the Great on and profitable use OF capital, and
capital 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 harmonizes the two on
the basis of absolute justice. The republican
party has protected the free labor OF America
so that its compensation is larger imam is re-
allied in any other country. 1t has guarded
our people against the unfair competition of
contract labor. from China, and may be called
upon to prohibit the growth of similar evil
from Europe. 1t is obviously unfair to per-
NIT capitalists to make contracts for cheap
labor in foreign countries to the hurt and dis
paragement of the labor of American citi-
zens. Such policy, dixie that which would
leave the time and other conditions of home
labor exclusively in the control of the en-
ployer,) is injurious to all parties-not the
least SO to the unhappy persons who are made
the subjects of the contract. The institutions
of the United States rest upon the intelligence
and virtue of all the people. Suffrage is made
universal as a just weapon OF self-protection
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 it.
As a substitute for the industrial system
which under republican administrations has
developed such extraordinary prosperity Jour
opponents offer policy which is but series
of experiments upon our system of revenue
a policy whose end must be harm to our man.
ufactures and greater harm to our labor. Ex-
pertinent in the industrial and financial sys-
tenn is the country's greatest dread, as stabili-
ty is its greatest boon. Even the uncertainty
resulting from the recent tariff agitation in
%f,,lIx no