The Dickinson press., 1884-07-26

tails, when analysed, correspond with this
gigantic result The commercial cities
of the Union never had such growth
Cur chief emporium, the city of New
fork, with its dependencies, has within that
period doubled her population and increased
her wealth five fold During the same period
the imports and exports which have entered
and left her harbor are more than double in
bulk and value the whole amount imported
and exported by her between the settlement
of the first Dutch colony on the island of
Manhattan and the outbreak of the civil waf
in 1860
AGRICULTURE AND THE TARIFF
The agricultural interest is by far the
largest i'll the nation, and is entitled in every
adjustment of revenue laws to the first con-
sideration. Any policy hostile to the fullest
development 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 per-
suade 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 the farmers of America are intelli-
gent 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 interest at the expense of
another section or another interest They
see that the agricultural states have made
even more rapid progress than the manufact-
uring states.
The farmers see that in 1860 Massachu-
setts and Illinois had about the same wealth
between eight and nine hundred million
dollars each-and thatin 1880 Massachusetts
had advanced to Sc, GOO, ,OOO, 900, while Illi-
nois had advanced to $$3, 200. 100000. They
see that New Jersey and Iowa were Just
twenty years the wealth of New Jersey was
increased by the sum of $3.50, 600, 900, while
the wealth of Iowa was increased by the sum
of 81 500, 100000. They see that the nine
leading agricultural states of the West have
grown SO rapidly in prosperity that the ag-
almost as great as the wealth of the entire
country i'll that year. They see that the
South, which is almost exclusively agri-
cultural, has shared in the general prosperity.
devastation of war, has gained SO rapidly
that its total wealth is ut least the double OF
that which it possessed in 1850, exclusive of
slaves
III these extraordinary developments the
farmers sec the helpful impulse af home
market, and they see that the financial and
revenue system, enacted since the Repub-
lican party came into power, has established
and constantly expanded the home 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 one hundred bushels
have been used at home to three and half
bushels exported. In some years the dis
parity 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 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 con-
, cern to them and that it's 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 yastness of the
internal commerce of the United States.
They suggest also that in addition to the ad-
vantagcs which the American people enjoy
from protection against foreign competition
, they enjoy the advantages of absolute free
trade over n larger area and with a greater
population than any other nation. The inter
nal commerce of our thirty eight states and
nine territories is carried on without let or
hindrance, without tax, detention or govern
, mental interference OF any kind whatever.
1t spreads freely over an area Of three and q
half million square miles-almost equal in
J extent to the whole continent of Europe.
It's profits are enjoyed to-day by SO, 600, 600
of American freemen, and from this enjoy
ment no monopoly is created. According to
Alexander Hamilton, When he discussed the
!, same subject in 1890, "the internal compe-
ttion which takes place does away with
everything like monopoly, and by degrees
reduces the prices of articles to the mini
mum of a reasonable profit on the capital
employed 1t is impossible to point to Il
; single monopoly in the United States that
has been created or fostered by the indus
trial system which is upheld by the Repub-
! lican party.
these domestic exchanges are inconceivably
: great i'll amount-requiring merely as one
instrumentality as large a mileage of rail
way as exists to- day in all other nations OF
, the world combined. These internal ex-
changes are estimated by the statistical
bureau of the treasury department. to be an
nually twenty times Us 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 people
device to 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 reciprocally enter; countries to
! which we should be surrendering every ad-
vantage of trade; from which we should be
gaining nothing in return
EFFECT UPON THE MECHANIC AND THE LABoRER
A policy of this kind would be disastrous
to the mechanics and workingmen of the
:
when an Industrious man is not able by his
earnings TO live in comfort educate his chill
dren and lay by q sufficient amount for the
necessities of age. The reduction of wages
inevitably consequent upon throwing our
home market open to the world, would de-
prive them of the power to do this. Itwould
prove great calamity to our country. 1t
would produce a conflict between the poor
and the rich, and in the sorrowful degrada-
ton of labor would plant the seeds Of public
danger
The Republican party has steadily aimed to
maintain just relations between Labor and
apital-gguarding with care the rights OF
each Acontlct between the two has always
led in the past and will always lead in the
future, to the injury OF both Labor is
indispensable to the creation and profitable
efficiency and value Of labor. Whoever
arrays tho one against the other is
IN enemy of both. That policy is
wisest and best which harmonizes the tive
on the basis of absolute justice. The
Republican party has protected the free
labor of America so that it's compensation s
larger than is realized 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 permit capitalists to
make contracts for cheap labor in foreign
countries to the hurt and disparagement OF
the labor OF American citizens. Such q
policy Qike that which would leave the time
and other conditions of home labor exclu-
sively in the control of the employer), is in
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 Us a Just weapon OF self-protec-
ton to every citizen. 1t is not the interest
l Nf t1,a, lin ,0f