Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-10-28


featuring barons, that the people of
that state. demand, as of right, the
power of government to keep them up
in any enterprise in which they em-
bark. Upon the first days session of
the South American commission, Just
convened in Philadelphia, Mr.. Thos.
Lee appeared before it and urged a
special plea for more government sup
port of private enterprises. The object
of the South American commission, it
may be explained, Is to promote trade
and commerce between the United
States and the South American repub.
lies. Though the countries of South
America lie under our very shadow,
they send to Europe for their goods
not made ut home. To devise means
to remedy this loss of trade to the
United States, which we ought to con-
troll, is the business of the South
American commission.
The first speech made before the
commissioners was that of Mr.. Lee,
who proposed that the government
should be asked to substitute a line of
steamships to South America. Most
OF the other speakers who appeared be-
fore the commissioners favored this
plan. Its rare wisdom must have
commended it at once to the repre-
sentatives of the bsnighted South
American republics. Doubtless they,
with others of slow-going people,
We're resting under the belief thai the
chief promoter Of trade was advantage
in producing cheaper goods than other
rivals could offer. The Pennsylvania
political economists have done much
to free their minds from this error 1t
is not so much cheap goods as a gov
ernment-subsidized line of steamships
that the Pennsylvania philosophers
offer. To be sure, the charges of
transportation are q factor in the cost
of merchandise, but why should
the federal government pay mill
lions of dollars TO some private indi-
viduals to start line of steamships
between North and South America,
when there is no traffic to keep them
going? By reason of the great cost OF
raw materials, on account of the high
tariff our manufacturers paJ' On them,
it costs more to produce the same ar
ticles in this country than in England,
where the manufactures get their ma
tenals cheap because they pay no
tariff tax on them, They make
cheaper goods and can undersell our
manufacturers. That is the whole
case in a nutshell. AS long as they
can undersell our manufacturers in the
South American aarkets how is sub
sidized line Of steamships going to help
matters? Ihe government may give
lbs of public money to some man
T. dln ships TO South America to carry
FOUR productions there, but il will be
spent in vain as long as our prices are
in excess of what England offers them
the same articles at. A cargo of high.
priced merchandise in Rio Janeiro
would stand no better how of buyers
against cheaper goods of the same
quality than before it was sent there
in subsidized ships. Probably the
South Americans are very much like
other people, and buy where they can
get the best bargains. Therefore they
go to English manufacturers for their
purchases.
The South American trade ought to
be entirely in the hands of American
manufacturers. II is worth millions
TO the country that controls it. But
the United States never will get the
benefit Of IL until our manufacturers
are put in position to compete with
the rest of the world by producing as
cheap goods; and this will never be
until the odious and crushing tariff tax
is repealed or largely reduced. When
this Is done and our manufacturers
can stand on an equal footing with
those of England we may look for a for
eign market; and the demand of a
foreign carrying trade will cause the
establishment of steamship lines with
out government subsidy. The trade
will beget the ships to carry It, but
ships viii never make the trade. This
is the way the South American COM
missioners will be likely to look at Il;
but omnipotence could never make the
Pennsylvania tariJ pensioners believe
that anything more is demanded but
bounty TO a steamship lineSand more
tarifl to raise the price OF goods.