The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-07-21
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE.

between exports ana imports, redcneu unb
astonishing aggregate of $24 900, 100000. The
balance in this vast commerce inclined in our
favor, but it would have been much larger if
our trade with the countries of America,
elsewhere referred to, had been more wisely
adjusted.
1t is difficult even to appreciate the magni-
tude of our export trade since 1860 and we
can gain correct conception of it only by
comparison with preceding results in the
same field The total exports from the United
States from the Declaration of independence
in l7l6 down to the day of Lincom'S election
in 1850 added to all that had previously been
exported from the American colonies from
their original settlement, amounted to less
than 81, 90, 0000 900. On the other hand our
exports from 1860 to the close of the last
fiscal year exceeded S12000, 900 000-the
whole of it being the product Of American
labor Evidently protective tariff has not
injured our export trade when, under its in
tlnence, we exported in twenty-four years 40
per cent more than the total amount that
had been exported In the entire previous his
tory Of American commerce All the de-
tails, when analysed, correspond with this
gigantic result The commercial cities of
the Union never had such growth as they
have enjoyed since 1850 Our chief empor-
ium, the city of New York, with its dependen-
cies, has within that period doubled her pop
ulation and increased her wealth five fold,
During the same period the imports and ex-
ports which have entered and left her harhor
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 tie
outbreak of the civil war in 1860.
AGRICULTURE AND THE TARIFF.
The agricultural interest is by far the largest
in the nation, and il entitled in every adjust
ment If revenue laws to the first eonsidera-
ton ANY policy hostile to the fullest devei-
opment of agriculture in the United States
must be abandoned. Realizing this fact the
opponets 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 the effort
is thus made TO consolidate their vast intiu-
ence in favor of free trade. But happily
the farmers of America are intelligent and
cannot be misled by sophistry when conclu-
sive 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 manufacturing
states.
The farmers see that in 1850 Massachusetts,
| tween $50 O00, 900 and $500, 900, 600 each-and
that in 1880 Massachusetts, had advanced to
s., 800 600 900 while Illinois had advanced to
s., BOG O0O, 600 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
$3.50, 900, 00o while the wealth of Iowa was
increased by the SUM OF s., 500, 900, 900 They
see that the nine leading agricultural states
Of the west have grown SO rapidly i'll pros
perity that the aggregate addition to theif
wealth in 1860 is almost as great as the wealth
Of the entire country In that year. They see
that tine SOUTH which is almost exclusively
agricultural. has shared in the general pro
perlty and that having recovered from the
loss and devastation of war has gained $
rapidly that its total wealth is at least the
double OF that which It possessed III 1850, ex
elusive of slaves.
In these extraordinary developments the
farmers see the helpful impulse OF q 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. TheS
see that even in the case OF wheat, which i,
our chief cereal export. they have sold, il
| the average Of the years since the close ot
| the war, three bushels at home to one they
| have sold abroad, and that iii the case oi
corn the only other cereal which VIC eXpor
| to any extent, 100 bushels have been used a
home to three and half bushels exported
In some years the disparity has been so grea
that fer every peck of corn exported 100 bush
| els have been consumed in the home market
| The farmers see that in the increasing com
| petition from the grain fields Of Russia ant
from the distant plains Of India, the growth
Of the home market becomes daily of create
concern to them, and that its impairmen
| would depreciate the value OF every acre o
tillable land in the Union.
| OUR INTERNAL. COMMERCE.
Such facts as these touching the growth ant
consumption of cereals at home give US SOM
| slight conception of the vastness of the inter
nal commerce of the United States. The,
suggest also that in addition to the ad
vantages which the American people enjo,
from protection against American competi
ton, they enjoy the advantages Of absolut
free trade over a larger area, and with
greater population than any other nation
| The internal commerce of our thirty -eigh
states and nine territories is carried on with
out let OF hindrance, without tax, detention
Or government interference Of any kind what
ever. 1t spreads freely over an are
of 3,500,00o square miles-almost equal il
sxtent to the whole continent Of Europe. 1t
profits are enjoyed to-day by 56,000,000 G
American freemen, and from this enjoymen
no monopoly is created. According to Ales
ander Hamilton when he discussed the sam
| subject in 1890, the internal competitio
that takes place does away with everythin
like monopoly, and by degrees reduces til
prices of articles to the minimum Of a reaser
able profit on the capital employed" 1t
impossible to point to a single monopoly i
the United States that has been created G
fostsred by the industrial system which is III
held by the Republican party.
Compared with our foreign commerce
the domestic exchanges are inconceivabl
great in amount-requiring merely as on
instrumentality as large a mileage of railwa
as exists to-day in all the other nations Of til
world combined Thee internal exchange
are estimated by the statistical bureau
the treasury department to be annual
! twenty times as great in amount as OF
} foreign commerce Ii is into this vast feel
of home trade-at once the creation and IL
heritage of the American people-that 70
eign nations are striving by every device
} enter 1t is into this field that the opponen
| of our present revenue system would freel
admit the countries of Europe-countri
into whose internal trade we could not +
ciprOcally enter; countries to which v
should be surrsndering every advantage
trade; from which we should be gainiI
nothing In return.
EFFECT UPON THE MECHANIC AND TE
LABORER.
A policy of this kind would be disastro
to the mechanics and workingmen of Il
: United States Wages are unjustly reducs
when an industrious man is not able by b
earnings to live In comfort, educate his CHI
dren, and lay by sufficient amount for Il
necessities of age The reduction of wag
inevitably consequent upon throwing o.
> home market open to the world. would
, prive them of the power to do this 1t won
! prove great calamity to our country.
, would produce conflict between the Do
t and the rich, and in the sorrowful degrad
| ton of labor would plant the seeds of publ
? danger.
5 The Republican party has steadily aim,
f to maintain just relations between labor al
capital-guarding with care the rights
t each. A conflict between the two has aiwa-
D led in the past and will always lead in I
5 future to the injury of both. Labor is ind
| pensable to the creation and profitable use
Q capital, and capital increases the effcien,
and value of labor. Whoever arrays the o
a against the other is an enemy of both. TIL