The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-08-01

suade the farmers Of the United States that
they are robbed by o protective thrift, and
b effort Is thuR made TO consolidate their
vast influence In favor OF free trade. But
happily the farmers of America are intelli-
gent and cannot be misled bysophistry 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 b expense Of
another section or another interest They
see that the agricultural states have made
even more rapid progress than the manufsct-
uring states.
The farmers see that / n 1850 Massachu-
setts and Illinois had about the same wealth
dollars each-and that in 1880 Massachusetts,
had advanced to So, 800, 100000, while iii.
nois had advanced to $3, OO,0OO,OOO They
see that New Jersey and Iowa were Just
equal In population In 1860, and that in.
increased by the sum Of ss5o,ooo, 600 while
the wealth of Iowa was increased by the sum
Of 81 SOC, OOO, 900. They see that the nine
leading agricultural states OF the West have
grown SO rapidly In prosperity that the ag-
gregate addition to their wealth since 1S6Ois
country in that year. They see TINT the
South, which is almost exclusively agri-
cultural, has sharedin the general prosperity,
and that having recovered from the loss md
devastation of war, has gained SO rapidly
GklaAU v LuGdl WCaltu ~ ~ l6dSu Iuc uOuDlo OF
which 1t possessed in 1860, exclusive OF
slaves.
In these extraordinary developments the
farmers see the helpful impulse af q 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 u chief cereal export, they nave
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
OF corn, the only other cereal which we
export to any extent, one hundred bushels
have been used at home to three and q half
exported. In some years the dis
parity has been 80 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-
cefn to them and that it's impairment would
depreciate the value OF every acre of tillable
land in the Union.
U INTERNAL COMMERCE.
Such facts as these touching the growth
and consumption of cereals at home give us
some slight conception of the vastness of tho
internal commerce Of the United States.
vantages which the American people enjoy
from protection against foreign competition,
they enjoy the advantages Of absolute free
trade over a larger area and with q 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 mtles-almOst equal in
extent to the whole continent of Europe.
Its profits are enjoyed to-day by 56,0OO,OOO
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-
Ittton which takes place does away with
reduces the prices Of articles to the mint
mum Of Q reasonable profit on the capital
employed. 1t lis impossible to point to q
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.
Compared with u foreign commerce
these domestic exchanges are in~conceivably
great in manufacturing merely as one
fnstrumentality as large q 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 as great in amount as.
u foreign m It is into this vast
field of horue trade-at once the creation
and the heritage Of the American people
chat foreign nations are striving by every
device to enter. It 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
whtch we should be ~surrendering every adj
vantage OF trade; from which we should be
gaining nothing In return.
ErFEcT UPON h MECHANIC AND LABoRER.
A policy of this kind would be disastrous
to the mechanics and workingmen OF the
United States. Wages are u~njustly reduced
when an industrious man Is not able by his
earnings 10 live in comfort, educate his chill
dren and lay by a sufficient amount for the
necessities of age. The reduction of wages
inevitably consequent upon throwing our
home market open to the world, would de-
priye them CT the power to do this. It would
would produce Q conflict between the poor
and the rich, and in the sorrowful degrade
ton of labor would plant the seeds of public
danger.
The Republican party has steadily aimedto
maintain just relations between Labor n
each. Aconfiict 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 n profitable
use of capital, and capital increases the
efficiency and yalue 2f labor. Whoever
IL n tAkoll6 puC UIC 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 chat its compensation is
larger than liz realized in any other country.
competition of contract labor from China,
and mny be called upon to prohibit the
growth Of a similar evil from Europe. It is
obviously unfair to permit capitalists to
A--- - 49, 49, p N---l---
countries to the hurt and d-isparagenent OF
the labor OF American citizens. Such a
policy (ike that which would leave the time
and other conditions Of home labor exclu-
sively in the control of the e%mplcyer), is in
furious to all parttes-not the least 80 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 q Just weapon of self-protec-
ton to every citizen. 1t is not the interest
of III republic that any economic system
should be adopted which involves the reduc-
ton Of wages to the hard tandard prevail
ing elsewhere. The Republican party aims
to elevate and dignity labor-snot to degrade
it
Az q substitute for the industrial system
which under Republican administration has
developed such extraordinary prosperity,
our opponents offer a policy which is but a
series OF experiments Upon ouss system o.
revenues policy whose end must be harm
to our manufactures n greater harm to our
labor. Experiments in the industrial and
financial system is the cont1try's great
dread, as stability 10 its greatest boon. Even
the uncertainty resulting from the recent
tariff agitation In congress has hurtfully
affected the business of the entire country.
Who can measure the harm to our shops and
our homes, to our farms anG our omm cree,
If the uncertainty OF perpetual tariff agita-
ton is to be inflicted upon the country We
are in The midst OF an abundant harvest; we
ARE on the eve of q revival Of general pros
perity. Nothing stands in our way but the
dread Of q change in the industrial system