The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-11-05
EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. els

The protective tariff people have
used very fallacious argument in
support of high tariff that has not
been denied with sufficient emphasis
by the friends of a modified tariff, and
that is, that country Impoverished
by its imports exceeding It's exports.
A practical illustration will explode
the fallacy. A vessel leaving the GUS
tom house of this COUNTRY with cargo
valued at $4,000, sells that cargo
abroad for $4,000, invests that $3.50
600 in goods of any kind suited
to the. wants of the people of this
country, and imports these goods into
the United States.
Goods of any kind constitute
wealth The imports in this sin
gle Illustration exceed the exports
$4,000. It looks like an insult to the
intelligence OF school boy to ask him
whether this was adamaging or profit
able transaction to the people of the
United States The high protection
lists insist that it is because these
goods, thus imp oTted, can be bought
for less here than they can be manu-
featured here, and if that is true, POI
litical economy, then it would be
an advantage to the people of
the United States for every
vessel thus loaded and trading to be
sunk or lost at sea. Of course if no
goods are brought to the United
States, the manufacturer here is ad-
vantaged because he has monopoly
of the market, but political economy
is for the benefit of the largest mum
Der of people and not for the benefit
of the few.
Henry George illustrates this prin-
ciple very clearly in series of arti-
cles he is writing for the Courier
Journal. We lack the space to copy
that part of his article, but give it in
our own language in nut shell.
He supposes that a protectionist
lands upon the isla d of Robinson
Crusoe and after telling the solitary
citizan of Defoe's imagination, all the
news and getting from Crusoe the
story of his life, prepares to depart.
Crusoe, finding all MS friends are dead,
and being assured that the island hav
ing been discovered, many ships
would land there, conclude to remain
on his island. His visitor, the protec
zionist, however, warns him that he
will be ruined by cheap
goods if he permits the ships
to land, for they will desire
to exchange these goods for his goat!
and his fruit.
Crusoe asks him if they will give
him all these thiags. Cd you mean
1 shall get all these things for nothing
and will have no work to do?"
mo, 1 don't quite mean that,
answered the protectionist. "but they
will bring you SO much and take
away 80 little that your imports will
vastly exceed your exports, aud yor
will soon find yourself with very little
employment on your hands"
"But,", answers Crusoe, 81 don't
want to find EN- ployment fol
my labor; L did not spend
months in digging out my canoe, anC
weeks in tanning and sewing thes'
goat skins, because L w,nted EN-
ployment for my labor, but because
wanted the things. If 1 can get tn
things want with less labor, so mucl
> the bettel; and thu mora I get, ant
the less1 give In the trade you tell p
L am to carry on-or, as you phrFs
it, the more my imports exceed 20.
exports, the easier can live, and eh
richer l vi i'll be-"
Mr.. George very justly asserts tina
there is nc difference in the principle
whether it is applied to one man o.
an island, OR fifty million people on
continent.