The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-02-20

the farmer to sell his products in the
eastern states, than to transport them to
Europe. 1t would be still better to sell
them in Wisconsin than at the east. His
interest, then, plainly, is to support such
policy, as will continue to spread manu-
featuring industries all through the
country, 50 that agriculture and manuiact-
uring may grow up side by side Suppose
an opposite policy was pursued. Let all
protection be withdrawn from our manu-
featuring interests Let the country be
Hooded as It would be with the importa-
tons of many lines Of goods produced by
cheap foreign labor. What would be the
effect 1t is plain enough that some of
our industries would be crippled and
others ruined. Large numbers of men
would be thrown out of employment
What would they do What could they
do but one thing, go to farming. No
other employmentwould be open to then.
There is land enough for everybody In
this way the consumer ofthe farmers pro-
ducts, would become a producer of the
same products. Instead of a buyer of
farm produce he would become a seller
of it. Instead of customer orthe farmer,
he would become his competitor. Thus
farm products would be increased, and
their prices reduced.
But" says the free trader, "ifthe prices
offarm produce were thus reduced, the
articles he has to buy would be reduced
also" Not so, at least only for a short
time. Just as soon as our manufactures
were broken down, and the foreign manu-
facturer was relieved of competition here
he would put prices up. That is the in
eyitable logic of business.
But, says the treetrader again, pro
lection encourages and builds up monop-
olies." Nor is this statement true 1t is
in defiance of an axiom of business, that
competition destroys monopoly" We
see this truth emphasized in every depart
ment of business activity. Even the rail
road companies, the strongest corpora
tons in existence, yield to the mandates
of this memorable law of trade. Where
competition exists monopoly can have no
existence. Capital is always watching
with eager eyes for profitable investment.
Enterprise is keenly alert in the struggle
for gain. Capital and Enterprise will in
stantly seize on any business that yields
unusual profits This talk of proper pro-
lection encouraging monopoly is a sham
and a bugbear. Monopolies may be at
tempted and temporarily exist, but in the
end competition must regulate all trade
1t is the great balance wheel of business,
and its motion governs all the machinery
ofmonetary affairs. fanny tariff legislation
could have the effect of creating monopo-
lies, it would be the repealingo of our protec-
tive laws, thus breaking down our manufac,
turing industries, removing all cOmpeti-
ton from here and turning us over to the
tender mercies of foreign manufacturers.
This question involves a contest be-
tween two civilizations, two distinct sys-
TENS of government. The theories and
Jaws Oh I rec r"ue E'iSl"'iu operate 10
oulIa up lhe 'e" ana Cypress the many
TO make the rich rcher ana the poor
poorer. In this broad tree land the ann
is to protect and elevate all classes. In
England labor IS degraded and capital
tostered. Here labor IS respected as well
as the rights OF capital secured. In Eng
II Il
lana everything Is De"t toward cheap
TICS crowd the markers Oh the "ofiu' OUT
at the cost of her ill-paid and suffering
neoDIe. There it is a high class or \
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