The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-02-17

on their own soil. with the very machinery
that Americans copied in order to compete
with them, with all the advantage of Hun
garisn cheap labor.
Ii we would sell our hats, our shoes or our
iron. and take something that other people
have to sell IN exchange, we could sell in
definitely. II we are to persevere in de-
manding cash we shall fail to retain even
the advantages we have at present. If people
will disabuse themselves of the idea that
money is not a commodity, and consider
that trade is selling of one commodity for
another, we would easily see that if trade is
to exist at all it must exist upon a COM
modify basis. because IL a European wants
-four or iron he must either sell mis- shoes or
his hats, or whatever he manufactures, for
cash and then pay the cash for iron, or we
must trade for them direct. Ultimately he
must trade for them the cash doing moth
ing more than to sustain the relation through
many transfers of the stock. Now, as money
is ''close'' and scarce all over thelworld. yet
in Europe they have an excess of articles,
and we in America have an excess of
articles, suppose we trade one excess for the
other Each will find in large proportion
of the others commodity great deal that he
does not produce, and to that extent he
would be getting something that he actually
needs But the fact that in the division OF
labor man produces but small fraction of
his needs, If he can not convert that fraction
into cash he must suffer from want, unless
those who make up the balance of his needs
will trade them out America stands pre-
cisely in that position to-day. She has
large surplus of her manufactures and
staples. and she will not sell them except for
cash, and that cash Europe hasn't got, so
our people are suffering from want of many
of the necessaries of life, and going without
the very things the European would gladly
exchange for our own. He! would take
every bushel of wheat our farmers could
raise; he would take our surplus iron and
cotton and machinery. if we would take his
surplus in payment and our own farmers
and mechanics would not be obliged to do
without clothing. machinery and even
food. 1t only requires that the worlds sur
pluses shall be kept in rapid motion to have
all wants supplied for everybody has an
ability to make something and enough of it
to equal a good living.
But the tariff steps in here and says to the
American farmer and mechanic, you shall
not take the commodities of Europe or South
America or India; if you can't get the cash
you shall take nothing. Your surplus must
stay in your shop or on your farm. This is
curious Inversion of what the simplest rule
of sense would dictate was the true end of
trade. We venture the assertion that there
is not manufacturer of any consequence in
the country who does not make Of barter,
pure and simple, a large element of his
trade. The most successful manufacturer in
this city has reciprocity with many makers
of machinery, whose goods he sells. and by
whose influence many Of his own sales are
made. and that this extends to several
foreign countries in spite of the tariff OBJ
stacles indicates to what an extent the re-
ciprocity might grow if all the obstacles were
removed. Every principal factor on either
continent would be on the lookout for Gus
toners and sales, and if we would only recip
rOcate with them, they would effect thous-
ands of sales of American goods where now
they effect dozens.
1t takes very great many people to cover
the commercial area of this world, and we
would sell as much more if we would only
act fairly as there are more men from all
other nations engaged in looking up sales
exceeding Americans who are looking up
sales Practically. there are a thousand to
one But no; we refuse TO sell any goods but
our own. or what our one man can sell. Con
sequent,y thousand times as many men are
engaged in selling every species of goods ex-
cept our own. There is more competition in
such odds than even the superiority of Amer
lean goods can overcome. The tariff is a fic-
ton. having no other effect whatever than to
compel 80, 995, 600 out OF 60,0O0 900 Americans
to pay a special and onerous tax to 1000 pro-
tected monopolists, who never have made,
nor ever will make that long promised di-
vide with the workingman.
This shilly-shally nonsense about the pros
perity of our protected workingmen, who
have been protected so much that even in
this land of milk and honey they are threat
ing a revolt against many ideas of social Or
der. and on the verge of starvation, should
cease. 1t is rapidly ceasing to have any in
fuence, as the workingmen themselves have
long outgrown the idea, through the grind
ing arguments of poverty and distress. He
knows that no matter what the causes of hi:
| poverty may be, that in no case has it been
| hindered by the tariff,
|