Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-08-17
Gen. IIarrisOn's Poiiticai Eco
uOny.
(New York Post.)

10 ignore everything which is said on Il,
other side, or else denounce 1t, withou
quoting IL, m "iree-trade sophistry,
Usually, too, when we expose one of tlei
hclions or iallacics or prrversions, whs
follows Ia dead silence, as In the case OF Tia
ridiculous account given by Mr. Chaunc
D'pew and The Tribune last February Il
the working OF II "frce-trade law" in Hol
ldnd, or else a torrent OF abuse abon
something else. We were, therefore, mucl
pleased IA well n surprised to find IN th,
Tribune This morning defence, supported
by figures, OF Gen. ii prisons plan Of cul.
tivating South American trade simply b,
establishing Irregular mail communica.
li"n," without allowing the South Ameri-
cans To sell in our markets, from which
Gen. llirrison announces, we mean rigidly
TO exclude foreigners.
The Tribune denies that Gen. Harriso,
IN his speech" Served notice on the Centrn
and South American States that they mus
not be allowed to sell their commodities in
our markets." Well, now, what Gen
Harrison said, as reported in the Tribune
was this:
Our party stands uncguiroedly, without
ct'sIon or qualification for the doctrine thai
the American market shall be preserved
Tor onr American producers. [Great ap-
plhnse. We are not attracted by the sug.
gcs'ion that we should surrender to foreign
producers the best market In the world
Ohr sixty millions ot people are the best
buyers in the world [appause] and they
are such because our working classes re-
ceive The best wages. [Aprlause
Of course any Que who pltases can deny
that this is notice to foreigners that they
are not TO he allowed to sell in our mar
kels, because any one who peases can tell
Il lie; but il is something Which an honest
straightforward aud respectable man will
not do.
The Tribune next, on Ger. Harrlson's be-
hnlf--and 1t is the first Thug il has done
for him-tries TO neu,rallze the effect OF
this notice 10 foreigners, by showing that
some South American States do have ac-
Gers to our markets, and do sell in them,
more than they buy fiom us-notably
Brazil, winch sells us S52, ,0O0,0 900 ami
buys only $4,000, 900 in exchange, Ven
ezuela, which sells $4,000, 600 and buys
only $5,000000.
Those countries, says ,he writer, are al
ready in the American market with com
modes which in the main do not compete
with anything that is produced here. The
problem TO be solved Is that OF equalizing
the exchanges by promoting American ex-
ports TO those countries. Gen. Harrison
points TO The true solution. He favors the
establishment of American steamship lines
and liberal policy IN the payment
OF Government mail transportation. II di.
rect and regular communication be opened
under the American flag between the ports
OF the United States and those of South
and Central America, foreign markets will
lie opened to our export trade"
1t looks as if we had, in our article on
general Harrison, been trying to "put the
Tribune in hole" but the truth is that
we had no idea that any one who writes
on the tariff in that paper would be caught
70 easily. What we have been taking
pains to point out TO general Harrison is
what is needed TO make trade with South
America is not, as he ridiculously supposes
regular subsidized mail communication
but lower duties on foreign imports; that
if we lower the duties on foreign commo-
dilies, foreigners will come here 10 sell, and
if we let in our raw materials free, go that
Ame ricans can produce cleaply, foreigners
will come here to buy. If we keep Amer
lean products dear, so that foreigners can
do better elsewhere, they will sell us what
we must have OF their produce, tea and
coffee for instance, but they will not take
our produce in exchange, because they can
make better bargains with the money in
England, France or Germany. Here is
the proof and illustration OF all this in the
figures Tor the fiscal year OF 1887:
Total imports from Brazil $50 e53 1 7G
OF the imports on the free list....... AZ O76 40
Imports ON which duty is levied......... 5,s767Os
The explanation of this is simple. The
imports from the Brazilians are nearly all
coffee, which we must have, and the Bra
zilians, out of the $50, 100000 they get
from us, take only $4,000, 900 of our ex-
ports, because they find everything 60
dear.
Take, also, the whole Central American
States for the same period:
Total imports from Central America -. 81. .637 .65l
OF the imports on the free is.. ........ 1885 70i
of the Imports under the tariI........... Ill 9it
Take also the stronger case OF Chill, II
rich republic, with which we have hardly
any trade at all:
Total imports for 1887 50 s63 23g
OF the imports ON the free list....... 2,63i. .3;iC
Oh the imports under the tarr........... Dos. 80,
Here again we import what we must
have almost wholly through the free list
and the Clilisns take back oi our products
barely as much as We admit duty free ol
theirs.
Take, finally, the case OF Veneznela
which the Tribune specifically mentions.
The figures in this case are the most strk-
ing Of ali:
Total imports for 1887 SS7...,,..,.,,.... SIS o6l 23C
OF the imports on the free iis s24s i5(
oi the imporsunder the tari0........ ...~. l2,7Sf
Now, we repeat that when Gen. IIar-
rison seriously propmes to mn audience of
adult Americans 10 remedy this state Of
things by writing more letters to the a.
zilian-, and ChiIlnns, and Central Ameri.
cans he talks like II child. What could an
American merchant say in such letters to
his South American correspondent which
the latter would moi consider AN insult Ia
his intelligence? The letter would have
to he an invitation to buy all sorls OF goods
in the United States for from 80 10 40 per
cent. more than they can be got for in
other markets just as near home, Trade
OF this sort can only be promoted by the
employment of "pullers-in," like those ol
the Chatham Street clolhlers, who are snid
TO hire muscular fellows 10 drag unwilling
passengers into the store, and make them
buy under threats Of II sound licking.