The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-08-03
Change the Balance or Trade

The official report Of the exports and
imports of the country for the year end
ing on the 30th of June, shows bal
aEce of trade against this country of
SIS. .OO0, 900. That is, we imported or
bought from foreign markets, 2S, ,000. 600
more than we exported or sold TO for
eign markets and the trade of the year
leaves the United States SIS, 900, 600
poorer than when the year began.
While We have exported SIS. 900, 900
of gold from the country this wear to
pay the balance of trade against US, We
have had free trade in cheap labor to the
extent of importing $50, 900 immigrants,
some of whom are criminals and many
of whom are Huns, Poles and Italians,
VINO are fugitives from pauper labor
abroad to cheaper and pauperiZe Amer
ican labor in this country.
We must change the balance os trade
in our favor or we must steadily decline
IN prosperity. The family that expeuds
more each year than il earns, or that
buys more than it sells. is steadily i'm
poyeIishing itself, and the country that
buys more than it sells must Impover-
ism its industry and send its gold to pay
the difference.
How can the balance of trade be
changed in our favor ? a judicious
remedy. We have a very high tariff /;
higher than any tariff ever framed as 3
distinctively protective tariff, but it
only taxes and oppresses industry while
it gives our home markets TO foreign
mills and labor. The wooden goods
alone imported last year, If manufactur-
ed at home as they should be, would
have changed the balance of trade from
SIS, 600, 600 against US to at least S20,-
600 0O0 in our favor, and tie present
English manufacture for the American
market is the largest ever known
Why have not these woolens been
supplied by home mills and home labor
To that question there is only one an
swer. The answer is that England
gives free wool, free chemicals, free dye
stuffs, etc, TO her wooden manufacto-
ries, while we tax our home mills and
labor Il per cent. for raw wool with
! high taxes on other raw materials.
Thus with a tax of some 60 per
cent. imposed upon the consumers of
wooden goods. we largely pay that op-
| pressiye tax for the privilege OF wearing
/ English woolens and making the bal
/ aDce of trade against us.
/ There must be something radically
wrong with our tariff laws when, with
bountiful crops and no abnormal de-
I preston of trade, we import more than
we export-that is buy more than we
sell. The first purpose or a protective
tariff is to build up home Industries TO
| supply home markets and keep the
| balance of trade in our favor but
we overtax consumers by mockery
| OF protection, and give European mills
and labor a large share of our markets
/ by the suicidal taxes imposed upon the
raw materials needed 10 prosper our in
/ dustIies.
We must change the balance ot trads
| in our favor, and the way 10 do it is tO
abolish taxes upon the necessaries OF
industry and OF life and give our home
mills and labor our own home markets
! with a chance for the markets OF the
world. Let US get down to honest pro-
| lection to labor and at once stop the
protection of extortioDate com bine:
and monopolies, and our labor will
have increased employment AT bet
ter wages, capital will be better
rewarded and the balance Ot trade will
be in our favOr.-Phild. Times