Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-11-15
ME BALANCE OF TRADE NONSENSE.
People Cannot buy Unless The7 Can


The Express set out to show how Q pro-
tective tariff could not only exclude for
eign products from the home market, but
also enable the home producers TO increase
their trade abroad It cited figures from
The Marx Lane Express to show that be-
tween 1871 and 1885 our imports from
England fell off. while our exports thither
increased. and similar illustrations were
furnished of the trade between England
and France and England and Germany.
the exports from England to those two
states having decreased at a period while
her imports from them were increasing.
Col. Weber's remarks in regard to the
reciprocity arrangements with Canada be-
tween 1854 and 1866 and since 1873 with
Hawaii seem to have been based on The
Express line of reasoning. Because the
imports into the United States from Can
ada and Hawaii increased faster than our
exports to those countries, Col. Weber
did not know how q country could do bus
mess in that way and prosper.
Now, one of the fallacies of The Ex-
press and Col. Weber is in pretending that
all commerce is carried on directly be-
tween the United States and the countries
with which they trade. Tho feet is, of
course, that American goods may be car-
ried to one country. and the goods which
pay for them may be brought from quite
another. For instance, we may import q
cargo of woolen goods-which would have
been made in American mills but for the
tariff on raw wool-from Germany and
pay for them with cargo of wheat sent
to France. or wo may import shipload
of coffee from South America and pay for
it with sewing machines sent to Austria
liza, leaving the balances to bo set
tied in London. No tariff reformer
ever claimed that tho exports to q
single country would bo just equal
to the imports from that coun-
try. For the fiscal year ending June 80,
1887, our exports to Belgium amounted in
valuc to SCI ,230, ,023, while our imports
from Belgium amounted to only $S063,
GAS, which, according to the theories of
the Express and Col Weber, would indi-
cata that wo were running Belgium with
"deluge" of our goods. Tho sano year
VIC exported to Brazil goods of q value of
$8,071, ,653, while importing thercfrom
goods werth S52,953, l76, which the Ex.
press and Col. Weber would say proved
that Brazil was growing wealthy at our
expense. Tho fact is, Of course, that we
wero carrying on in both cases trade
which was profitable to all concerned
else it would not havo been carried on.
In the long run the total of our exports
to all countries would balance our i'm
ports from all countries, were it not that
we owe largo sums to European investors
who have bought railroad and govern
ment bonds, etc, which debts we pay ir
goods. Thus tho total value of our i'm
ports for the year ending June, 1887, wa:
about $692, 900, 600, and the total value Of
our exports was about $703, 600, coo. TX
imagine that We could export goods with
out importing them-beyond those needed
to pay cur debts-would involve the sup
position that we gave them away. Th'
Express and Col. Weber know more thar
they pretend to. They would not b
guilty, except during presidential cam
paign, of such reasoning as they hav
put forth.-Buffalo Courier.