The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-14
A Protection Contemporary En-
lightened

lightened.
The Chronicle of Augusta does not ap-
parently study questions relating to the
tariff as closely as 1t ought to. In its
anxiety to defend the present high protect
i've tariff it falls into some rather curious
errors For instance, a day or two ago, in
an article entitled "I'reer Trad, it said;
There is heap Of humbuggery about this
cry OF the United States having freer trade
with other countries The idea Cf selling
our manufactures generally at a profit 20
the people of China, Japan, India and
Africa is tho biggest tomfoolery upon the
face Of tho earth"
Mr. Charles Estes, who represents one of
tho largest of the mills in Augusta, took oc-
casion to furnish the Chronicle with some
information of which it was apparently
greatly in need. In a communication,
which the Chronicle published, he said; at
is fact, beyond dispute, that the cotton
manufacturers especially make more goods
than will supply our own 100000
of people, and have to seek
a foreign market. 1t is also a
fact that some of the mills in this city and
especially the one that the writer of this
represents, has, for several years, sold from
a quarter to a third Of its products to China,
Africa, etc, at better prices than could be
obtained of our own IS, 100000, for the
reason that the supply for the 80, 600 is
and was greater than the demand"
1t seems that there are mills in the city in
which the Chronicle is published, and about
the industries of which it ought to be well
informed, that find profitable market IN
China for a very large percentage of their
productions, and yet the Chronicle thinks
there "is heap of humbuggery about this
cry of the United States having freer trade
with other countries" and believes that the
idea that American manufactures can be
sold at profit in China, Japan, India and
Africa lis the biggest tomfoolery upon the
face Of the earth II it had made few
inquiries of the managers of the mills, the
hum of whose spindles can be heard, doubt
less, in its editorial rooms, it would not
have made such a statement
How very rash some of the protection
organs are in making statementsl II they
would take the trouble to get few facts
avoid great many mistakes that are really
inexcusable Their whole effort, however,
seems to be to uphold theory, and as facts
are very much in their way, they appear to
think they are justified in ignoring them.
The communication of Mr. Estes is very
interesting one, and shows that ne has care
fully studied the subject of which he writes
He makes it clear that the Mills bill is in
the direction of freer trade, and that freer
trade is what the manufacturers of this
country want If they were confined to the
home market, many Of them would have to
close their mills, because that market cannot
take all their productions. With cheaper
raw materials, they can become large com
pettors in the markets of the world
If the Chronicle will take the trouble to
study the trade of China, Japan, India,
Africa and South America, it will find that
it is enormous, and that those countries take
vast quantities Of the manufactured goods
of other countries. What amount of the
manufactured goods of this country does
the Chronicle suppose they take! If they
take a fourth of the productions of the
Augusta mills, is it not fair to suppose that
they take very large amount of the pro
auctions of factories of other parts of the
countrys OF course the exported manufact-
ures Of this country are sold at profit
If they were not they would not be ex-
ported In the light of facts does the
Chronicle still contend that the idea of
American manufacturers selling their pro-
auctions to China and other countries is
"tomfoolery9n