Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-09-01

greater than those of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain, nearly twice that of France
or Germany, nearly three times that of Rus
STA, and almost equal to the aggregated in
dustries of Austria, Italy, Spain, Belgium,
Holland, Australia, Canada, and Sweden
and Norway.
This advancement is the worlds wonder.
The nations of the earth cannot furnish
such an exhibition of progress in any age OF
period. We defy q revenue tariff policy to
present such splendid exhibition of material
prosperity and industrial development. Arts,
science and literature have held their own
In this wonderful march. We are prosper
| GUS to-day beyond any other people. The
masses are better cared fer, better pro-
| vided for, more self-respecting, and more
independent than ever before in our history,
which cannot be said of the masses of other
countries.
One of the striking differences between a
revenue tariff and protective tariff is that
the former sends the money of its people
abroad for foreign supplies, and seeks out a
foreign market. The latter keeps the money
at home among our own people, circulating
through the arteries of trade, and creates q
market home, which is always the best be-
| cause the most reliable.
The south has shared in this splendid pro-
gress, in this golden period of development.
From 1851 to 1850 the average yearly pro-
duction of pig iron throughout the United
States was less than 800, 900 tons. In 1856
the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia,
land, Texas and North Carolina produced
S75.179 net tons, or 1900 more than the
whole annual output of the United States
under the free trade period.
The eight years last past have brought to
the south wonderful progress. You had in
1880 9,435 miles of railroad; you have now
Sc, 737 miles, and this is increasing. You
1888 you raised $500, 900 bales. In 1880 you
raised 431 ,074, 630 bushels of grain, and in
| 1887 you raised 626, 305, 900 bushels. In 1880
you had live stock amounting in value to
1891 81, 254; it is now valued at $573, $685.
| 55c. The value of your agricultural pro-
ducts in 1880 was $571, 09S, 454; in 1887 it had
reached $742, O66. AGO. In 1880 you produced
397, 3O1 tons of pig iron; in 1887 you pro-
duced 929, 436 tons, and am assured upon
| the best authority that it is upwards of a
million now You mined in 1880 6,049,471
| tons of coal; in 1887, 16, 476, SS5 tons. You
| had in 1880, 179 cotton mills; you have got
to- day 800. and they are increasing. The
| number of your spindles in 1880 was 713, $50;
| they are to day ], 495, 145. The number of
your looms in 1880 was Is, 300; they are over
$4,000 now. The value of cotton goods III
| 1880. which you produced, was $21, 00O, 600;
| in 1887 it was over $43, 100000. And yet, in
the presence of such progress, it is seriously
proposed to reverse the policy under which
it has been made.
Surely new era of industrial develop
ment has come to the south. Nothing
should be permitted to check or retard it.
To her nature has been most prodigal with
her gifts. Her hills and valleys have been
made the storehouses of richest treasure.
Coal and iron mines wait impetiently the
| touch of labor and capital, and tempt both
with promise of lavish profit.
Raw materials are found at every turn to
invite the skilled artisan to transform them
into the finished product for the highest
uses of man She possesses the 6bers in rich
abundance; + skilled labor should weave
the fabric.
1t is said that there is nothing grown in
any of the states, except Florida, that Geor-
gia cannot proftably produce. She has
coal, iron deposits, marble and building
stone. cotton and the cereals. Nothing but
her own folly, nothing but blindness to her
highest and BEST interests can keep her from
the front rank of the industrial states of the
union.
One of the chief complaints against the
protective system is its alleged hindrance to
foreign trade and foreign market for our
own products. 1t is argued that if we could
import raw material from other countries
free, and manufacture such raw material
into products for use, we could export them
at great profit and thus secure standing in !
the markets of the world. This theory is !
wholly, as believe, illusory. 1t is without
substance. We have an example of free
raw material in certain line of manufac-
tures-that of leather for boots, shoes, ETC.,
etc. In 1872 hides and skins were made /
free SO that our manufacturers could Import |
them without custom house burdens. They |
have had Stree trade" in their raw material |
nov for sixteen years. This industry has |
been an exceptionally successful one, and |
yet you cannot avoid being surprised when |
l say to you that in those sixteen years we |
have been able to export but per cent of |
the leather production of the country.
The truth is, however, We are not SO much |
concerned about the foreign market as we |
are about the home market. The latter is |
the best, and we have not yet been able to |
control it, and untilwe do, that should be |
our chief concern. But if any of our peo- |
pie are signing for a foreign market and |
value it more highly than our own, they can |
import foreign rawsmaterial practically free |
of duty. and after advancing into the high |
er forms of manufacture can 60 out and |
possess the worlds markets. Taxed raw |
materials do not now stand in their way,
and 1t is hypocrisy to claim otherwise.
"1he markets of the world'' in our present
condition are snare and delusion. We
will reach them whenever We can undersell
competing nations, and not sooner. Tariffs
do not keep US out and free trade will
not make it easier to enter them.
Let me give you brief e1-
hibit of some of our foreign trade,
what we buy and what we sell. In the |
year ending June 90, 1887, we bought of |
Mexico, the central American states, British
Honduras, and the governments of the West
Indies and South America, products to the
value of $172, 46S, 526, and we sold these gov
ernments of our products about 33H per
cent, in amount of what we bought of them,
or about Sc, O00, 600; and as showing that
our protective tariff did not produce this un-
comfortable balance against US I need only
state that more than one-half of the pro-
ducts we bought were not subject to any
tariff tax at all, but were admitted free of
duty.
Upon what terms can we adopt revenue
tariff system in this country? In one way
only, by accepting European conditions,
and submitting to all the discomforts end
disadvantages of our commercial rivals.
The chief obstruction in the wa of a rev.
enue tariff are the wages paid American
workingmen, and any return to that policy
involves reduction of the cost of labor.
We cannot afford, Mr.. President, to have
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