Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1888-01-14

OF 81 per cent? No such suggestion was
made by Ii president or tho secretary
OF the treasury; and he did not care t.
explore the reasons for their silence. II.
believed in protecting all home indus
tries, without respect to section, or to til,
place or name of production-whethel
on the farm or in the workshop; bu,
if protection was not the object of the
law. and If surplus revenue was the
great evil to he dealt with, why not give
relief to the people by a reduction of the
tax on sugar? The effort to produce.
sugar in the United States in quantitie,
at oil approaching tho demand had failed
though protected by the highest tariff
rates. Still. in view Of the hopeful pros
poets OF producing sugar from beets and
sorghum cane, as we'll AS from sugar
cane, be would not cripple that industry
by reducing protective duties except by
giving the producers Of domestic sugar
u bounty equal to the reduction of duty
on the imported article. But it was not
of the duties on food that tho president
complained as vicious. insquitable ami
Illogical source of taxation" The duties
Of which he complained we're those for
the benefit Of manufacturers; and urged
especially "a radical reduction of thu
duties imposed upon raw materials used
in manufactures, or their free inlporta-
zion. The great body of crude articles
imported, which entered into processes
Ut domestic industry to the value of 3lO,-
100000, wero now free OF duty. Every
imported article Of that class was 50 UNI.
less it competed with tho development OF
American resources. Duties averaging
81 per cent wero now levied upon such
imported articles, valued at t59, sou, OW,
aud which yielded a evenue of $l9, 500.
600. Tho chief Of them were agriculture
products-wool, flax, hemp aud oti,sr
textile grasses; hops, briStle and seeds
valued at $50. 0OO, 900 and yielding q rsve-
nue. of $40, DOC, 600. or less than 80 per cent.
The remainder was chiefly metals in ore
or pig, coal or marble, Of the value of
~, $40, 600, and yielding 50, 25O, 900. These
with tho production of nearly 1000, OOU
American farmers and hundreds of thou
sands OF laboring men. This moderate
protection given to the labor and capita.
employed in mining and agricultural in
dustries was the favored pOint of assault
by the president and all free traders upon
the protective policy. 1t was their idea
of the system. The whole depended
upon the principle that 1t was wise to
lean labor tho degree Of protection or
advantage whichth imposition Of duties
on similar foreign productions necessa-
rily gave. 1t has always seelned to him
that the most narrow and selfish notion
advanced In respect to tariff laws, and
to which tho president now lent his
name, was that made on behalf of all
yanred industries, now supported by
duties greater than those on
RAW MATERIALS
that they must be allowed to purchase
the raw materials in the cheapest markets
of the wOrld-that the mineral treasures
in every state and territory must be left
undeveloped in order that these adj
valced industries must have cheap raw
materials. He regarded the home pro-
duction of raw materials as sven of more
importance than manufactures. There
was but one rule which had to DO applied
to all industries impartially, and that
was to give all forms Of American labor
which have to compete with foreign labor
that fair and reasonable advantage and
protection which would give the Amer
lean producer the home market for home
products. The imports not on the free
list, and not classed by him as luxurles
CIR raw materials, amounted in value t O
$2lS, 200, 900 and paid SS4, OOO, 900 In duties.
These inportations came into direct
composition with domestic manufactures
which had been mainly built up by the
full revision of rates had been made by
the tariff commission Of 1882. All
branches OF domestic industry had be-
come adapted to these rates. 1t was this
system which was denounced by the
president AZ ''vicious, inequitable and
illogical" That d~enunciation was aimed
at the principle OF protection. All The
directly interested in that principle. The
farmers and mechanics had long since
learned TO look beyond tho narrow view
of their interests taken by the president.
They looked at it from u higher plane.
The benefit OF protection perlMeated to
the whole community, II extended to
the remotest parts Of tho country, but
were most apparent i'll the immediate
neighbOrhO0d of manufacturing indus
tries. Tn president assumed that the
duty on imOorted articles was added to
the price of similar articles OF hnme pro-
duction; but such was not the fact. In
the absence Of domestic competition the
importer fixed his own price and added
the duty and expenses to the cost; but,
at the first sign Of American competitor
the price was reduced; and often in u
stagnant market goods were sold for less
than the original cost and duty. As a
American goods were sold in the Amer
lean market cheaper than in the Euro
pean market duties added). In the
great body of articles formerly imported
the American manufacture was we'll 0s-
t%ablished, and, under domestic comDeti-
ton, the price was reduced to figures ap-
preaching European rates. In some ar
ticies
AMERICA COMPETED WITH EUROPE
in the markets Of The world. Aud this
process was 20 going on. Home COM
petition, wherever it got a foothold, re-
duccd prices and lessened importation.
A most remarkable example of that Vas
in the production of glassware, pottery
and c%hinaware, which had become estab-
lished industries in this country. lie
quoted Mr. Dudley, late consul general
ut Liverpool, to the effect that there is
not u single manufactured commodity
States under the protective system than
it was in 1860 under free trade; and that
nine-tenthS of the man ufactured comnlO-
dities used by American farmers, includ-
ing clothing, household goods, furniture,
implements Of husbandry. tools, ETC.. are
as cheap in this country as they are in
England, and in some instances cheaper.
The fact that large inspirations were
now made OF manufacturer of iron, steel,
glassware was evidence that the duty on
certain grades was no beyond the rev.
snue standard. Ii the present system
we're maintained, American home indus
tries could and would compete with Eu-
ropean productions, in articles essential
to human life and comfort. The presi-
dent's assertion that more than 1000 arti-
clos were subject to tariff duties was u
gross but common e~xaggeratlon. He
ever, in saying that il, on careful exam
i%nation, II should appear that any duty
on any article could bs dispensed with
without detrinlent to American industry,
it should be done; and that, II any article
now paying taxes could not be- manu-