National Republican., 1888-02-24
TIE TARIFF NECESSARY.
JBr0RFANT LETTER FROM GEORGE h.
COwLkN, OF LOUISVILLE, KY.
Ere. Trade Cannot stand In the South
"A scheme That Failed In 1901
Cotton and slave Labor Could Not
make 10 Successful.

LOUISVILLE, NY, req. il, lSSo,-iiON.
WILLIAM ID. KELLEY, House OF Representa-.
tivet, Washington, d. C.-My Dear Sir:
Your telegram OF yesterday reached me at
Knoxville, just as ! was leaving for Louis
vile, and at once telegraphed to use the
letter OF the 9th II 1t was worth using. Re-
fection causes me to doubt whether so
bt,ty note Is worth the Ink 1t will take to
pint 1t.
The great contest--which has stead
ily gone on since the Missouri COM
promise--between the national policy Of
bone development on the one side, and the
colonial policy Of exchanging the raw
producte OF agriculture for foreign manu-
fAe;uree on the other side, can never be de-
ciGtd by letters, or speeches, or party plat
forms, or general elections. Not even legis.
tion, or the still higher arbitrament Of arms,
can settle an economic question OF such
magnitude. Standing alone all these
forces can produce nothing more stable
than record written upon saDd-except.
tDE, always, the costs and losses OF the
struggle which still goes on.
The national cause has advanced because
ttbibd lis skirmish line OF public discus
.icD, printers ink, legislation, and armed
hotie bas marched supporting column OF
the inytncIble forces OF modern progress
steam engines ard machinery, the railroad,
the mill, The factory, the furnace, and the
MiIe, organizing the division OF labor and
The profitable exchange OF It's products,
and permanently occupying aud holding
the ground won. And this is the only
force that can hold the ground.
Every investment which has been or shall
lie made Of capital or skill or labor which
bas produced in our country In excess OF
The needs Of the producer one thing needed
for the comfort or welfare Of our people,
and which could be proiltably exchanged
for another thing needed, or to facilitate
the exchange Of such products, has been a
permanent force to hold and occupy ground
won for the national cause. Every invest
ment to produce thing, however valuabl
in Kind, In excess OF ability to profitably
exchange II, helps the colonial policy
which may be summed up as policy OF
hunting the world In vain quest Of a mar
het-and weakens the value Of the general
product by reducing 1t to the value OF the
unemployed surplus.
The tramp ships aud tramp cargoes Of
Lpgland, hunting every nook and corner OF
Tie earth for a market FOR her surplus Illus,
iates better than any words can do the
colonial policy on the one side.
The investment Of capital from every part
Of the civilized world, and notably from
England, In American railways, mills,
miIes, and furnaces, illustrates the value
and advantage Of compact national develop
Dent on the other side. Profit is the first
law Of trade, and that English capital seeks
investment In American enterprises is bet
ter proof Of what they really think OF our
rational policy than the utterances of the
Golden Club.
What we build at home we are sure OF,
and as 90 per cent. OF our trade lie based
upon 1t, and Is profitable, while the remain
ing 10 per cent. is an uncertain and disturb
ing element, the wisdom Of upholding the
90per cent. and endeavoring to work the
other 10 per cent. into 1t would seem to
need no argument.
And vet the colonial idea is strongly
rooted and has large following in three
portions of our country based on local
causes, conditions, and folly. In certain
com mercial circles In eastern cities, In Ger.
tain agricultural sections OF the northwest,
in both Of which regions 1t seems to be
growing, judging from the noise made, and
passing away. Nor are the causes hard
TO find. They lie upon the surface.
Foreign branch houses, and American
merchants, too, with here aud there man
ufacturer, or ex.manufacturer, whose
profits have been uncomfortably lessenei
by competition, and who has become an
importer, would be glad to handle the
food of slaughter sales which a lower
tariff, or no tirif If they could get to 1t,
would throw upon our markets. And IL
such a policy should transform the west
into an English colony, practically, BY de-
t,roying American manufactures and the
bcme market the west has for 80 per cent.
of ber product, all the better SO far as these
importing gentlemen are concerned, they
think. 1t is as palpable and rs foolish and
wicked trap as ever was set.
But there is nothing new about 1t. 1t Is
ln.old scheme. 1t has been tried before
and fought for with bravery and persls-
teLce that is to day something for Ameri.
cans TO he proud OF. But 1t made heap OF
trouble then, as It would now; failed then.
as II will now, for freedom aud the inven-
tions Of the nineteenth century have occu'
pisd the ground.
The south went crazy on this same scheme
IN 1861, ard organized the southern con-
fedeIacy on the basis OF free trade and slave
labor-the only system OF labor on which
free trade ever can be carried out In Amer.
lea. They 20 together, and the one Is
bound 10 fail without the other, and failed
With lt when tried by men who backed 1t
with ssbravery never excelled In the world's
bistoR. And, leaving out the wicSedRess
Of ~ ?Sd looking upon 1t as cold
b)oCG,N business enterprise-the larg-
iesst-tEere was some sense in the
fUutberp scheme OF that day, from
southern standpoint. They had the slave
labor to start with. They had their cotton
crop, the export Of which at that time
formed the great bulk Of our exports, and
the export demand for 1t had increased so
rBpidly that they could forsee no limit TO 1t,
cotton for 1850 was not equsled until after
1850. Thus controlling our foreign trade
they thought "grass would grow In the
streets of New YORK" II they could get free
trade, because the ships that would carry
the cotton from southern ports would bring
back the exchange OF foreign manufactures,
against which cur home manufactures
the south thus hoped to monopolize the
commerce of the country, with her work
ing capital of cotton produced for export,
In q raw state, by slave labor. That was
the cornerstone Of the confederacy-
slavery, but free trade, allied with slave
in the border states, and then the new bor-
der states, until the whole was absorbed,
just as the plan afterward adopted,
of taking I'only the top rail''
for camp fires worked the absorption
Of the whole fence. II was great scheme
hut trouble came of It, Besides, as the
south looked at 1t she had everything 70
that was the very rock the whole scheme
wss wrecked on. The south had no manu-.
features, no mines, and waated none.
Nature had given her wealth OF timer,
Of minerals, and OF water power, so great
As TO be beyond comprehension, but the
basbeesh OF Ell Whitney's old cotton gin
was In her brain, and cotton was king, HE
power unknown, and supposed to be I'M
limited. Cotton is bigger and better man
pOw than he WAS then, and prouler to be a
sOlid and patriotic citizen OF the Union thar
be was as king Of the confedcracy.
The south had long had control OF the
government, had lost II In a three.corneret
light, and the north was divided. Counting
ppon all these things, and never douOtins
success, the south went in ae one man fol
the conieder6cy, and put up fight thai
was 0 fight. They failed, but they had ter
times the chance to win that these inpos
"A N,.ts Itch, o1l haxr e.,