The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-05-26


duct increased forty.six per cent. ana wages
thirty seven per cent Applause In no.
siery the product increased 421 per cent In
cotton. the product in New England increased
II per cent. In boots and shoes, upoh which
the duty had been reduced 16 per cent, the
increase in New England was SO per cent;
the product, in 1860 in New England was
more than the entire product OF the Union IN
1850 This was what the Republicans from
New England had seen under low tarif.
Within eleven years after the passage OF this
bill the people of New England would vote
for a still further reduction, or, if they did
not. the people would send somebody here
who would. Applause They had seen
vast material progress, but they had not seen
the trusts that throttled the people; they had
not seen thousands of workmen marching
the street demanding work or bread. These
things had grown out of our high tariff system.
He quoted Henry Wilson as favoring re-
duction of the tariff 10 the lowest measure
consistent with the demands of the govern.
ment, which was, he said, good old fashioned
Democratic doctrine. Applause Yet the
duties to-day were fifty per cent, or two and
a half times as much as they were when Nor
rill said, thirty years ago, they were sui
ficient. SIT is customary" continued Mr..
Carlisle, "for gentlemen on the other side to
depict in the darkest colors the condition OF
the country during and for a short time after
the depression in 1857. The gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Burrows) has stated that the
result of the passage OF the tariff acts OF 1916
and 1857 was to reduce the country to abso-
lutte bankruptcy and SO affect the credit OF the
government that it was compelled to borrow
money in times of peace at discount OF
from twelve to thirty per cent. The inan-
cial depression that occurred in 1857 was an
insignificant incident of history compared
with that great commercial and financial dis
aster which occurred in 1878 and which de-
vastated the country for five long years, ruin
ing banking and mercantile houses, extin-
gushing the fires in the furnaces, paralyzing
the industries of the people, and bringing
down prices of all our products of every kind.
Under the low rates of duty the country re-
covered from the depression of 1857 in COM
paratiyely few months and, like an awaken
ing giant, marched on in its path of greatness
and power. After the panic of 1873 it strug-
gled on for FIVE long weary years. The coun-
try was brought for the first time face to face
with that difficulty and dangerous social pro-
blem which still confronts US, and which 1t
will require all the wisdom and patriotism of
our ablest and best statesmen to solve"
THE GOVERNMENT CREDIT,
Mr., Carlisle then said that from 1856 down
bond was sold for less than par in gold,
while many were sold at premium. After
the act of 1861 was passed, the Republican
administration had sold the bonds for fifteen
per cent. discount. The government credit
was always good until the war came on and
| free trade or protection would not have saved
the bonds in that time Of war. In view of
the fact the interna! revenue taxes remained
only on Injuries, il was but fair that any fur
| ther reduction of taxation should be made
upon necessities. But recognizing differences
of opinion upon that subject, the committee
had dealt with both subjects. He would
have hestated to vote for the bill if he be.
lieved that 1t would result in the destruction of
single industry, but he believed it would
benefit all of them. Applause Quoting
John Sherman, he read that the time had
come when the pledge implied by the passage
of the act of 1864 should be redeemed.
Labor did not fear competition with the pau
per labor of Europe, hut did fear the creation
of our laws. [Applause.]
! He did not know any place where the cor
rect principle of taxation had been more
clearly stated than by John Sherman. The
statement that protection enabled the manu-
| facturer to sell his goods cheaper, and en-
abled the laborer to get better wages were
| utterly inconsistent with each other. He did
not deny that there had been tendency to
increase wages in this country, but it was
! true of all other countries, free trade or pro-
lection. There were other causes than pro-
lection for this. and the principal one was the
| enormously increased use of machinery. In
this connection he quoted from report by
Commissioner Wright of the Labor Bureau, to
the Ways and Means Committee statistics, to
show the effect of the employment of mechan-
| ical forces. He also pointed to railroads,
telegraphs, steamboats,, increased facilities
! for exchange as elements that had brought
| down the prices of goods and increased the
wages of LABOR. They were told that protec-
| ton benefited the farmer by diEersifying iu-
dustry and protecting him from foreign COM
petition, As to the commodities the Ameri-
can farmer sent abroad for sale duty could
not protect him; in exceptional oasea Q duty
might enable the producer to realize higher
price for his product, but this was an uncer-
tain benefit to him, for the balance of advan'
tage was against him.
ABOUT THE HOME MARKET.
Said he: "Of course the domestic market
the home markets. improving and has been
improving and will continue to improve under
any system of taxation along with the increase
of population, the increase of wealth, the i'm
proved facilities for production and distrib4-
| ton in this country. But how long are our
| farmers to sit down and wait for the coming
of that home market which the gentlemen on
the other side have been promising them for
so many years? Take the average production
of wheat in this country during the last few
years, and assume that there shall be no in
crease whatever in the production, and that
| the consumption per capita shall remain
always precisely as it ia, AND it ig capable OF
demonstration that there can be no home
market for all the wheat of the American
farmer until our population shall reach nearly
one hundred millions. The last statistics
showing the consumption and production and
the expectation Of raw cotton in this country
show that in 1866 We sent abroad about two
thirds of our production, and we consumed in
our manufactures at home, therefore, one
third. The capital invested in 1880 was
$2l9, 900, 600; the number Of hands employed
was l72,000. Now, if we have been more
than hundred years in so developing these
cotton industries as to enable them to take
and consume only three quarters of the
American cotton crop at prices fixed in
| Europe, how many centuries will we have to
wait until these factories shall SO develop as
to consume all our production OF fair PRICES
fixed in this country. When gentlemen have
solved this problem to the satisfaction of the
American cotton grower, he will, perhaps,
have patience to listen to arguments showing
the advantages of the home market, that will
never exist. What is to become of these pro-
ducts? Are the farmers of the North and the
planters Of the South to abandon their great
wheat and cotton fields, and undertake the
cultivation of crops not suited to their soil
and their climates, in order that these gentle
men may have on opportunity to make expert
ments to see whether home market can be
made by legislation? No, sir, these great
agricultural interests must go on, and the
| American farmer must continue to sell his
surplus product in any market be can reach
and for any price he can get. The gentleman
from Maine Mr.. Dingley) while not fearing
to admit that the price of all our exportable
product is fixed in foreign market, under
| took to avoid the force of the admission by
contending that the price in the foreign
market was fixed by the supply in America.
Undoubtedly the supply ip this country has
an influence in fixing the price in the foreign
market, but the great controlling element is
the worlds supply and the worlds demand.
The American producers of wheat, for in
stance, do not compete among themselves
alone in the great wheat markets of Europe.
They meet there the wheat from England,
from Russia, Austria, Hungary and India,
and all the other grain growing regions of
Europe and Asia. and they sell their product
! Il II Al u