Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-09-06

slight aodttlonal encouragement in tho
reduction of the raw material to our boot
and shoe manufacturers they would be
able to run full time during the whole
twelve months and to sell their surplus
abroad in competition with foreign manu-
facturera This. would also result in rc-
duction of the price to the home consumer,
and instead Of reducing the rate of wages
would tend to increase it.
What has been thus demonstrated in
IN !, case of the shoe and leather trade Of
luis country should be equally true with
reference to all classes of textiles. but es-
pecially in regard to cotton. Now that
capital is as cheap in the United States as
it is in any other country in the world
there is no reason why we should continue
to ship 20 per cent Of our cotton crop
abroad to be manufactured and manufact-
ure but 80 per cent. at home.
tsThe same, to q very great extent, 10
true of the iron interests. The iron Gen.
tiers of the country, like the centers of the
production of wool. have been moving from
the Eastern and Middle States to the South
and West, and it stands as an admitted
fact to-day that iron can be produced at
Chattanooga and Birmingham at 80 a ton,
which is within a small fraction OF as low
as the cost of production of the same arti-
Gle at Swansea; while it costs $13 to pro-
duce it at Cleveland and SO to produce it
at Johnstown. Pa We have this singular
condition-that the old iron centers are en-
deavoring to maintain themselves against
the competition of the new, and in doing
this they rely chiefly upon the operations
of the tariff, which excludes the foreign
competitor, for if foreign competition were
let in the capital that is now misapplied in
trying to keep and maintain this abnormal
of fhinu, HxynnlA ho IL ad n fbocQ
sections of the country where manufact-
uring can be carried on against European
competition without any aid from protect
i've tariffs"
The timber, salt and sugar clauses of the
Mills bill next engaged the speakers at
tention, and he clearly showed by compar-
isons and statistics that, if adopted, they
could not result otherwise than beneficial
" to this country. Referring to what is
termed by the Republicans as the british
argument that this country was paying
tain materials on the free list, he said:
'sIt is now more than forty years since,
under the leadership of one of the greatest
statesmen. Sir Robert Peel, who was
leading member of the landed aristocracy,
and hal been trained in the school Of pro-
lection peculiar to that country, system
known as the corn laws, under which
the agricultural interests of Great Britain
had so long dominated her commercial
and manufacturing interests, the British
statesmen of that period turned their
backs to the past and, adopting what has
since been called British free trade, laid
that foundation for British manufacturing
which has since produced such marvellous
results and given her not only command
of her own markets but every important
market in the world. Her exports to-day
Of domestic merchandise amounts to ST.
SOC, DOC, 900 per amman, almost the whole OF
which is the product of her workshops,
while our entire foreign commerce, en-
bracing imports and exports, fall far short
of that sum, and our exports Of domestic
manufactures only reached the meager
sum OF s119 coo, 600 for the last year. From
these facts know very well that as long
as Great Britain can. be permitted
to monopolize the carrying trade of the
world and the markets of the world
outside Of the United States she is per-
fectly willing that we shall amuse our
selves by trading jackets with each other
inside of our own lines; but that if some
day, as we undoubtedly shall, we break
through this crust of protection and enter
into competition with hes' in the markets
of the world then we may expect that she
will throw every impediment possible In
our way. The opportunity is presented
for our doing it now; if we allow it to pass
by it may be years before it is presented
again in any form so favorable.
81 am opposed 70 the so-caned protective
system upon the grounds:
81 That it is violations Of the spirit
and meaning Of the Constitution con-
ferring the taxing power, and introduces
class legislationiin it's worst form.
80 1t places labor under the absolute
control of capital and while the laborer is
compelled to engage his service at the
market price fixed on the basis of free
trade, he purchases his supplies at tho
market price fixed under the operations OF
the protective tariff, SO that the tendency
is to reduce the rate of wages and de-
crease the purchasing power Of the money
he receives.
SO Because, in shutting out foreign
competition il enables the domestic cap
italist. through trust organizations and
combines, to regulate and control the pro-
auctions of the country and the prices to
be paid in this manner fostering and pro-
tecting those outrageous monopolies that
make money by simply ascertaining the
necessities Of the people and limiting the
supply to the amount that will produce the
greatest prices and highest profits. Mr..
Blaine does not seem willing To put himself
in so absurd a positions, consequently, in
his Augusta speech, he andeavors to show
that monopoles, in the form Of trusts, are
quite harmless in, their character and at
all events consist in simply personal aud
private business arrangements with which
President Cleveland andi the public have
nothing to do There was an Honesty
about his declaration that, perhaps, did not
appear on the surface for it is no doubt
true that Mr.. Blame, in the varied inter
ests that he holds in the corporations OF
the country, is aparty to more than one OF
lust such trusts as. he thus indirectly de-
Tended.
81 The SYSTEM of manufacturing that
naturally grows up under. the doctrine OF
protection necessarily excludes US from
the foreign markets,by enhancing the cost
of manufacturing. to. that extent that the
only market. in whiohl the products can ba
taken IN and absorbed is the home market.
from which. fnreigp competition is exz
cluded.
1.-THE Democratic party is to be congratua
lated upon the excelienny Of its Presiden-
tial ticket Two more strikingly repfn
sentative men than, president Cleveland
and Allen G. Thurman can not be foundiin
the United States I have expressed my
appreciation of the administration OF Pres
ident Cievelandso frequently that l may
be excused ifromgoinG into it on this oCea-
sion to any graft extent In fact, have
little new to say upomhhat subject. Hb.Aas
proved himselfsto be- so able and efthient
in the discharge Of the executive dIk 3es
devolving upon the, President that HIS Ad-
| ministration, will grove to be one al the
brightest mndels. in our history. In tbs ad-
| strative character its chief chanascter-
istics are iniexactiag strict performance
OF. official duty on the part of Federal Of
q e. "a ~