The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-02-22
NO. 23.

In the Old World is improbable.
England will only buy Of US such
breadstuffs as she can not produce at
home or obtain from India with cheap
silver. Her vast manufacturing estab.
lishments, which have permanent
market for their products among more
than two hundred and fifty millions of
people, from which all other nations
are practically excluded, will supply
her people at home at a price which
will exclude US and all other nations.
The policy Of Great Britain Of break
ing up the manufacturing establish
ments Of other countries by the surplus
of her vast establishments has forced
every nation OF continental Europe to
establish high protective tariffs to en-
able them to manufacture at home.
Those tariffs exclude our products as
well as those Of Great Britain. / have
examined with care and diligence the
tariffs of other nations in connection
with their efforts to force foreign trade
by low prices, financial accommoda-
tions, and subsidized steam ships, and
it is impossible for me to indicate a
country to which any considerable in
crease of our exports can be sent.
There is no doubt that free and re-
ciprocal intercourse between the United
States, Mexico, and South America
would be advantageous to all the coun-
tries concerned, but the tariffs of those
countries are such as practically to ex-
clude our products, and until those
tariffs are modified by legislation or
treaty it would be folly, and worse than
folly, to reduce our tariff, destroy the
market for the manufactures already
established, prevent tho investment in
new establishments, and waste our cir
culating medium in the purchase of
foreign commodities
The Government of the United
States has no right to grant privileges
or bounties to foreigners at the expense
of our people without securing equal
benefits in return. To surrender our
home market to all the world without
reciprocity anywhere will not be toler-
ated by the people. Trade with for
eign countries is business to be engaged
in to make money, and the question to
be determined in prescribing the terms
and conditions npon which such busi.
ne IS shall be conducted is whether the
people of the United States will make
or lose money by the venture. If any
country will exchange commodities
with us on equa. and fair terms and
pay us as much cash as we pay it the
question ofreciprocal free trade with
such country is then worthy of consi-
Grafton. But no such case is presented.
No foreign country is proposing to
enter into any trade arrangement with
US unless it can obtain an undue ad.
vantage.
England which is most clamorous
for fee access to our markets, does not
propose to pay US cash, but to send US
her surplus manufactures, which over
flow from her vast establishments,
maintained by a permanent market
among more than two hundred and fifty
million people in countries where our
products are denied access. In free
trade with England the contest would
be for our markets and none other. and
we would be similarly situated to an
infant telegraph company attempting
to compete with the Western Union.
The former would struggle against
bankruptcy while the latter would do
business at loss on competing lines and
continue to make dividends from it's
lines where no competition existed.
We will not enter into such an arrange.
ment with England and sacrifice our
manufactures and allow her to rob US Of
our coin.
The argument that free trade will
make the necessaries of life cheaper
would be sound if such necessaries
would remain cheaper and the people
would have plenty Of money to pay for
them. Such would not be the case.
England would follow the example Of
the Western Union, and when she had
destroyed our manufactures and re-
moved competition she would put up