Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-15


Total increase, ten years ~ sIs tessse
Average yearly uervasc. .,....'.'.'' sN.stosoS
This was the free trade era. the ten
voar, o. A democratic low tariff. Con-
trast these with the past twenty years OF
high tariff:
'siOleI,0eo 10
1850 BB4o,04o,oCT
Total increase twenty years .......s ssoa osi, 100
Average yearly iucfease. ,'.,..''.'' TI,0Ot,b5o
In other words, farming was % per
cent. more prosperous under democratic
low tariff than il has been under q repub.
lican high tariff In exact figures the
increase WAS:
1850 70 1870 (tcn yearsl IS sd t6e,ss6
1861 TO 1850 nineteen years. SS7s tsa,iel
When VT consider that the population
more than doubled and the wealth Of the
country increased more than Ave fold
between 1850 and 1880, the significance
Of these figures cannot be- over.estimated.
That farming paid under low tariff
is shown hv the capital invested in II;
1880 1890
Yearly Increase, iOSS per cent.
That IL has not paid under protection
needs but glance at the census figures;
1910 1880
ssrls. Gsoo-. siO.isT.Oss,r1e
1ehril luCreaett ~ POT cent
In ten years OF low tariff our farms
have doubled in value. In twenty years
OF protection they have only increased
nfty-four per cont. No other explains
ton is needed why farming no longer
pays. why the farm lands OF Vermont are
for SAFE at 81 per acre, and why industry
10 seeking other fields.
During the free trade era" l2S. 02e
=
the censns shows the following capital
invested.
1880 $3.50
s5s. g4535i. si,009. ss5,Tic
Yearly increase. Q por cent
The farmer and the mill owner were
then on equal terms. and both prospered
Manufacturing was confined 10 what
would pay. In 1851 the cotton mill
owners OF New England. the wooden mill
owners Of New York and the iron mon
gers of PennsylvHnis-about 5000 in
number obtained control OF the legisla-
ton Of the United States and this Is how
they protected themselves:
slooss5s rs. 40 no "a co.
Yearly increase. 81 per cent
These figures are the totals OF all
manufactures, protected aud non- protec-
ed. Some Industries, like our ship yards,
have been protected" out OF existence,
--ufhers have been crippled, and these
bring down the average. for only n small
proportion OF our manufacturers are pro-
tected. and they have prospered not only
Al the expense OF the farmers, but at
the expense Of the unprotected manu-
facturer
In 1850. $50 the American farmer had
the whole world for q market. He could
sell anywhere and bring his payment In
foreign goods into the country. IL his
payment was taxed, II was only properly
taIed to bear its fair share Of the ex
penses of government He was then, and
Is today. the importer OF 80 per cent OF
the foreign goods coming into the coun-
try, He was then the only competitor Of
the unprotected. as he IL today the only
competitor Of the protected mill owners.
ImpOrts are the payment We receive
for our exported surplus products. Not
one dollars worth VI foreign goods can
be imported In the country except 10 pay
ment for American labor and our pros
ducts exported.
Tn protected mill owner has no other
competitor" than the American farmer.
with the exception OF few un Unprotected
AAa' AAAhh AihAAA hfhANNNH WIN may nc
left out OF the question No human be-
ing outside OF the United States can enter
into competition with the American mill
owner, and inside the United states the
farmer who imports 81 per cent Is the
only one whom he fears. or the only one
whose competition can affect him
II We 6ss-r5 -. pc - ., s1fOaG 80, +,
a Merchant ship would enter our ports
Selling lie buying, buying 10 selling. They
are the two sides OF one Transaction. II
we had nothing to sell. we could buy
nothing Trade would stop
Great Britain forced open the ports ~ !
China because the Chinese merchants had |
something 10 sell. and their government |
would let them Import the payment. The |
buyers. who could not get what they |
wanted to sell without paying for IL. had |
To deliver the payment through the use
Of force the seller the Chinese merchant, |
could not bring TO bear upon his govern |
mept. II China bad nothing To- sell. her |
ports nights have remained wide open |
for thousand wears without one dollars |
worth Of foreign goods going into them.
or even tramp weasel calling al one %
them for anything except water.
II IL n physical and logical impossi.
bility for mill owner outside the United
States 20 enter into direct composition
with = mill owner Inside the United
States. He must buy our surplus pro-
ducts 70 get his goods into American
Ownership. and once IN American owner
ship, they become the product Of Amerl.
can labor. There can be no competition
between The buyer and the seller or the
seller and the buyer. and the foreign
mill owner must be on one or the other
side OF all transactions with Americans
All Individual competition Of every kind.
10 any country, must be confined 10 the
Inhabitants ~ that country. This tariff
Eight Il between two Americans--the
American exporter on one side and the
American mill owner on the other.
The farmers Of this country sold last
year In foreign countries $500, OOO. 900 |
worth OF surplus farm products. They |
took 10 exchange or brought back. or the |
ouyer sent back ia payment, foreign |
goods These foreign goods, bought |
with our farm products, were, before |
they entered the country and while still |
on The high seas. tho property OF our
farmers. The MINOR details Of trade and /
the agencies employed 10 the exchange
simply aefog the question The profits
on them were profits for the farmers. II
foreign mills "sold"more cheaply-"com.
peted, they call THAN our mills. they
competed only with other foreign mills
10 their own country to get our surplus
farm products, aud the product OF the
competition went to the American far.
mer-or should have gone.
These foreign goods do not enter into
competition with the American mill
owners goods until after the American
farmer or his agents have received them
inpaymen' for his surplus exported. until
ne was the owner af tLsm. and they were
the fruits Of his toll.
C9mPeuton-the only competition
possible with the American mill owner
hegins when the American farmer desires
70 dispose Of the foreign payment for his
exported product, exchanging Il with his
eoan'rymen for other products OF labor.
Ine farmer and the mill owner are