Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-07
HUGH McCULLOCH'S VIEWS,
What An Eminent Authority Has TO
say Abcut the THriT aud Its
Abuses

What An Eminent Authority Has "a
say Abeut the THrIT aud Its
Abuses
In answer TO a request for an address
upon the tariff before the Reform club,
OF New York. last month. the Hon. Hugh
McCulloch, secretary Of the treasury In
the cabinets Of Presidents Lincoln, John
son and Arthur, wrote the following let
ter which was read amid much applause
al a regular meeting Of that society:
WAsHIS6ToN. d. c.. Nov. 8 49, DEAR
SIR. am glad to see bv your letter of
the 29th ult that the main object OF your
association is % contribute To the in
huenCcs which are AZ work all over the
country 10 bring about reform OF the
tariff. AN also glad TO soc that the as
ISOLATION Is nOnparlissn.
Unfortunately the tariH question has
not been presented in congress, nor be-
fore the people. as purely economic
question. IL has been in u large measure
treated as a sectional and party question.
upon which there has not been free exer.
else OF independent thought and action.
The time seems now 10 have come when
the consideration 81 IL can no longer be
controlled or restricted by sectional or
psrty influences. IL has 1T last been
forced 10 the front, rs question: too
broad and faf-feacbIng 10 be- considered
As any other than national question In
the proper settlement OF which all our
great lutercsis-agtiCutusc mAnufac-
tures. labOr-are deeply concerned Let
us glance al the condition OF these inter.
ests under Esystem oftaxatiOn that savors
more OF the old Chinese policy than Of
the enlightened sentiment Of d progress
sive sud wide-awake people
!. Agriculture Although the agricul.
tural power ~ the country has been but
partially developed. production has out
stripped the demand With the exception
% cotton. none Of the great staples OF
The country are bringing remuneratlve
prices, Farmers have painful knowl-
edge Of this fact. and are becoming IN.
quisitivc 10 regard Co tue cause. They
have discovered that TIE home market
and The foreign markets which are open
10 Weir productions, are quite snsqual a.
ihc present supply. and that ~ now lands
are cultivated. The di-pr0portIOn must
steadily increase. so that unsatisfactory
as is their present condition The outlook
Tor The future BE- the reverse ut eucourag.
iBg
The question. therefore. has become
% them progressive one. how can the
demand De- made EQUAL o. The supply or
what BE- siilI more important. how can
further decline De avoided the whole
matter ~ boz nutshell Demand and
aUUU|g \ the rHwUI.f.r 81 ,..t...
tri0utsblc 90 the fact that supply exceeds
demand, and ~ the former !. steadily
gaining upon the latter. the tendency OF
Vie prices must Doe downwa:d until larger
and better markets are secured.
Manufacturer What IA true In
regard To- agriculture is measurably true
lu regard TO manufactures stimulated by
TIE tariH, the manufacturing power Of the
country has been increased beyond the
demand for manufactured goods. Hence
combinations are forced TO restrict pro.
ducton. These combinations must be
short lived. because they will not long
work harmoniously together. and because
They are At war with enterprise aud in,
dustry, upon the activity OF which the
welfare OF society depends. This fact
cannot De neutrality-suspicious. has
ceased 10 protect our manufacturer.
while IT'S preventing foreign competi-
uon 70 our markets. Il is shutting up the
foreign markets 10 which we ought to
nave access and should have hut for the
retaliation which 1t provokes. and the re-
sun u oYerproductiOn. What our manu-
taeturers, as well AS our farmers need. IL
an increase IN the foreign demand for
thelf productions. IL there IL anyway by
winch this can be secured other than by
reform Of the tariff, which stands In the
way OF International trade. IL has not vet
been made public
j. Labor-If the tariff by stimulating
manufacturing did for u time advance
wages, 1t is no longer working in this d.
teeuSn. IL has stimulated immigration
AS well as production, and the
uue has come when labor Ia no better
rewarded In the United States than Il il
IN Great Britain. IL instead of saving
That wages are higher In this country
than IN Great Britain. the matter would
oe better understood. Wages are lower
IA Great Britain than in the United
states, VIZ: because labor Il less effec.
i've 10 the former than In the latter. By
TINS l mean that manual laborers do not
accomplish rs much In the same time In
Great Britain % they do In the United
states / do not speak Of other Euro
pean countries because / know but little
in this respect about them. No Ameri-
can who has spent considerable time in