The Press., 1889-10-24


 It is hoped, and to be presumed, that | the party in their travels will be furnished | with competent inguists to explain to | those of foreign tongue all which they de- | sire to know of our manufactures, as we'll as our political institutions. Those del | egates will no doubt be greatly astonished l Gas we are ourseives) to see such enormous 1 and progress in little over a century under our free government.
 When the delegates return to Washing ton and enter upon the deliberations which were intended by the calling of the con- vention, we may look for some differences of opinion as to economic methods best calculated to harmonize and promote the interests there represented. If an agree ment can be reached for an American standard of coins, weights and measures. it will be great gain. We want an Amer ican silver dollar, equivalent to 100 cents in value when compared with gold, in lieu of our present "spread eagle Tn God we trust" worth seventy five cents, on which that sagacious bird is ashamed to look. We want well considered system of ex- tradition treaties. We want many other things, but above all such commercial ar- engagements as will allow the economic ex- change of products and manufactures.
 Fortunately our present very defective tariff needs but little change to make 8 very important consideration for Central and South America to grant us whatever concessions we can reasonably ask of them. Their coffees, hides, cocoa, India Rubber, and many other articles of their produce are already free of duty. Add to the list sugar and wool and we are prepared to ask the admission of our products to those countries free That the duty on sugar and wool should be abolished by us is very evident, even if it should not be a bid for concessions on their part. Sugar and wool are raw materials which we need for our manufacture. It is shame that sixty five millions of people should continue to pay two and . half or three cents per pound more than is necessary for sugar (consumed by every man, woman and child from the cradle to the gravel just to pro- tect few producers in Louisiana, whose climate forbids it's profitable production there. Previous to our late war Louisiana produced over four hundred thousand hogsheads of sugar, with duty on foreign of twenty-six per cent. Now only little over one hundred thousand hogsheads, with the duty on foreign of seventy to ninety per cent.
 This falling off in the production of sugar
 
 pose, in consequence of the abolition of slavery, for cotton, which requires the same kind of labor, has been increased in pro- duction from about three millions of bales to about seven millions per annum. It is clearly because the climate of Louisiana is not such as to enable it's people to com pete with those in the tropics, notwith- I standing the enormous protection. There are many who still believe that with large protection our people can supply them l selves with sugar from their own soil. Many have lost their money by attempts with sorgum and beet root, and many more will probably reach the same result by following theory and discarding experi- ence.
 l The duty on wool should be abolished, whether as consideration for international arrangements or public policy, in justice to our consumers and manufacturers. Ev- cry family must spend large amount of money annually to provide itself with clothing, blankets, etc. Shall they be cheap or dear? The finer wools raised in this country would be little affected in price by the abolition of duty, while the coarser wools required for carpets, etc., are needed both for consumption and to enable our manufacturers to export DOT. tion of their goods.
 Here again climate has much to do in determinating the quality of wool. It ia well known that our sheep taken to some in few years they will only give long hair in place of wool, and but little even of that. If our great and growing country requires some coarse wool, why not allow us to import it from countries where the sheep are fed upon perpetual verdure, and no chilling winter requires the costly and vigilant attention of the owner? With free wool, as the foreign manufacturers have, let us trust our ingenious and enterprisine countrymen to secure fair share of the trade of the world, and supply our growing population with cheap garments.
 l The foregoing ideas, if carried out would be an important step towards reduc- ing the surplus revenue, and removing some of the heavy burdens which af1ic, our laboring classes, by making cheaper articles of prime necessity. Make the masses of your people prosperous and hap py, and the superstructure of your gov ernment will have basis which no ordi nary misfortune can remove.
 But we have another argument which
 we propose in our favor. We propose te our government to subsidize our ships, ano send you our goods, and bring yours 1T return at a mere nominal freight. Or we propose that our government shall entel into the carrying trade, and tax all tht people to reduce freights, and thus aid ul in another direction to reduce the surplui in the treasury.
 I The plan is brilliant, and enables u once moro to see our beloved flag upon tn, ocean. A farmer in one of our westeri states has been considering this question of freights, and finds that, as England cal
 build and sail ships cheaper than America
 he has saved two cents per bushel on hi ten thousand bushels of wheat by shippini