The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-02


| international trsde"-that is, the coun-
| try in which some one or several branches
| of production epcelled all other countries
would in these gain over those countries
which were not favored with special ia
cilities of production. England, for In
stance, has facilities in many lines OF
production for the greatest manufactur-
ing nation on the globe. She can afford
70 sacrifice her other industries to this.
The United States has no one industry,
or branch of industry, sufficiently more
favored than that same industry in other
countries, On which to found powerful
industrial nation, although, for q general
development Of all her industries, she
has most favorable conditions. The con-
ditions In England and the United States
are quite different, and this difference
suggests for each an industrial policy IN
like that of the other. The United States
produces the greater part OF her raw ma
terials Of manufacture and somewhat
more of feod products than she uses.
The production of raw materials with
her Is not minor, but an important in
dustry. The raw materials which we do
not produce, aud which do not displ&ce
our American products, should be ad-
mitted free.
Investigations Of the conditions and
facts tf production peculiar 20 each in
dustry show Us that free competing raw
materials can confer no advantage upon
the labor and industries Of the United
States which are not counterbalanced by
attendant disadvantages
FIR raw materials would not help
agriculture, for the farmers" products
are themselves raw materials.
They would not help manufacturing,
for, while they would lessen the consum-
ing power of the home market, they
would not enable the United States to
gain permanent place In supplying the
markets of the world.
They would not help the mining in
dustries, for the miners products are the
raw materials of manufacture.
They would not help our commerce,
for they would decrease the exchange Of
services and commodities between the
different parts of our country, while the
increase of the carrying trade, whatever
countries having a more efficient mer-
chant marine.
AS her industries are not benefited,
neither is her labor Like SO many other
phases of the tariff question, it upon last
analysis resolves itself largely into a
question of labor and wages. The United
States cannot compete in production
with England, Europe and India and
maintain her present scale Of wages If
the United States cannot compete in
manufacturing with the pauper paid la
Dor of England and the continent; in
commerce, with the subsidized ships OF
England; in mining, with the half paid
labor of foreign countries; in agriculture
and stock raising, with the cheap lands
and labor of India, Australasia and the
South American states, it becomes i'm
portant to consider where she shall find
such field for the exercise of her labor
and capital as will keep her industries
from decay, and her labor above the
starvation rates of competing countries.
The economic policy that will insure
to the United States a measure of pros
perity in the future equal to that which
she has enjoyed in the past is not policy
which viii create for us onesided indus
trial development. 1t will rather seek
to develop the various branches of hu-
man activity which the character of our
people, our soil, our climate and our
natural resources give Us eapability Of
supporting. 1t is policy which win
give TO labor the largest possible CON-
ditious Of varied employment.
Such a policy, logically carried out,
along with encouragement 70 the mann
facture or finished commodities, viii give
protection to cur raw materials WHICH
have TO meet the competition OF foreign
countries with superior facilities far
cheap production.