The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-02-13
IA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY ID, 1890.

And vet, in the face of all this, we ar
to-day asked by those advocating Eng
fish political economy to give up the vas
productive forces of our manufacture
that we may
(u) Increase our imports;
(b) Increase our tonnage of foreign
commerce.
(c) Employ ships to bring to our shores
merchandise which can be made here
with no cost to the nation except the
impairment Of natural resources neces
cary to produce these commodities;
(d) pecoy our products into distant
lands, following the dg11isfatatus of the
worlds market, hedged around as it il
by Tariffs, while England, France, Ger
many and Belgium are preying on oul
own.
VALUE OF THE HOME MARKET.
1t is doubtful if FreeTrade would
bring us any increased demand for the
products of our strongest Industries. 1t
is known that of late years the exports
of manufactures (England's strongest in
dustries) have declined in England by
the development Of these industries in
other countries.
And might not the development of ad
ditional sources of food supply in coun.
tIltS ilkt IIlltidt ttli4 AuStldllet III tlle
same way check our exports? For these
reasons | am strongly of the opinion
that we should encourage the steadily
increasing home market. Under cen
fury of judicious Tariffs our manufac-
| turing industries have taken root and
are fiourishing Along with this salts
factory increase has come a remarkable
| decline in prices to the consumer. AS a
matter of fact, there is not single arti-
Gle affected by the Tariff the price of
which has not been steadily reduced
from tie moment it's manufacture was
/ firmly established here Those who
talked so long. so loud and so necessarily
about the Tariff being tax granted
monopolists entirely forget that every
industry protected by Tariff schedule
is as free for them to embark in as for
those acfual]v engaged in il.
Vhe cost Of production and not the
/ Tariff controls The price of an article.
! Does the enl;ohfened advocate of "the
| Tariff is a. 1axS7 really believe that if the
,staxn on steel rails was increased bv
| ri O0O . ron the nrice would he Al O3o 50
! nor TOM And vet that is the outcoma
/ Of the Free trade looic
/ The en,est way for q nation tn hacoma
rich and nrocnarons and imnrova tho
condition Of its neonIe is to develon ali
its resources whatever thew may he
! Vbosa who annroacb the Tariff Question
&c nur rayon1o roformors do ANTHRAX,
iynora the fact that the cost If an art;-
80 T., +ha ;ndiyidnal and To Tho nation
is On antiralv diffaront tbino Protac-
Han can onIy ha nronarlv Understood
wban oal,od +ba tipnai s1sta,n a.
lono as we have nd an 1ubicb to hn;Id
factories canital to RIM them and Idle
io,,al, - ~ H. 49,. ~ H. a,,1,;I ~
W eiAS .iiS e1iA ~
iana tla oa,e;+dl ~ ,obon aos+ ~
na+io, ,o+b;nr TIA ara Oh hamo ha
- no 49, ~, of 80 40 IL 49,
a,.a l,oDa ,,l,a,, t,,at ~, of ,.a;is iS Inodad
on mo oars Wba+ h,s mo onara+;on
cns+ tha na4ions S;mniy +be ,,,i,ara 'Io ~
,7noatai,ln s,,hs4anna oonsnn,ad y, +ba
rodnct;on We arc to-dav imnor+ino
any,,,jt,, aooo ooo 600 1yontI Of Goods
tba+ shonld ho TnaSe in tbis country and
,.-o,,ld no ,nada horo IL +ba To,.;ff ,ro,o
o,.nne.lu rauiSad and ,,rdar-Ualnation
lpto,,nad IF this 1gara done We could
e,o1inv ayarv idla laborar and add
<,,.eptjy To orr a,,nnal incramant Of
wealth
EATTuRE or FPEE-TRADE ARGUMENTS
Tbe STRONGEST Free trade aronment
chiefly consistino of assumntions and
theories has utterly failed to weaken
this array Of facts fignras and history
In snite ri all attamnts To nrove the con
.rarv tba American lahnrer with tha
eycentinn of norton Of the old slave
lahoi Of the Sorth in every industrv in
avery trade in every production in
every occupation. no matter how hum
HE. remains the hest Maid the most in
telligent. with better opportunities to
get along in the world than his kin be-
yond the sea. In spite of all attempts
TO prove that the Protective system
unduly initiates values and makes bust
ness enterprises hazardous. the fact re-
mains that as soon as the Tariff cues
ton was settled for four wears beyond
doubt. by the election of BENJAMIN Har
rison, British capital began actively
seeking Investment in the industries of
this Protective country of ours, and all
forms of industrial life became suddenly
inspired with new yigor. In spite Of
ingenious attempts to arouse the tarm-
iug communities against Protection by
the shallow claim that manufactures
alone are benefited by Protection, the
fact remains that where manufactures
run along the lines of agriculture. there
YOU find the value of land enhanced. the
price of farm products increased. and a
DrOsnerous and progressive as we'll as an
intejlioent and cOntented community
In spite of the assertions that the
farmer is robbed" and ''taXedn on all
he buys in consequence of the Tariff. the
fact remains that all the staple articles
he purchases are one-third and one-half
cheaper now than TWENTY-FIVE wears ago.
the cost to the consumer having steadily
declined as the production became more
general All home.
In snite of those neyer-failino acces.
sions to Free trade meetings and picnics
| (Which. by the way. is the latest device
of the enemy) the cards on which are
urinted snch statements as ssyou are
taxed 1O3 Der cent on vour blankets ),
s1O4 per cent on YOUR cIothing.p SC.
the fact remains that readV-made
clothes. that blankets. that carnets and
all other manufactures of wool for GEN
eral consumption are as cheap, if not
cheaper here than In Free-trade Eu-
rome
in spite of those tiresome falsehoods
abOut the decline of orr merchant ma
rine. the fact remains that our domestic
shipping absolutely protected has kept
pace with the progress of the country
and thai the reason for the decline Of
the American merchant marine engaged
iu foreign commerce is the fact that we
have not VET extended to # the same
Protection which we extended to our
domestic manufactures. When we do
! this and vessels fivino the American fla