The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-09-10
OUR FOREIGN TRADE.
THE DUTY OF AMERICANS TO
ENLARGE 1T.


mass meeting was held last night, and,
after Gov. Burleigh had spoken, Presi-
dent Smith, of Colby university, intro
duced 1.-THE leader of the republican
party and the famous advocate of a pro-
gressive protective tariff, Hon Jas. q
Blaine" In regard TO the national ques-
ton Mr.. Blaine said:
81 wish 10 declare tho opinion that the
United States has reached that point where
one OF its highest duties Is an enlarged area
of its foreign trade. Undor the beneficent
policy OF protection we have developed a
volume OF manufactures, which In many de-
partments overruns the demands OF the
homo market. In the field of agriculture,
with the immense population engaged in IL
and by the aid OF improved agricultural inn
PIGMENTS, we can do far more than produce
breadstuffs and provisions for our own peo-
pie; nor would IL be an ambitious destiny
Tor so great country as ours 10 manufact-
ure only what we can consume, or produce
only what we can eat. We are already, In
many fabrics and in many products, far
beyond that, and our great demand Is eN-
pansion; L mean expansion OF trade with
countries where we can find profitable eN-
Change. We are not seeking annexation OF
territory. Certainly we do not desire IL,
unless IL should come by volition OF a peo-
pie who might ask the priceless boon of
place under the flag OF the union. | feel
sure that for a long time TO come the peo-
pie of the United States will be wisely con-
teHted with our present area and not launch
upon any scheme OF annexation. At the
same time think we should be unwisely
content il we did not seek 10 engage i'm what
the younger Pitt so we'll termed. the an
neXation OF trade For nearly thirty years
now the United States has had the great
advantage of protective tariff, by far the
longest unbrOken period that its industrial
force federal
government was organized. Happily n
great majority OF our people, without
strict regard To party lines, believe
ere results 20 the American people
from the protective policy have been meal
culably benefcent aggregating I'm a quarter
% a century n national and individual
wealth beyond anything ever dreamed of
before in the history OF the world | do not
mention protection because | do not intend
T. speak i'm reference thereto before this
Gudience. That would be needless, IL not
all impertinent effort. / merely wish To
proclaim its victories. Without protection
the United States would have been poor in
deed after the ravages OF war from 1861 10
1865; with protection every section -four
iShcd and prOspcrCd and has grown and
gained. Even where revenue duties have
been laid with no expectation OF developing
Industries there have, in many instances
been great financial and industrial results.
The duty on silk was levied primarily, not
for protection, but simply To secure a large
revenue from one of the luXurieS of the rich
and rs consequence the silk industry has
increased so rapidly that il constitutes one
of the leading fabrics of New Jersey, one Of
the largest manufacturing states of the
union. / could readily advance other illus
trations TO the same effect.
Gas have already intimatcd. am hero
TO speak of the expansion OF our foreign
trade, but not by any novel process, not by
Il. ,,sfII Al
Industries, not by any mode that will invite
our people to rash experiments or that will
launch US In doubtful and dangerous invest
ments. What mean To speak OF briefly Is
a system OF reciprocity not in conflict with
the protective tariff, but supplementary
thereto, and presenting field Of enterprise
that will richly repay the efforts and energy
OF the American people. We shall find it
instructive and valuable to examine into
the sources Of our imports and the destina-
ton of our exports and TO strike a balance
between the two. Take last year, 1850. In
that year our whole export, TO all the
countries in the three continents of Europe
Asia and Africa and Australia, Canada and
Hawaii, amounted in round numbers 20
S65S, 600, 600, and our imports from all those
countries amounted In round numbers to
$500, 600, showing that from that vast
trade we had balance Of Sl20, 000, 000 in
our favor, equivalent 70 that amount of
gold among our people. But when all ac-
counts are closed. instead Of having Sl29,-
100000 in our favor, we had a balance Of
$4,000, 900 against us from foreign trades
We must therefore have lost Sl42 .000, 600 I'm
our commerce with countries outside OF
those to which | have referred. Where
could we have found such large adverse
balance? Let me tell you. We lost SAL,
100000 in Cuba, from which its imports were
So. 000, 900 and to which our exports were
only s11,O0O,00O. Forty-one million is a
pretty large sum 10 lose In that island I'm a
single year. In the republic OF Brazil we
lost $4,000, 600, our exports to Brazil being
$4,000. 600. In Mexico we lost SIT, 000, 900,
our imports from Mexico being S2l .00O. 600.
and our exports 20 Mexico being S11 .0O0, 600.
To sum ii all up our imports from the
countries south OF us wore S2l6, 900 900, and
our exports to them were $4,000, 900. The
balance against us i'm our trade with these
countries therefore Is S142,000,00 exceed
ing our gains from all the rest of the world
by Sl13,000, 600.
''By no figure OF speech can we hatter
ourselves into the belief that our trade with
our American neighbors is in prosperous
condition. How can this state of affairs be
remedcd? You have heard "A great deal
said within the past ten years by our demo-
cratic friends about the iniquity OF the re-
publican party in keeping up the war tariff
AS a matter Of fact the war tariff has not
been kept up, but has been amended over
and over again until the revision OF 1883
left scarcely trace of the actual tariff that
was i'm operation at the close OF the war and
for a few years afterward. During the war
we were compelled To tax almost every
thing-in the air, in the water, on the earth
and under the earth. The necessities of
the government were so great that we could
allow scarcely anything 10 be imported
without paying tribute, and / think no
patriotic man can deny that that was a
wise policy. We were not then study
ing the philosophy OF trade relations,
but how To save the life OF
the nation. Money was the primal neces-
sity, and we seized IL wherever we could
reach It lawfully, but during the last eight
cen years great change has been made.
So entirely has the war tariff been abolished
that in the fiscal year ending Juno 30, $500,
the articles admitted free were considerably
more than one-third of all the imports. To
be exact, the imported articles that paid
duty exceeded Sass, 000, 900 I'm value and the
imported articles that paid no duty eX-
ceeded S25G. ZOO, 900 in value. The inevitable
tendency Is, think, toward an increase of
the free list. Our great mistake was made
when we began to repeal war duties on so
large an amount OF imports. Any duty re-
pealcd was a favor and advantage 10 an ex-
porting country, and we have asked nothing
in return. Instead OF this cour4e (Which
must say was one Of carelessncss and waste
fulness by both political parties) every