The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-06-06
COMMENT.

| ooME IAhlFF TALK.
Ex-President Cleveland has declared
himself a supporter of the principles Of
the farmers alliance, which principles he
CONSTITUTES to mean free trade. In a letter
to an Ohio alliance he says:
struggle as they may, our farmers must
continue to be purchasers and consumers
OF numberless things enhanced in cost by
tariff regulations. Surely they have the
right to insist that their cost shall not be
Increased for the purpose of collecting un-
necessary revenue or to give undue advan-
tage to domestic manufactures"
Let us see what would be the result if
protection should be removed from domes-
TIC manufactures, and free trade estat-
lished:
l. Hundreds of thousands of manufac-
turers' employees would be discharged.
z. They must have employment some
where.
8. The only chances for labor are agri-
culture, mining, commerce and our manu-
features.
l.. To cut off a large part of the labor
employed IN manufactures would necessa-
rily throw the labor into the other three
channels.
5. But a large part of the ability of
~ ChlplOy ldDOT Is COnClQgen t
upon activity in manufactures.
6. To depress manufactures would
therefore reduce the amount of employ
ment which now affords to
labor engaged therein, and
could therefore no supply employment for
any portion of the labor thrown out of
manufactures, but would be compelled to
discharge a considerable proportion of
these persons now engaged therein.
Z. 1t is manufactures which directly
furnish demand for the product of the
mines. Therefore, depression of ,
lures would reduce the amount of
employment which mining operations are
able to afford; and, instead Of the labor re-
leased from manufactures having a chance
for engagement there, a large proportion
of those already engaged would be thrown
out.
8. Manufactures, m and min
ing may be grouped as the three channels
in which it is necessary that capital shall
first nave established enterprises and
then connections in order that employ
ment may be afforded to labor. Agricul-
ture is the principal channel in which
labor can to any considerable extent be
employed without relatively large invest
ment of capital.
8. When the labor engaged in manu-
features is released by the free introduc-
ton of foreign goods and when to this
great aggregation of unemployed persons
is added those discharged on account,
from commerce and mining, the
only possible opening is agriculture, and
is invariably the case that into this
channel drifts a large proportion of the
labor released for any cause from those
channels requiring capital for its employ
ment.
10. Two great conditions must at once
result, either of which alone would be a
calamity to those at present engaged in
agriculture, and when they are combined,
they would be in the case under consid-
the calamity is increased many
,old: ~First-thers would be a tremendous
.eduction in the demand for agricultural
products, because people can buy readily
'nly when they have incomes. Second
here would be q tremendous increase in
he supply of agricultural products, be-
'ause SO many people would be engaged in
providing them.
IL. Therefore. the conclusion is newt