Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-05-14
OUR TRADE WITH ENGLAND AND THE
TARIFF.

In That rcmdrkdulc SptttH VI HIS VII
the tariff. one Of the Hon. GEORGE
WESLEY ArKINSoN's chief arguments,
II argument il may be called, was based
ON the pithy remark Of DANIEL WEE
srEE that he always made IL "a rule 10
find ont what England wanted and then
oppose it.
This reminds us Of the devil quoting
scripture to compass his designs, for
when DANIEL WEBSTER made that re-
mark he was not bOlStering up our pres
ent iniquitous system of tariff taxation
or anything like il. DANIEL WEBSTER
was a brainy man-meaning no diSre-
spect to our able misrepresentation in
Congress.
We sell over twice as much to Eng
land as England sells to us. Is it there
fore, wise policy to discourage so good a
customer? II is generally considered
by all business men that it is the best
sort Of policy to invite and encourage
such customer.
England secs in the Mckinley bill
greater barriers to trade with the United
States: which everybody else of common
sense sees, and consequently criticiSeS it
adversely. Are We to take this fact rs
reason for raising those barriers still
higher? Such a policy is manifeStly
Short-sighted, narrow-minded and eN-
ceedingly childish.
But because an English member Of
Parliament expresses doubt whether
English manufacturers will care to
make exhibits at our Worlds Fair be-
cause our policy is to prohibit recipro-
cal trade, the McKinleyiteS rise mp and
shout See how the English are worried
over the Mckinley bill; therefore it
must be a good thing
Is it wise business policy, or patriotic
TO look upon our immense English trade
as a misfortune, as our ''pcewee" Con-
gresSmen seem to regard it? Is it wise
and patriotic TO erect barriers against
il? Ii is easy for anybody of common
sense to see whether it is or not The
total Of our exports to Great Britain
and our imports therefrom for the seven
years from lsS2 To lSSS inclusive, is
shown in the following table:
American products sold 20 Eng
land -. ltr9-is 90
English product, sold 10 the United
states ...-...---. .-....... .-.---.. l.l>ltfoup
Balance in favor Of the United
States coo. ...... Il .a2l .bNOn
Is it wise and patriotic to discourage
this immense trade which shows such a
balance in our favor. as the shallow
demagogues in Congress would have us
believe? Says the PittSburg Post:
That is a balance sheet that we think any
trader al home or abroad would accept as
pretty good evidence that John Bull is q
customer worth cultivating rather than
snubbiug. In the seven years we sold him
over fifteen hundred millions Of dollars more
than we bought of him. England is the
best customer the United states mas on the
globe. More than One-third of our foreign
commerce is with this country we are told
we should have as little to do with as pos
sible.
John Bull does not square accounts with
Brother Jonathan in cash, of course. That
would require him 10 ship TO this country
over S2OO,OOO,OO0 year in gold, and such
proceeding would ambulance the trade of
the world He has a simpler and much
more profitable plan. He manufactures
the free raw material he receives from all
parts of the world, and sells the products
Ofhis looms and mills TO the creditor ma
tions of the United States, discharging the
balance due Brother Jonathan by paying
our debts 10 these creditor nations, $50
OOO,OOO to Brazil, SOOOO,OOO TO British
Indies, so. 900, 900 10 Cuba, and so on. As
London is the clearing house of the world,
this is rs simple as adjusting the daily bal
ances of the PittSburg banks at the clear
ing house.