Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-02


loo' .-.'''.'............. 4ISaoU
1881. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. "a, 600 00
The price of wheat was meanwhile
declining somewhat, but this was more
than made good to the farmers by the
greater cheapness of production caused
by the saving of labor in harvesting
their crop.
The farmer will note that it was in
Europe that this development of his
foreign market took place. Europe al
ways has been and always will be the
farmers best foreign market Our total
exports OF wheat and -four for the fiscal
year 1890 amounted to $i02.3 900. and
or this England alone took S56 S9S, 900
or almost two-t birds of the whole. Is il
not supremacy ridiculous for the protec-
tionists 10 try to represent England as
our commercial enemy which we must
try to cripple? Our trade with England
they are willing to put in jeopardy by
wild schemes of McKinleyIsm, which
will surely force that country to seek
her grain supply from other lands, and
in return for this dangerous meddline
with the farmers best market, our pro-
tectonist lawmakers try to conjure Ut
with the cry OF reciprocity" market
for the farmer In the small and poor agri-
cultural countries of South America.
Mr.. Atkinson's remarks about the sell
binder suggest a further thought. He
says this machine does the work of si1
or seven men. Each machine, there
fore, throws five or six men out of EN-.
ployment This was doubtless a hard
ship to the men i'll cases where employ.
ment was actually lost and new places
had to be found, but once the change
was made nobody feels or believes any
longer that labor has suffered by the in
ventiOn of the reaper Thousands OF
laborers have found employment in
building machines, and all laborers have
cheaper flour than ever before, which
amounts to the same thing as AN increase
of their wages
This fact has a strong bearing upon
the tariff question rs related to wages
The protectionists tell US that s.cheap
foreign goods" must be kept out of the
country in order that our own laborers
may be employed in making our goods.
They claim that many laborers would
lose their places if it We're not for the
tariff
But is it not clear that the removal OF
duty would have the same effect as the
invention of the self binder. Some
laborers might lose their present employ
ment, but would MOI the whole mass OF
the people, including laborers, be i'm
mensely benefited by cheaper goodsi
If the duty on wool we're removed it is
possible that small number of laborers
would have to change their occupation,
though even this is improbable. But
even if this should be the result, would
it not be far better to Let the wool duty
go, in order that all the people might
have cheaper clothes. Some months ago
about half of the wooden mills in the
country were reported idle. Free wool
would set all these mills humming. and
in the enlarged demand for labor no.
body but blind protectionist would be
found to lament the fate of few men
who had to quit raising wool. But nc
one would have to quit raising wool BY
reason of putting wool ON the free list
ON the contrary, our domestic wool
would bring a better price.
Without tariff few of our indus
tries might go to the wall But does not
this simply signify that such industries
are kept on their feet by artificial tariff
prices? Possibly our plate glass indus
try is one which could not survive with
out the protective duty. But if it should
perish utterly what would be the result:
The laborers of nine or ten plate glass
factories would have to find other work.
hardship to them, of course; but the
country would pay $40. 100000 less per
year for its plate glass. The price of it
would be less than forty cents foot, in
stead of from sixty-five to ninety cents.
as at present
The question in the case of the self
binder and of the wool and the plate glass
tax Is precisely the same--the general ad-
vantage of all as against the advantage
of very small class. The maxim "The
greatest good to the greatest number" is
at war with protection and the privileged
classes that faften ON Y,rot action