Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-08
TermS-.$l.5O Per Year,
Favah1etn Advance.
Protection and Business Sense

A decision between the policies of
Protection and Free Trade should in no
wise be Influenced by considerations of
sentiment or theory. The question
presented must be determined in the
light of experience, facts, and the APP
plication Of these in accordance with
the dictates of the plain business sense.
This fact explains in great measure the
attitude Of men ON farms, in factories
and counting-rooms on the one side,
and men of the cloisters, colleges and
dreaming galleries on the other. 1t was
of the latter that an eminent French
statesman said, ''they have no expert
ence, and hence they cannot fail to take
the wrong roads" when arguing econ
omical propositions with respect to
governmental policy.
Theorists insist upon taking every
economic proposition into that cloud
land where they delight to dwell, and
there trimming it in conformity with
such notions as they have imbibed
when all the while there is neither mag
ic nor mystery in its makeup-only the
plain facts of cost and conditions, such
as every good business man takes into
his calculations of every day affairs.
Gagged by this standard, and applied
to a nation SO marveously endowed
with natural resources as is the United
States, what is the outlook to the prac-
teal man of affairs? He finds there is
timber in the forests, mineral in the
mountains, plenty of fuel both above
and below the surface. He sees mil
lions of Strong arms crossed over breasts
swelling with energy to carve out per-
sonal competency while adding to
national wealth and power. Shall ma
lures gifts remain untouched, and
stalwart men be held back from chan
nels in which their unhampered am
bition would place them, and they be
compelled to remain dependents upon
foreigners for the necessaries of life?
The question suggests the answer.
So long as working men in any other
part of the world can be found content
to take lower wages than will properly
support an American citizen, the theor-
list says let the product of such cheap
labor come, without fetter or barrier to
its ingress. His claim is that the way to
make people rich is to let them "buy
where they can buy cheapest" This is
the beginning and the end of his phil
osophy. But the practical man of
affairs knows that foreign products will
not be imported unless buyers are ready
to take them off his hands and pay
something more than mere cost charges.
Experience has also taught him that the
only way in which large majority of
pCOp1C tdli UCIolIlC 10 W LII Sb
be supplied with work, and given wages
something beyond what is required for
buying food He also recalls the fact
that when in times past certain men
have undertaken to utilize domestic re-
sources, combinations of interested for
eignors Heretofore supplying the de-
sired products at once dropped down
prices and kept them down until all
efforts of domestic competition had
been starved out. 1t is in view of these
facts that he announces willingness to
join with the enterprises of home in
dustry-the wouldbe miner and mill
owner, and the farmer who stands
ready to supply these with bread and
meat-and conclude an arrangement by
which every willing pair of arms can be
given work, every needy buyer can Sc
cure enough money to keep himself and
those dependent upon his efforts on the
high level of comfort and indepen-
dence.