Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-01-10
The Fallaoy that the Former Di.
minishes the Volume of
the Latter.
Protection and the Consequent De
velopment of our Industries
Actually Increase it.
If We Buy Less of Such Articles as
We Produce We can Buy
More of Those For
eign Made

Free traders tell us that the encourage
ment and development of our home indus
tries 10y means of protection dimiushes
our foreign trade, especially with Europe
Never was greater taltacy promulgated.
At first sight there seemstO he some plausi,
bility in the assertion, bnt closer exami-
nation will show how utterly untenabe It
is. 1t is maintained chat ii we make our
own metal and textile fabrics instead of
buying them from abroad that our foreign
commencement of necessity be curtailed
But suppose We attempt 10 buy from
abroad, how long would our money hold
out? Would Europe take q greater guam
Ay Of agricultural products tnau She
needs simply to accommodate us2 And
how much more OF these products could we
furnish
Instead of diminishing our foreign com.
merce the development Of our industries
increase it, though in diifent channels.
It we bu, les OF sueh articles as we can
produce, we are able TO Day more OF such
as we cannot ourselves produce II we
make our own iron and our own clothing,
we can buy more tea. coffee sugar Indie
rubber and other topical and semi-trOpical
productions. Increase our general wealth
and we need not ba snlicituous about our
foreign trade Our wants are limited
only by our ability TO buy Much Of the
surplus from our industries is now spent
10y our citizens in foreign travel The re,
Ceipts of the Manchester cotton weaver
may be reduced. but those Of the English
hotel owners and railroad and steamship
prOprietors will be increased
Again, if we buy largely Of tropical
products the producers of these are again
enabled to buy more European manuiact.
ures, We may buy for POO millions from
Spanish Americans, and sell them for but
80 millions IN return This is, in fact,
about what we do. Where does the
balance of $50 millions go2 To Europe.
Suppose we could buy only for 80 millions.
Would not Europe and European trade be
short the $50 milliOns2 We, in point OF
fact, pay the $50 millions to Europe, But
for our ability to buy these $50 millions
would be cut off entirely.
Ii is true that we hope in time TO sup
ply our southern neighbOrs with a por-
tion of the goods they now buy from
Europe, ana when we get proper rail and
steam communications we shall certainly
do 10. But because of the cheaper labor
Of Europe we cannot hope to compete in
many of the branches of manufacture
The advantage of cheaper production, if
advantage it be, will remain with Europe,
as long as labor is cheaper there
But we produce some goods that Europe
cannot or does not produce as advantage
ously as we do. In the first place, we have
Amcricm production that are patented
and then there will DC novelties that suit
the fancy and taste better than do the
European productions But this new out
let for our wares will in turn enable us TO
buy more, and also enable our southern
neigEbor9 to buy more which will again
make better market for the European
producers.
In the long run an impoverished CIsto-
mer can never be IA good customer, II to-
day Ireland was rich and prosperous
country she would be much better cust0-
mer for England than she now is II is
true that Ireland might make her own
cloths, and even be competitor " Eng
land in other markets. But she would
take other English products to more than
compensate,
Suppose we close our factories, set all
our people to farming, and get all our
manufactured wares from England, she
taking our farm products in return. It
is true that she would then have The satis-
faction Of keeping US in state Of indus
trial subsection, with which political sub
lection must follow, rs we would never
have the appliances for either oifense on
defense. But would this really contribute
to English prosperity? II might tickle
English vanity and please English rulers
but could never prove really advantageous
to the great body Of English people
True prosperity here will advance pros
perity everywhere An independent pro.
gre eiye aud prosperous people will be q
good worlds market a any aud all
times