The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-08-26

American consumer the advantage OIL
choice OF sources of supply, thus insur
ing low prices, enables the American
capitalist to make fair profit on hi.
investment and pay proper wages tt
the American laborer, and the foreign
seller possess some American product
for his return cargo, thus stimulating
some other American industry and III
creaSing our commerce After awhile
the American industry under the slim
ulus of competition iHvents improved
machinery or utiliZes improved meth
DDS of transportation or exchange, anC
is enabled to put his article on the mar
ket at lessened value, and the for
eigner, in order not to lose a footholc
in the American market, IS compelled
to do so likewise to the benefit of the
consumer"
Whenever the tariff Is so adjusted
th at the true difference of cost IN pro
duction abroad and the production at
home is represented by the duty the
consumer has 20 right to complain, be
cause he has the competition between
the two in fair market When l make
that observation | make it with this
qualification: | mean on things that
are produced normally in this country
| don't think that tin comes under that
clause at all, or articles OF that kind
which we cannot produce with any
facility, but mean those articles which
we may in the ordinary operation OF
manufacture produce in this country
1t is to the advantage of US as consum
erS in the long run to have the duty
put on that basis. 10 illustrate that
let me read further, and here is my idea
Of what IS called a tariff fo7 protection
and the way in which i; operates:
THE SIN OF PROTECTION.
Suppose in the instance where the
foreign seller can offer an article at s.
and the duty, and the American pro
1ucer cannot protita5ly sell it for less
than Sc, that the duty were placed at
50, there you see the article brought
ordinarily at a fair profit into the port
of New York at S5, with the duty Of
50 would cost 81. The American pro-
ducer can produce it protitably at Sc
The American consumer is no longer
able to buy from the foreign producer,
and the American producer, instead of
being content with the S6, which gives
him fair profit charges S6 80, making
an excessive profit and enjoying a mon
opoly, since the duty excludes theforeisn
productat SIS and SO duty, which would
make 81, and as the foreign producer
does not send his goods here there is no
return cargo of American product sent
abroad. For short period the Ameri-
can monopoiiSt makes excessive profits
but this attracts capital to the same
field, then fol!)w over production, and
home competition reduces the price to
Sc, and below Sc perhaps, but as soon
as prices go down from the surfeit Of
the market the capitalist begins to call
on wage workers for corresponding re-
ductlon in wages, for capital does not
part with excessive profits if it can
shift the loss to the laborer. The result
is the formation of combinations or
trusts to keep up prices at the expense
Of the consumers and the crushing out
of competitors who decline to enter the
combine"
THE TARIFF THE PARENT OF TRUSTS.
This is the second stage in which the
tariff presents itself in the workings Of
our tariff system. We have seen il
this country that industries excessively
protected produc IS such enormous re-
turns that they become cver-stocked.
Then comes the trust in order to CON-
bine these industries and keep up
prices, and the protective tariff is real
ly the parent Of this system of trusts.
"On the other hand, another feature,
suppose that the article which the 1or-
eigner can ship to our shores for S5 is
free, and drives out the home
product. which cannot be prolitably
made for less than Sc, the result is that
the home labor quits all over the field
and capital is taken away from those
and laborers sent somewhere
else; either this or starvation wages.
The consumer after the struggle gets
lower prices, but after the conflict ends
becomes dependent on English produ.
GERS, who take advantage of the dis
tance and monopoly t: corner prices.
There is opportunity for return cargoeS
of American products where there is
a stimulus Of commerce, which is not
the case in such q, tariff. Both the pro-
tective and the tree trade tariff fall
short of advantages afforded by tariff
for revenue.
THE FOREIGN AND HOME MARKETS.
AS you see with the teeming produc-
tion of European factories, wherever
the English and the continental manu-
facturer finds fair field for his wares
he is going to carry them, and when
ever the tariff does Lot overstep the
true difference OF cost of production OF
standard articles and articles OF neceS-
slty here and abroad, then foreign artl-
cleS are coming in and we as conSum
erS of these wares have the full advan-
tage of the foreign market and OF the
home market. The foreigner brings
his goods here and the home man can
make them and meet him on equal
terms, havin9 always the advantage OF
proximity. which is d great adv anta3e,
not sufficient, however. TO exclude the
foreigner; and that tariff under the rev.
euue principle will necessarily bring
the best revenue 10 tile country. When
you go above that and make it unprod-
table SO that the foreigner will deslst
from coming at all, the purpose OF the
the Constitution is destroyed and the
levtI.ur is diminished When, on the
otler hand. sou invite flood OF for.
rigu products, manufactured cheaper
than we can possibly manufacture
them here, aud shut our home mills,
while fol il season the goods may De
cheap, yet whenever the home compe-
tltlou IS utterly destroyed VIZ are at the
:nercy Of the tolelyuer, aud the tenden-
cy is to raise an ,XceSS OF revenue anden.
extravaganza and expenditure
of public moueys. Therefore, we can
Well observe that the best system is
that system which will give US the ad-
vantage of foreign and home competI-
hon on as nearly equal terms as possl-
bic That is the doctrine which has
been advanced and supported, which IS
really on analy sis the doctrine OF
PRESIDENT TCLEvELAND'S CELEBRATED
TARIFF MESSAGE.