The Forrest City times., 1892-05-27
DEMOCRATIC MATTERS.
THEY CANNOT DENY IT.

| Protected Amertcnn IFouucts Sofo
 Cheaper in Foreign Markets.
 In answer to an inquiry the Chicago | Herald has to say that the benificiaries | Of our monopoly tariff have made a practice of selling their products to | foreigners at much lower prices than to their own countrymen. The evi- dence in support of this assertion is
 abundant and conclusive There is
 no reason to suppose that the practice
 has been discontinued.
 Public attention was first sharply directed to the fact stated some twelve or fourteen years ago when the combined copper mining ! companies of the Lake Superior
 region had the effrontery to bring suit in a United States court against one
 of the associated companies for under selling the combination It was in evidence in that case that the combi- nation fixed the export price much below the price in the home market and the fact was not denied by either party to the suit
 Since then the evidence has accum- ulated that the same is true with re- spect to numerous articles The de- lenders of McKinleyism do not pretend to deny that such is the fact-
 All they have to say is that sales to foreigners are in large quantities and for cash and that home purchasers can buy at the same prices if they will buy as large quantities and pay cash. But this is not true.
 Sufficient proof that it is not true is found in the fact that lower prices are not made to foreigners whom they buy our unprotected products, such as cotton ar wheat. These products are sold for export in large quantities and for cash as truly as protected products are but they are not sold at lower prices for export unless they are sub; ;ected to monopoly in the home market through some other instru- mentality than that of the tariff laws
 It is said the reduction of prices for export in consideration of the large quantities taken and cash payments is not such that the articles can be re- tailed abroad at lower prices than at home. This. again. is not true The retail prices of copper were much lower in England than in this country when the copper combination was wholesaling at lower prices there than at home. In 1885, 1886 and 1887 our sugar refiners were exporting large quantities of refined sugar mostly to England. and the retail price there was from F to 2s cents per pound lower than it was in our markets
 But it is not necessary to go into particulars in the discussion of this subject There is one general con- sideration from which attention should not be diverted to mere details respecting particular articles. What ever articles are exported must neces-
 sarily be sold in free competition with
 like articles from any other part of
 the world offering them for sale. The American has no advantage from tariffs or any other artificial cause in any foreign market unless it is ob-
 tained by special treaty. If an Amer ican can sell at u profit in a foreign market where no more favor is shown | to him than to any otber seller he can | certainly sell at q profit in his home
 market without special favor in the | form of tariff protection.
 If for example the American sugar | reiiner can sell his product at a profit in England in competition on a footing of equality with the retiners of Germany and other countries, he
 can sell at a profit in the American l market on the same footing and with
 out any tariff protection whatever. | And so of the American producer oi l copper agricultural implements
 steam engines and score of things | besides.
 In short the fact that an American can sell at profit in foreign market: proves conclusively that he can sel
 at profit without tariff protection ol any other government favor in hi: home market Tariff protection car serve him in no other way than by l enabling him to exact higher price; | from his own countrymen than iron | the people of other countries.