Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1892-08-04
ITS E GENERAL.

LII protection fostered or aided one
industry to thsi injury of another, if its
benefits did not indirectly extend to IA
whole community, state or nation, then
there wodid be just groand for opposi-
ton to. She system. No one will pues-
uon hEit that protection has built up
our manufacturing industries, thereby
developing the nalGral resources of the
country by using raw material and at
the same time giving employment to
labor, from which have sprung up
prosperous towns and cities. Had the
United States becoIne an exclusively
agricultural nation and compelled To
rely pal Great Britain for manufac-
tured articles, does anyone suppose
theS could be purchased as cheap AZ
thay are today How long would IT
take to supply or overstock the foreign
market with the products of the farms
fGreat Britain buys only what she must
have OF this country, and would do
no more under a system of free trade.
1t is the home market built up by pro-
lection that consumes the bulk OF the
agricultural products of Thu country.
Every farmer must also know that u
very large per cent. of his crop is per-
ishable and will hardly stand local
transportation, say nothing of foreign
expectation. How would a foreign
market benefit him III this portion Of
his crop? The shrewd farmer knows
that the neaTeF he Is to a home marx ct
the better He knows that it Is The
commissAan exacted 10y middlenen
and transportation charges that CON
sumes has profits. Despite the claims
of fires trade writers there can he no
douba ai,at the tariff on wool has been
Il benefit to growers, and no m would
be so biased or illogical as to claim
thai, its benefits were confined To the
wool growers alone. Any industry that
puts money into circulation benefits
the whole people. No man should be
so selfish or envious that he annot
enjoy seeing others prosper, especially
when that prosperity is brought about
without injury TO those engaged in
other pursuits Most Of us would pre-
fer to pay a li,sie more for an article
than see an industry paralyzed or
transferred tcsoine other country. In
the case of wool ii is stated that WOODEN
goods are cheaper now than when the
Mckinley bill went into effect. The
Boston Wool Reporter in a recent issue
says: "a notable feature of the wooden
goods market Is the low price of goods,
and it is very probable that goods are
selling today III a basis of prices lower
than eyer before. There is this feature
also, that the prices at which all-wool
goods are being sold are so close to the
prices of cotton mixed goods, that the
latter are suffering al consequence.
This condition has been brought about
in part by the large demand for carded
goods, and in part by the limited scope
of this demand rs pertains to fabric,
concentrating to a large extent upon
one class of goods, and thus increasing |
competition. The price of raw ma
terial has, of course, been an assistant
m bringing about this result, but to
competition is due the larger share of
credit" This is just what the Repub-
ioan party claims for protection. 1t
establishes aud maintains American
manufacturing. which, through its own |
competition, brings down the price to
the