Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-10-27

/ regard the spendthr1ft as most enviable
He IS continually getting back all o.
more than ne gives. The trouble with
! the free trade argument is that theJ
| assume that because a permanent excess
/ Of imports is not desirable therefore a
! temporary excess IS unfortunate Eng.
land annually imports much more than
| she exports, and contrary to free trade
| theories this condition has every mark
| Of pe~mauence. But who supposes that
! England could exact this annual tribute
| from other countries if she had not first
/ got them in debt TO herr We want a
/ favorable balance Of trade, not as a
/ mark Of seryitude. but as an evidence Of
| thrift.
The profits of the farmers as a class
are determined by the general laws Of
distribution. Those who have once en-
tered upon given line Of work do not
readily change to something else. But
s new generation is constantly coming
upon the stage and they are turned this
way or that, to the farm or the factory,
according TO the combined influence OF
attractions or repulsions and emolu-
ments in the various occupations. Here
is force necessarily tending to equal
ize the status of the several classes Of
workers. The only question for the
farmer to settle is whether he is likely
to improve his condition by striking a
balance with the inferior workman of
Europe, mourning the expense of ocean
transit and suffering annoyance from
the uncertainty of foreign market, or
whether he is best off as he is, ayerag-
ing up his lot with that Of the superior
American artisan, and finding a con-
slant and reliable market for 95 per
cent. Of his products right at his door.
He will also take into account the fact
that a great part of his most lucrative
crops would be absolutely worthless but
for the presence Of the neighboring fac
tory town.
BY the combined influence of almost
unlimited land, highly perfected ma
chinery aud cheap transportation the
Dakota wheat grower can undersell his
Yorkshire contemporary in the markets
of Liverpool. Does any one imagine
that the great railroad system which
makes this possible would now exist
had our country not possessed an army
Of trained artisans when the locomotive
made its ADVENT
Another phrase Of the relation of con-
sumner and producer is met in the ques-
ton of wages, or the share of the work
man as compared with that of his en-
ployer. This also is n question not to
any considerable extent determined by
tariff regulations. But the absolute re-
turns of the laborer to those Of other
countries are at least influenced by the
tariff.
In order that the forces tending to
keep our wages above those paid else
where may operate, we must be to some
extent isolated from the rest Of the
world. Trade is a great leveler. Unre-
stricted it tends to equalize the condi-
ton of all those among whom it oper-
ates. The protection argument is not
invalidated by the admission that it is
scarcely probable that free trade would
reduce wages absolutely to the Euro
pean standard. The tendency would be
in that direction, and this tendency is
enough to lead us to set our faces against
the free trade policy,
In the application Of the general prin-
ciple of protection to the several pro-
visions of the Mckinley law we must
bear in mind that protective tariff,
satisfactory in most respects, already
existed. Our main work therefore will
be to criticise the changes authorized by
this measure.
The distinguishing features of the Nc
Kinley law may be grouped under seven
heads: /. An increase in certain duties.
2. 4 reduction in others. 8. An extern
sion of ths free list. 4. Provision for
drawbacks. 8. A system of bounties.
8. Reciprocity clause. Z. Certain
changes in the internal revenue regula-
tons. which we have already consid-
cred.
Under the first division the changes
that have excited most comment have
been these in the duties upon wool and
tin.
In the year 1890 we imported wool and
manufactures of wool to the value o
ST. $40, 515, about 8 per cent. of all or
imports. Only two other classes of i'm
ports exceeded this sum in value-sugar
and coffee, neither Of which falls within
the pale Ct protective operations. Now,
why should we import all these goods?
You have heard it said that the finest
grades Of wool cannot be raised in the
United States. Perhaps not in New
York or Ohio or Michigan, but the fact
needs to be pretty carefully demon
strated before we conclude that nowhere
in our vast country, with its great var
iety of soils and climates, can as fine
wool be grown as cheaply as anywhere
in the world. l doubt if such proof is as
yet forthcoming However, the McKin-
ley law made very little change in the
rates upon the higher grades OF unmanu-
featured wool, so that the most that can
be charged against it here is "a negative
attitude. On very cheap grades Of wool,
valued at thirteen cents a pound more
or less), the duty was nearly doubled
But these certainly cannot include the
fine grades that cannot be raised in this
country,
The rates on wooden goods were ma
terially raised. No one, however, can
show why our wooden fabrics should not
be manufactured at home The critic
can only recite the general free trade
argument, applicable to the greater part
Of our industries. that our superiority is
less pronounced in this field than in
agriculture.
In the case Of tin plate similar consid-
a