Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-09-29
TRADE INSTRUCTIONS.
TOLLS. TAXES, AND TARIFFS
THE CHIEF ENEMIES.
Bed Roads, High Freixhts, Eeo., Are
Minor Hindranoes-How the Farmers
Earnings Arc Deposited In Custom
Houses-The Sugar Trust Supreme.


Enemies Of Industry.
The typical protectionists are queer
set. From Mckinley down, they all
continually cry. 3We must protect
American industry" as If they alone,
and not all Americans, were in favor Of
any and every policy that will protect
and benefit our own people and country
In preference 10 all other peoples and
countries. But, at the same time, it is
clear IRON their actions-when they
come to substitute actions for words
that they have no correct idoa Of what
industry Is. Doubtless, some will say,
What an unfounded and impudent as
sertion!" what free-trade lie" But
let US reason about it little and see
wherein is the truth.
Industry consists of two factors, or
there are two elements in it. One is
production derived from two Latin
words-pro, forward, and duccre, to
lead,-meaning, in this connection, the
from natural resources, and the other
things produced; and industry can't get
along without both any more than a
man set along with only one leg.
For example, if farmer grows
10000 bushels of corn, and needs
only 1000 for himself, family, and
animals. and can't exchange or sell the
other 5000, he might as we'll not have
raised it. He can eat corn, burn it for
fuel and make whisky of it, but he can't
clothe himself with corn husks, plow
with cornstalk, wear corn shoes, and
the like. To get these other things he
must sell or exchange his surplus 5000
bushels; and he must be stupid who does
not at once see that the greater the ia
cilities afforded him for exchange, such
as good roads, bridges, horses and wag-
ons, cheap and swift railroads and
steamships, low tolls. freighls and taxes,
the greater will be the opportunity for
exchange and trade to advantage. On
the other hand, poor roads, unbridged
streams, few or no-railroads or steam
ships, and high tolls, freights, and taxes
all tend to restrict or destroy trade and
the opportunity to sell his 5000 bushels
of corn to advantage. A 70 per- cent.
tariff tax may fairly be considered as
the representative of a bad road; a so
per cent. of q broad, deep river without
proper facilities for crossing; rs per
cent. of swamp bordering such river
on both sides; while 100 per cent. duty,
such as is levied on blankets, window
glass, colt n ties land the like. can only
properly be compared to band of rob-
bers, who strip the producer of nearly
all he possesses and make him thankful
that he escaped with his life. In short,
there has never been q case in all hu
man experience when the removal of re-
strictions, natural or legislative, on
trade that did not result in the extern
ton of trade to the mutual advantage Of
the great majority of the people con-
cerned. The man who can get law
passed that will enable him to tax trade
or exchange. always sees an advantage
to himself in the restricted trade that
will result. So also does his brother-in-
law who sits behind bush on the road,
with gun, and tells the farmer who
has sold his surplus of 5000 bushels Of
corn, You can't pass unless you give me
big part OF what you received for it in
protectionist saying: There is no one
see him." Nevertheless, he is there, all
the same.
Our farmer sells mis- nine thousand
bushels of corn in England, and, as he
wants things rather than money, and as
many things dre cheap in England, he
concludes to take his pay in hardware,
wooden clothing, blankets, starch, paints,
oils, glass, salt, cordage, hats, crockery,
cotton ties, and other like articles, and
starts for home by way Of New York.
There is no man with a gun behind q
bush on the wharf to lie in wait for
him, but there is another man, armed
with something better than a gun, who
tells the farmer that he must give up
more than half the value of all the
things he has received in payment for
his corn before he can come into possess
sion OF the other half. If he does not
pay quickly or if he makes any fuss
about the charges, this other man will
take the whole, and not unlikely put the
farmer in jail. IT the farmer could pay.
in things instead Of money, and had
taken salt III exchange for his corn,
then for every hundred bushels he
would have had to bring and give up
seventy three additional bushels. For
every yard OF the cheapest carpet he
would have had three-quarters Of q
yard cut off, and if he had cotton ties,
each tie would be shortened to the ex-
tent of 80 per cent. If he had taken the
eommonest kind OF china plates or cups,
then in order to carry dozen of them
home he would have bad to pay for
eighteen. And SO on. If our Govern
ment needed to impose and collect such
taxes in order to meet its necessary ex-;
penditures, there would be some justiti-,
cation Cor such procedure. Butrevenue
was not the object sought for in the en-
aotment of the laws which authorize or
require them, but the restrictions OF
trade. to prevent the farmer from SELL
ing his products to the best advantage.
In short, carry out logically and to their
fullest extent McKinley's views about
industry, and you would have every
man trying to produce good deal and
sell as little as possible.-David A.,
Wells, in American journal Of Politics.
Keep Mckinley on the Stump.
Mckinley spoke in three large cities
In Vermont this year, and was re-
ceived with the greatest enthusiasm" by
great audiences in each city. To show
their appreciation of the Major and HE
NJ