The Forrest City times., 1892-05-06
I DEMOCRATIC MATTERS.
THE FACTS OF HISTORY.
How Protective Tarin Has Retarded the
 Growth of Our Commerce.

l communications to congress. dwelt with surprised delight on the fact that in spite of the Mckinley bill our ,oreign trade during the last fiscal | year was the largest ir our history.
 They point to this fact as proof that there is nothing in our tariff laws that retards the commercial develop ment of the nation" They forget that this large commerce was due to the largest crops in our history. which had to seek foreign markets for their surplus and also that the producers of these crops found them less profit able because the Mckinley bill great ly limited the commodities for which they could be exchanged. In other words. that bill demonetized or de- based by its prohibitions and fines the only currency which the farmer can get for his surplus grain. cotton and meats.
 In view of this boasting on the part of the president and the secretary that a protective tariff does not retard our commercial development writes w. l.. w. in the St Louis Republic
 
 facts of history.
 Nearly sixty years ago there ap- peared in England pamphlet which attracted much attention at that time. It bore the title: England. Ireland | and America by Manchester Manu- facturer." Its author was afterward made known to be Richard Cobben, who few years later took up and led to a successful issue the great agita- ton for the overthrow of the English corn laws.
 One object of this pamphlet was to l awaken the fears of the British people to the danger in which they were placed by the threatened commercial and naval ascendency of the United | States At that time the population of this country was about II. 900, 000 while the population of the United Kingdom was over p. U00 900. Mir. 1 Golden prophesied that the two peo- | ples would be about equal in number l in thirty years and that as to com mercial prospects the position of Great Britain was not fattering.
 Our exports of domestic produce | then amounted to hundred million | dollars; the British exports were abou t one hundred and eighty million. It will be seen that our export trade was then already in proportion to popula- tion equal to that of England. The mercantile navy of Britain then had something over two and a quarter | million tons while ours amounted to one and half million tons 'by all which it appears clear said Mir. | Golden, that America in proportion | to its population is at this moment | carrying on as extensive commerce
 as England. or any other state in the world"
 Mir. Cobden's prophecy as to our I growth in population was fulfilled. In
 less than thirty years we had caught l up with and passed the British Isles, l but his fears as to our commercial
 supremacy have largely in conse- | quence of our protective tariff proved
 entirely groundless.
 In 1890, with population of sixty | two million. we exported domestic produce to the value of $S45. 900 000.'
 Britain. with a population of thirty | six million. exported like produce to | the value of $1 316, 900. 900. Our | merchant marine amounted to 1. 600. = | 900. 900 tons of which only l, 900. 900. - 900 tons was engaged in foreign trade.
 the rest being employed in island and coastwise trade. of which our laws give | it exclusive control so that of all our foreign commerce less than 13 per
 cent was carried in American ships
 and gave employment to American
 sailors.
 Moreover our entire foreign com
 merce. last year on which the presi- ] dent dwells with so much satis faction. reached the sum of $l. 729. 900. GOO or | about $27 per head of our population.
 while that of the United Kingdom was | $3. 600. 900 000. or Sl00 per head of
 population
 In other words when Golden wrote. nearly sixty years ago our commerce
 and our mercantile navy had popula-
 ton compared already caught up with those of the greatest trading and sea- ' going people in the world.
 Now. after thirty years of protective
 tariffs. our shipping has almost disap- | peared from the high seas so that we
 pay freight to foreign carriers on seven
 eighths of all that we send out or
 bring back. and our entire foreign
 commerce is. per head of population.
 but little more than one fourth of that
 of Great Britain. When the Man
 chester Manufacturer" sounded the
 alarm that we were about to endanger
 England's commercial supremacy, he
 either did not expect his own country
 to throw Of the letters of the protective
 system or our country to bind itseli
 more closely and hopelessly in them