The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-10-06
FOES TO TRADE.
BAD ROADS, HIGH FRE1GHTS, TOLLS,
TAXES AND TAR1FFs ARE THE
ENEMIES OF INDUsTRY-How THE
FARMERS EARNINGS ARE DEPOSITED

IN CUSTOM HOUSES.
The typical protectionists are queer
set. From Mckinley down, they all
continue to cry, ''We 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 to all other peoples and ccun-
tries. But at the same time it is clear
that their actions--when they come to
substitute actions for words-that they
have no correct idea of what industry is.
Doubtless, some will say, "What an un-
founded and impudent assertion"
"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 ducere, to
'ead), meaning, in this connection, the
drawing out of materials or products
from natural resources, and the other is
exchange, or the selling Of the things
produced; and industry can't get along
without both any more than a man get
alcng with only one leg. For example,
if farmer grows 10, 900 bushels of corn,
aud needs only 1000 for himself, family
aud animals, and can't exchange or sell
the other 5000 he might as well 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,
J pillow with corn stalk, wear corn
shoes, and the like. To get these other
/ things he must sell OF exchange his
surplus 5000 bushels; and ne must be
stupid who does not at once see that
the greater the facilities afforded him
for exchange, such as good roads,
bridges, horses and wagons, cheap and
swift railroads and steamships, low
tolls, freights and taxes, the greater
will be the opportunity for exchange
and trade to advantage. On the other
hand, poor roads, unbridged streams,
| f1w or no railroads or steamships, 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 twenty per
cent. tariff tax may fairly be considered
as the representative of bad road;
fifty per cent, OF broad deep river
without proper facilities for crossing;
a seventy, five per cent, of a swamp bor-
dering such river on both sides, while
hundred per cent. duty, such as is levied
on blankets, window glass, cotton ties,
and the like, can only properly be com
pared to a band of robbers, who strip
the producer of nearly all he possesses,
making him thankful that he escaped
with his life. In short, there has never
been case IN all human experience
when the removal of restrictions
natural or legislative-on trade did not
result in the extension of trade to the
mutual advantage of the great majority
of the people concerned. The man who
can get law passed that will enable
him to tax trade or exchange, always
sees an advantage TO himself in the re-
stricted trade that will result. So also
does his brother in. law who sits behind
bush on the road, with a gun, and
tells the farmer who sold his surplus OF
5000 bushels of corn, ''You can't pass
unless you give mo BIC part OF what
you received for it IN exchange" But
| fancy some farmer protectionist saying,
"There is no one sitting behind bush
for me. I don't see him." Neverthe-
less, he is there all the same.
Our farmer sells his 900 bushels of
corn in England and, as he wants things
rather than money, and as many things
are cheap in England, he concludes to
take his pay in hardware, wooden cloth
ings, 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 bush on the
wharf to lie in wait for him, but there is
another man, armed with something
better than 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 possession of the other half. If he
does not pay quickly or if he makes any
fuss about the charges, this otner man
will take the whole, and not unlikely put
the farmer in Jail. If the farmer could
pay in things instead of money, and had
taken salt in 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 yard cut off; and ii
he had cotton ties, each tie would be
shortened to the extent of ninety per cent.
If he had taken the commonest kind OF
china plates or cups, then in order TO
carry dozen of them home he would
have had TO pay for eighteen. And so
on. If our Government needed to impose
aud collect such taxes in order to meet
its necessary expenditures, there would
be some justification for such procedure.
But revenue was not the object sought
Tor in the enactment OF the laws which
authorize or require them, but the re-
strictions of trade; TO prevent the farmer
from selling his products to the best ad-
vantage.
In snort norru auf ln0;oaIlu and m