The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-03-05
Ql iCk ROADS TO RUIN.
WILL THE FARMERS SUPPORT
THE FREE WOOL PARTY?
Republican Tide Rising Everywhers-
Circulation and Business-The Demo
cratic Diiemma-Pottery is Cheaper
The Case of an irishman-Brief Poll
teal Notes.
Mills Policy n Road to Ruin.


4 few days ago the -. Louis Republic
published a long interview with Mills,
of Texas, and among the many strange
things he said was this.
\ reduction OF the tariff 10 - per cent.
upon revenue basis WOnld increase our
imports ~.N,0bo.GO0. and that amount of
exports would have To- 90 out TO pay for the
imports Eighty per cent. Of THESE cX-
ports are agricultural products. Gt which
cotton is the largest and we have pro-
duc"d ot that this year zoos, un, 900
pounds.
Rosweli q; lIorr, of Michigan, makes
answer TO this paragraph IN the New
York Weekly Tribune as follows:
That short extract contains the glSt OF
the fr,c trade theory. Ii is Just that state
ment IN one shape and another. which our
free trade friends hay" been repeating for
the last fifty years. Let us exam lc the
subject q moment.
In the outset. the statement i i frank
square admission that the free traders seek
u increase the imports of manufacturer.
goods into tins country 10 the cno:mGu5 cX
tent of 500 H3h.iRM q year. That increase
must Of necessity be composed almost
Wholly Ot goods which are now made or
productd i'll this country under the in
ilutncc of projections. Mr.. Mills viii not
claim that there would he any natural
increase IN the imports Of tea, coffee. su
gar pr hides. or Of any other article now
on tnc free list Neither would he claim
thai there would he any increase III the
importation OF Injuries on which our
protective system leyIeS purely revenue
duties. and which are not com
pctIug with American rroGuctS. lie
Will not clam that there would
follow a great influx OF diamonds. costly
champagncs. or high-plIcei goods which
we DO not produce IN tins country. The
rch would { mtinue 20 buy about the same
quantity Of those goods without regard to
the duly. Hence. Of necessity he desires
10 have the foreign manufacturers enter
orr markets and sell $500 nad-tWl worth
more oI goods. i'll place OF those which
are now made and sold by our American
producers. Ii ne does not mean exactly
that. then does ne mean an0thing"
1t IS 10 uie simply astounding that any
man. with gram OF common sense can
clam that such I procedure would benefit
tins country. That step would at once
drive oui oi enp!Oy the men now en-
gagged III this country IN producing ~IiN.-
| j0e0al worth of goods. or II least compel
them to seek other kinds Of work.
"Dt course, would he Mr.. Mills reply.
let ,hem 90 To farming." But there is no
lack nf farmers i'll this country. There are
}lenty o! men producing farm products to-
lay What we DO need is really more men
making manufactured goods, 50 as To in
crease the home market for the products Of
the Edi Ills. y etp,l titiHt tifl htt tlNdA
means prosperous farming.
''BHt. SAYS Mr.. Mill;. "our importation
| of ~3tO, ,o6.tHfl more of foreign goods means
| that the same increased amount of our
| product would have 10 90 ont 10 pay for
that increase ct imports and that would
mean L large increase i'll tile quantity of
| our farm products. which those nations
| would buy, and also Il large increase in the
price we would receive for such products.
| Mn Mills knows, nr ought 10 KNOW. that
! .I..f4. Fr,r.
| statement. Foreign nations never have
graduated. ana never VIII gradnata. their
| purchases Of our products by the amount
| we purchase from them. In their pitr-
| chaScS of our farm products. they Will be
| governed entirely 10y their own needs and
never IN any way by our desires. They
Wll always buy the goods they need
where they can the cheapest. They will
never take Il pound at meat or buSuel OF
gram more from III" United States than
they need. let us buy from them al
we may: and they will not hIiy even what
they need from the United States if they
can 10 better elsewhere. The statistics OF
the TRACE af the world prove my statement
10 be true and leave no chance for contro-
VcrSy upon the question.
The mistake which Mr.. Mills AMI his en-
tire school OF political economists take is
this: They assume that # America should
buy 500, oJn,Gtn more manufactured goods
than cat present ihey must he pad for,
necessarily. hS american farm products OF
American manufactured goods. such Is
not the ease. They must lie paid tor no
doubt. but if the balance of trade is against
rs they must be paid for i'll hart cash or
securities. The plan IF Nir. Mills would
simply compel this nation 10 send its gold
and silver Cut of the country to meet the
adverse balance ot trade, and thus the
nacd states wnul be constantly exhaust
ing its mines of precious metals for the
benefit OF the Old World. The present
pian keeps the balance of trade IN favor of
The United States and If we maintain our
present wise system. Il few years from now
we VIII have IN tins country more ready
hard cash than VIII he owned by any two
nations on the face of the globe.
Nhy do these free trade theorists always
ignore the tact that Il debt between nations
can hs. ,,aId in money and securities as well
as between individuals? \ farmer who
sells each year more dollars worth of Stutf
from his tarm than he is compelledtp pay
out of his living expenses. who X getting
each wear 4 balance in cash. IS on the road
10 a competency. Nations are governed by
precisely the same conditions. \ nation
which is each year producing and selling
more than il huyS. and So is compelling
balances to be paid tu il in cash. is the ma
ton which is doing we'll TIN the other
hand any nation which is constantly com
prLIcd 10 send It> precious metals abroad tp
meet its debts Is most surely running be-
hnd.
The Mills plan uould simply lmpoyerSh
this nation and rum Il large number OF in
GuStrIpS which are now furnishing labor
FOR its citizens and which add much TO the
general prosperity of all our people.