Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-04-28
,El,e ssEs;.l:es.c. OF Trade, sgu,.,5ug.

next Wednesday.
| ----r>-.n..4a-aH-.zr.-Hu.
The s'ssalencr OF Tr.,ic'' EgtaEa5 bug.
When the protectionist organ under
takes to defend-as it is. of course,
bound to do-the robber tariff system,
it is driven to the use of some extraor-
dinary arguments. The local Harrison
organ is disturbed by Times editorial
showing up the humbug of the balance
Of trade'' theory, and it attempts to
meet the issue by quoting figures to
show that because the balance of trade
was against this country forty or fifty
years ago, under a low tariff, and is
now in favor OF this country, therefore
the present republican tariff is a most
noble and bencficent system. This is
What the Harrison organ say:
During the low tariff period Of 1916
81 the "balance Of trade' against this
| country was nearly $500 .0c0,000. Dur
ing the ten years of protection, ls75-o6,
| the balance of trade in our favor was
over 81 800 ,O00, 900. The difference lay
chiefly III the heavy exports OF agricul-
tural products during the protective
period.
Admitting the correctness Of the fig
ures, they prove nothing except that
the agricultural and industrial re-
sources OF this country received a tre-
mendols development during the
period named as ''tie ten years Of pro-
tection' by the influx Of immigration
and the rapid growth of the country.
Previous to 1861 the excess Of ;,sricul-
tulal products over what was needed
for home consumption was compara-
tively small. But during the period
1S76-SG-ffteen years after the close Of
the War-the new western states had
become pretty we'll filled up, and the
products of millions Of new farms gave
us an enormous surplus which could
only find Il market in foreign countries.
The Harrison organ is simply resorting
to the stale republican trick of attrib-
uting all the growth and prosperity of
the country to protection. and leave
natural conditions. favorable climate,
fertile and cheap lands, a great annual
army Of Industrious immigrants NOV
ing into the West and the South, and
Providence, altogether out Of its calcu-
lation Of tle causes contributing to
these results.
Such statictics as the Harrison organ
falls back upon in its helplessness have
no relevanty OF value in the present
discussion. How well the leading
manufacturers of this country could
get along without protection is shown,
not only by their actual success il
competition in foreign markets, but
by their great prosperity, expressly ad-
mitted in 'Blaine's Twenty Years in
Congress- under the low tariff OF
1916 and 1857. Between 1850 and 1850
the annual value of our factory pro
ducts increased sc per cent-twice as
fast as our population; the gains in
total amount Of factory wages, and in
capital employed in manufacturing
were two or three times as great as
between 1870 and 1880 under our wal
tariff; and our exports of manufac.
tured goods quadrupled in value be.
/ tween 1916 and 1860. We are curious
4 to see how the Harrison organ viii
extract comfort from these extremely
interesting and entirely accurate fig
ures.
The Times has said that s:as matter
of fact we are gamers both by what
we send out and what we bring in.'
If we have surplus we do not nee6
we must send it abroad or else leave
it here to overload our markets. AL
the surplus we can get to foreign mar
kets, where it is needed, is so mucl
wealth gained for us. And all the
4 surplus of foreign markets we can bring
in to supply cur needs is SO muct
wealth gained for us also. Fair trade
is no robbery. 1t helps everybody con
4 cerned in it. Shut out imports ant
our surplus will stay here to force
down home prices. Thatis the trouble
with US now. Wheat would command
ia betterprice with a lowertariff. Tht
4 Democratic idea is that it takes i'm
4 ports to move exports, and that if W.
let in twice as much merchandise a.
the Mckinley bill admits, twice al
Il auch surplus viii be demanded from
us to pay for it. Willthe Harrison
organ tell us fran KY what it thinks o
that ideas pnaapolis Times.