Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-11-24

EpTroK or HfHKRALp: IL seems 10
be quite q common thing for every In
terest To make special effort TO secure
or retain tariff 10 protect its own pro
duct from being subjected 10 competi-
ton in our markets with foreign pro-
ducts And many individuals, tepec-
tally democrats. seem 10 bo willing and
some OF them quite ANXIOUS 10 have
everything imported free of duty. ex-
cept what they themselves produce.
Now. in the first place IL implies no
compliment 20 congress To suppose that
il is necessary for each individual or IN
terest 10 beg for protection for itself. In
the second place that kind OF q desire
indicates lamentable degree OF shame
ful seliishness and disregard for the
rights and welfare OF others And in
the third place il seems to me that il
indicates extreme foolish, shortsighted.
Improbable seltishness- For OF what
possible benefit can il be for man to
be able TO set high price on what he
has To sell without having a for
eign producer step in and sell the
same kind OF an article at a lower
price. il the people that he offers his
goods TO are too poor TO even pay the
price asked for the foreign article:
OF what benefit would il be TO a man
that was manufacturing pianos. for in
stance, TO not have another man in the
whole country but him allowed 10 sell
piano, II at the same time all other
branches OF business were so depressed.
and the whole country so Impoverished
that nobody could afford TO own a
piano. would IL not be much better Tor
him il his neighbors were al prosper
Gus? The manufacturers need protec-
ton against foreign cheap labor compe-
tition in order 20 be able TO charge
higher prices IL necessary for their
wares than the foreign wares might
otherwise be bought for. and thus to be
able to pay better price for what to
them are raw materials. And the pro-
ducers OF raw materials need to be pro-
tected against being undersold by those
who pay no taxes here unless they are
made TO pay them in the form OF a
license tariff for the privilege OF
selling in our markets, in order
that they. the home producers OF
those raw materials may be the better
able 10 buy AMI pay q good price for
what manufacturers have to sell. Our
aim should not he 10 reduce prices so
low here as 10 be better able 10 under
sell foreigners la their own markets
For there are few civilized countries
where the poorer classes suffer because
there are not enough cheap goods from
this or other countries in their markets,
but rather for want OF remunerative en-
ployment.
But il should be as much as possible
10 create that condition OF things that
will make every person that Is able and
willing 10 90 or give something useful In
exchange for what he gets; to be able To
secure as liberal supply as possible OF
what others produce; to improve our
own markets by making everybody bet
ter able TO buy al a good price what Is
IN them. And the more we foster home
industry the better able we become 10
help the poor ia other countries 10y buy
ing OF them what they can produce more
of than they need and that We want
and cannot produce. And the peo-
pie IN other countries would.
many Of them no doubt. be better
able To purchase what Ne can produce
more % than We need. and what they
cannot produce II they would exclude
what they have themselves the facilities
81 producing and employ their own labor
more extensively in developing their
own natural resources. Let W remem.
Ter that natural as IL seems o. he to
human nature 10 want 20 buy cheap.
that no one can have the pleasure Of
buying cheap without somebody else
suffering the displcasure a heing obliged
20 sell cheap. OF course when chcapue-a
q food H. caused by abundant haryests
or by the cost Of transportation being
diminished by the producer and en-
.umer being brought nearor together. or
something 81 that sort. u make. differ.
ence. but the experimental Lessons
that we have bad ought &C. conviuce The
duilcst ~ scholars that The times when
everybody " enabled 90 buy cheap tie
cause everybody csc ~ Obliged 10 cell
cheap are act toe times when any hut
tbo-e who have nothing % sell but have
plenty ~ money Ia buy sith are the
most prosperous Why then 10 ssltlsh
II ua.slhsbness - even mefs puaitshss
peeuatafiiy 20 those who prsrtsee a.