The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-14
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC TRADE.

The st. Louis Globe-Democrat of the
10th inst. contains an editorial on THE
Home Market" 1t is a strange and
inconsistent compound. such as one
would expect from an attempt to rec
oncile a false theory with facts. 1t is
more or less review of the statement
of the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics
that the present depression is due to
the falling off in our foreign trade,
thus contending," continues the arti-
Gle in question, that our domestic
trade, which is infinitely larger, has a
subordinate influence in the matter.
This is one of the favorite propositions
I of the free traders
! The present financial depression can
mot be entirely attributed to any one
cause. This might be done if our trade
alone was depressed. but the fact is
that the trade of the whole world is
depressed.
| Our domestic trade Is our largest and
most valuable trade, and it is absolute
~ free trade, and provision for that is
made in the Constitution. Trade be-
tween the States of the Union is upon
to be drawn from this is that freer
trade with foreign countries would de-
velop much greater and more valu-
able trade than we now have.
The home market is secured to Am
orleans by the gifts of nature and the
laws Of trade and competition. Wien
the demands Of domestic trade have
been satisfied any surplus we may have
must find market abroad; there is no
other alternative. Having found the
market abroad it's value must depend
more or less upon the facilities for an
Exchange of commodities. If there
were no competitor in the market offer
ing such commodities for sale as the
United States offer for sale, we would
be the dictator and could command our
price
But such is not the case. That which
obstructs trade with foreign countries
is our tariff. The burdens of it fall
on Americans, on no one else. No in
diyidual producer expects to consume
all he produces; he works that he may
have surplus to exchange for those
things which he can buy cheapest by
producing other things to exchange for
them instead of trying to produce them
himself, And this should be the true
policy of nations.
NE Globe-Democrat says it so hap
pens that other countries have pur-
chased most of our products in those
years when the duties have been at the
top notch. On this it makes a wonder
fully sensible comment. 1t is this:
1t is not to be claimed, however, that
this was attributable to protection, or
thai the tariff question had anything
TO do with it.
That is true. 1t is to be attributed to
the law Of demand and supply.
1t then says that it is when our do
mestic trade is obstructed and dimin-
ished that our prosperity fails This is
only partially true. Domestic and for
eign trade usually suffer together If
the protectionist theory were true.
there could be no bad times Demo-
Gratis claim that when there are good
times under protection it is not on ac-
count of but in spite of that fact. If
protection is a panacea for all COM
mercial ills, why is the country suffer
ing so now when there is a maximum
of protection and minimum of pros
perity? Republican protection has
acted as d curfew to both foreign and
domestic trade