Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-07-22
SET UP A STRAW MAN
FUTILE AND FOOLISH coMvEn.
TON OF FREE.TRADERs.

Their Arguments Demolished by the
Extraordinary Growth Of Our
Foreign Trade In Eleven Months of
the Dingley Tariff.
Free Trade Arguments Running Low.
The action of Secretary Day in sub |
hitting to Congress n request for an
appropriation of $4,000 to send n COM
mercial commission to China, with a
view to investigating the possibilities
of extending American trade in the
Orient, seems to have stirred up the
free trade press amazingly. The Cob
denite organs have been singing rather
small of late, in view of the tremendous
increase in u exports of agricultural
and manufactured products that has
followed the enactment of the Dingley
tariff, as shown in the marvellous COM
mercial statistics of the past eleven
months. 1t is hard work writing free
trade editorials showing that the policy
of protection is destructive of foreign
trade in the face of figures showing
that our foreign trade has expanded
to an extent that astonishes the civil
lied world. You cannot hope to gain
for the Manchester theory a respectful
hearing at a time when the enormous
facts of commerce completely ami
llilate that theory How are you going
to predict eternal ruin for a country
that has in the past year sold to foreign
consumers more than double the
amount it has bought from foreign pro-
ducers. leaving n favorable trade bal
ance of $GOO,OOO,OO as the result of the
years business? People will not he
lieve your assertion that protection
hangs around their necks as a milestone
when the statistics tell them that not
only have our exports of manufactures
increased immensely under protection
and broken all records. hut that we
have. actually sold to foreign countries
in the past year $50. 100000 more of
manufactured goods than we have
boE .llt of them.
Under these conditions things were
looking bad for the free trade editors.
when they saw. or thought they saw,
in Secretary Days proposal for a
Chinese trade commission n chance to
breathe n little new life into their MORT
bund propaganda. In his letter to Con-
gress Secretary Day stated the facts
of the ease in plain. clear language
when he said:
1.-THE export trade of the United
Cfntnc ic ,,,,1nNpnf,,r IN t.,o ,,cfo,n,nffn
which promises to profoundly influence
the whole economic future of the coun-
try. AS is well known. the United
States has reached the foremost rank
among the industrial nations. For q
number of years its position as the
greatest producer of manufactures as
well as of raw products h3s been I'M
disputed. but. absorbed With it's own
internal development. and satisfied. for
The time being. with the enormous home
market of 7O,O0O.O00 people. it has III
til recently devoted but little concerted
effort to the sale of it's manufactures
outside of its borders. Recently.
however. the fact has become more and
more apparent that the output of the
United States manufacturers has de-
vclOped by the remarkable inventive
genius and Industrial skill of our peo-
pie with a rapidity which has excited
attention throughout the great enters
of manufacturing activity in Europe,
and has reached the point of large ex-
cess above the demands of home con-
sumption"
True, every word of it. and n splendid
tribute to the success of the policy that
has produced these results. Most peo-
pie would conclude, With Secretary
Day. that in view of the wonderful
showing for the fiscal year just closing.
1t was time to put in train some Well
defined measures for carrying the trade
into foreign fields. Not so the free
trade soplist of the New York Even
ing Post, who shouts: 'The administra-
ton surrenders the very citadel of pro-
tection!' and then proceeds to pervert
the obvious Specification of the letter
of the Secretary of State, as follows:
Satisfied for the time being with
the home market but no longer con-
tent with it! Why, the very basic prin-
ciple of protection is that the home
market is all that the American nation
needs. or eve can need-whether 1t has
100000 people or 7O.OOO.OOO, or twice
| 70,O00.OOO. Admit that the home mar
tet 80 longer sufices for q nst.cY Of
1o,otr',Uuc people, and tho very key
stone ct McIlinley;s:li IS gene.
"ihe way has opened the eyes OF all
parties to tie fact that the old issues
have become too antiguated to serve
any longer. When McKinley's secre-
tary of State and closest personal
friend in the cabinet ridicules the home
market theory. everybody can see that
the Republican party will never make
another high tariff campaign"
Comment of this sort deceives no.
body. 1t is neither truthful nor intel
hsent, but 1t is thoroughly character
istic of the Evening Post. That news
paper leads the free trade press Of the
United States I'm tha rooLloccnac, ne r.,