New-York tribune., 1898-10-01
THE WAYS OF FREE TRADERS.

Perhaps it is unavoidable. but it is to be
keenly regretted. that even the more reason
able and habituay courteous journals Of Free
Trade opinions. If they are led to discuss the
tariff question in any of It's aspects, are almost
inevitably drawn into that stralnng Of state
ment and extravaganza of tone which usually
mark consciousness Of a weak cause Many of
them are entirely sincere, and yet stranger
would find It hard to credit them with full be-
lief in the opinions they express. For instance
In a serious article one of them says at has
been the Republican policy to sweep our ships
land our flag from the seas and no National
"policy was ever carried out with such ruth
"ess rigor." and also that prohibition of for
"eign imports has cribbed up at home our own
manufactured goods, save such as by reason
"of cheapness and excellence have forced their
way into the markets Of the world
How cnn any one imagine that 1t has been
"tne Republican policy TO sweep our ships and
our dag from the seas? The intention. as every
man knows. has been to build up American
shipping by methods which anybody is at lib
erty to consider mistaken. but which nobody
can imagine designed for any other object
Neither Is II the fact that the ships and the
flags have been with "ruthless rigor" swept
from the seas for every one knows that there
are now many American seagoing vessels en-
gagged IN long voyages. some owned by the
latest Democratic candidate for the Vice -Pres
dency. and that American steamships Also In
close rivalry with the best on the high seas
hove only recently been taken by the Govern
ment for naval use. and part Of them since re-
stored to the uses Of commerce.
What good end is served by statements " hiCh
are recognized on the instant and by every
fairly intelligent man as not correct: Doubt
less they meant TO he impressive assertions
that the Republican policy Is so far mistaken
that in its actual workings ii tends to destroy
the merchant shipping which II was designed
TO promote. But there have been other rea-
sons important and well known. for the de-
cline of American shipping during the years
beginning with the outbreak Of the Civil War
How soon II will be possible. with cheaper
manufactured iron and steel, to compete more
successfully in the general carrying trade with
other nations which pay much smaller wages
10 seamen. whether a change Of naviga
ton laws Is necessary or would have the
desired effect. are questions well worthy Of
sober discussion but no such discussion is pro-
NOTED hy extravagance which not many will
distinguish from buresque
As 10 the statement about manufactured ex
ports A fev days ago nearly all prominent
newspape Nere publishing official figures
showing nlly remarkable expansion In
TIM, dep nj NJ our foreign trade. Some
Of them attributed II N the still lingering con
sequence ~ The u'ofound depression in prices
and cheapcnine OF production which followed
Democratic reduction of NItics Others ascribed
II 70 the increasing success of the protective
policy in developing home competition in this
country TO such an extent that surplus prod
ucts do ench year in increasing quantity. "by
reason Of cheapncss md excellence force their
way into the markets Of the world" How
else could anybody expect that American prod
ucts would secure a preference over goods
habtually used in other countries for many
years? Is there any man who seriously sup
poses that prohibition Of foreign imports by
which is presumably meant partial restriction.
actually causes goods which are not superior
IN cheapness or In quality to be refused by
foreign traders? Or is It helpful to any cause
10 assert that this restriction has cribbed up
at home our own manufactured goods" at the