The Forrest City times., 1898-09-16
DISASTER FOLLOWS.
The Protective Plan Impedes Prog
ress and Cripplcs Amer
lean Industry.


Now, more than at any other time,
the weakness of our commercial policy
Is made evident. Colonies and protec-
tive tariffs do not work well toge ther.
The French colonies are fair sample
of what this system will bring forth.
The French management of Tonquin
has been on protective tariff lines, and
the result has been the stagnation of
the life and business of the colony.
The success that England has with her
many colonies comes very largely
from the course she pursues with her
tariffs. The fullest liberty is allowed
to commerce, and the result is that the
commerce and manufactures of Eng
land have been able to hold their own,
in comparison with other gold stand
ard nations.
II there ever was time when free
trade policy would be of benefit to the
United States, it is now. The settle
ment of the Philippine question will be
Influenced very greatly by the course
we intend to pursue there. II we are
to allow all nations to trade there
without restraint and without fines
for SO doing, most of them will be very
willing 10 see this country the master
Of the situation. If we are to erect q
tariff wall there we may expect some
very vigorous opposition from several
Of the European governments most in
terested. Greed and grab is not pol
icy that commends itself to our neigh
bors across the water, except when it
is practiced by themselves. That pol
icy hangs like milestone about the
neck of America. 1t will be found inn
peding our progress at every step. 1t
cannot be thrown off no matter how
heavy it becomes, for the republican
party is in power, and that party is
committed body and soul to the policy
named. Every treaty entered into
must take cognizance of that fact.
Every trust and every protected" in
terest in the country will from this
time on have its agents busy watch
ing the progress of events in the settle
ment Of the great questions growing
out of the war. AS the protective pol
icy is really policy that these same
protected" interests have developed
and foisted on the country, we may
expect that the smart lawyers whom
they are able to employ will be emin-
emily successful in having all treaties
and regulations fixed to suit their in
terests, without regard to the inter-
ests OF the rest of the country.
The sugar trust, whose influence was
so potent in the framing of the last
tariff on sugars, and which was able
to raise the price to consumers some 20
per cent, as result of that
tariff may certainly be looked to to
take hand in settling the questions
of our relation with Cuba. That de-
vastated country should have the
freest tariffs possible to enable it to
rise from its ashes, but we cannot ex-
pect that generous policy will be
followed. What, open the markets of
the United States to free Cuban
sugar? What can we expect of the
trust? The policy is disastrous one,
so far as present business and present
prosperity are concerned, but the
working out of the present republican
policy in relation to these new posses
sions is likely to bring the protective
tariff scheme into bold relief and show
up the iniquity of it. The people will
have an object lesson that will not fail
to impress them.
If we do not mistake the intelligence
of the American people, the time is not
far distant when they will turn down
the whole policy with the party that
espouses it. Nay, more; the time is
not far distant when no party will
dare make protective policy an issue
in an election. 1t is one of the errors
that nations are slow to outgrow, but
once outgrown will be cast aside for
ever. H. f. THURsToN.