New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-08-11
THE EXPORT REPUBLICAN FALLACY

republican platform, that "in tn,
short three years of the present re
publican administration an excess
of exports over imports in the
enormous sum of 81, 4S3, ,537 ,O94''
has been rolled up, we are asked tC
explain why that increased excess
means increased impoverishment OF
the country. This is the question
OF course the persons who man
ufactured Cor grew and who SOLD
those exports got paid in money
and it was to their advantage tC
sell them. Then why was it not an
advantage to the country at large ?
Undoubtedly it was to the advan-
tage Of the producers, all things
considered, to sell their products
Else they would not have sold them.
1t is true, also, that they got money
or its equivalent in return for theil
goods. But it by no means follows
that the country is richer. To I'M
derstand this more clearly, consider
a tributary country - such as
Palestine, for instance, under the
Roman empire. The producers of
Palestine got pay for their products,
and it was to their advantage to
sell them; but the tribute that went
out of the province as excessive
exports to Rome was of no ad-
vantage to Palestine. She was
impoverished by it, So with Ire
land. The producers there get pay
for their products, and it is to their
advantage to sell them; but the
rents that so from the island as ex,
cessive exports make Ireland poor
This is true also of Egypt. The
fellahin are paid for their products,
and it is to their advantage to sell
them but the interest on Egyptian
bonds held abroad is form Of tri-
butte which tends, by making ex-
cessive exports, to impoverish
Egypt as a whole.
Keeping in mind the principle
suggested above, turn to our own
country. Our producers are paid
for their products, and it is to their
advantage to sell them. But some
of these producers pay rent to an
Astor or a Lord Scully, and pro-
ducts to the amount of the whole or
part of that rent are exported, be-
cause these men live abroad. That
makes no direct difference to the
rent payers as individuals. Since
they would have to pay the rent
anyhow, it does not Immediately
concern them individually that it
goes ultimately to man in London,
instead of going to man in New
York. Yet the country at large is
poorer. That is, there is less wealth
in the country if that wealth be-
comes an export to London without,
an equivalent import, than there
would be if it remained here. This
is true likewise if the excessive ex-
port be for the purpose of paying
tourists expenses. The tourists
have their enjoyment for their ex-
penditure, but the aggregate Of
wealth in their country is thereby
lessened. 1t is also true of wealth
shipped abroad for dividends and
interest on stocks and bonds. The
who pay the dividends
and interest to foreigners are no
poorer as individuals than if they
paid them to their compatriots; but
there is consequently less wealth in
the country. And so of all ship
ments of wealth abroad for which
no return shipments of wealth are
made. Individuals may be no worse
off as such and directly, but the
country is thereby drained Of
From October /, 1884, to June
30, 1900, American exports and i'm
ports as reported by the treasury
department, have been in the ag-
as follows, M. for merchan-
disc, G. for gold and S. for silver:
". .$sl oSs' '7ss.os2 $2s,o49I, ,ol1 ,oes
2,27O.534, 1856 1851, ,S51 ,532
$4,000