The Washington times., 1901-07-24

opment to which the htginal protection
| argument has little OF! no application.
| Except in few and comparatively un-
important lines, our manufacturers
have long since outgr6wn their baby
mood and are now in a position to en-
gage In a worldwide competition for
supremacy. When we can sell manu-
factures in the English. French. Ger
man, Austrian. and Russian markets
in the face of the keenest competition.
it is an insult to American intelligence
to argue that We need protection to
prevent those same countries from
swamping our own markets with the
same classes of goods The idea that
an Englishman who cannot undersell
US in London can do so in New York
or Chicago is too preposterous for Sc
rious contemplation.
But our greatest manufacturing ad-
vance has been in iron and steel, and
1t is in these products that we are now
giving Europe the greatest concern.
Confessedly, in this branch the South
has the advantage of the North and
can turn out the product at lower rates.
1t is unnecessary to go into details up
on the point, for it is almost universal
ly recognized--both at home and
abroad. The South has also made great
headway in the manufacture of the
coarser textiles. and the prediction is
freely given out that by reason of her
natural advantages this section will
ere long be the chief American centre
for the manufacture of the lower grades
of yarns and textile fabrics. Both of
these great industries are even now
able to stand alone In the North How
much better. then. can they do so in
the South, where the products can be
turned out rnore cheapIy. The South
Is shrewd enough to see that these two
great industries are entirely capable of
taking care of themselves, and regard
less OF what the manufacturers may
desire, the people of that section are
not going to abandon all their Demo-
cratic traditions in order to give pro-
lection where it is not needed.
But, beyond all this, we are now
living in an era Of giant trusts. 1t
has long been a Democratic contention
that the tariff is the prolific mother of
trusts. and the belief is now rapidly
gaining ground among Republicans.
Granting that during the next decade
there will be a very considerable up
building of manufactures in the South,
still those thus engaged will constitute
but small fraction of the people. 1t
is not to be believed that the masses
of the voters in that portion of the
country will deliberately submit to be
plundered by the trusts in order that
few Southern manufacturers may
thrive. Indeed, as things are now go
ing, it will be but q short time before the |
leading manufactures, of the South are
az completely trlist-eontrolled as are
those in the North
1t would be nothing less than phe-
nomenal If the South should turn to
protection at time when the abuses
that have grown out of it are so gi-
gantic and indefensible as to shake the |
fidelity Of many who have been life
long advocates of the system. Per- |
haps it will do no harm for people to |
speculate upon disruption of the |
Southern Democracy, but as matter of |
practical politics. the Republican lead |
ers will be wise IL they direct their ef- |
forts mainly to the holding of their |
grip On the North '-.hr=-i