Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-08-10
FUTURE OF AMERICAN TRADE.
Pueri1e Pa1aver of Free Trade Fam
atics About Foreign Business
Conditions.

The Baltimore Sun processes to re-
gard with apprehension the future
OF American trade. 1t is unnecessary
after making this statement to in
form the reader that the Sun is de-
voted to the ideas inculcated by Cob
den. 1t is only the free traders in
this country who are seriously con-
corning themselves about the vapor-
ings of foreigners, who are dissatis-
become competitor in markets
which they once fancied could be Sc
curely held by themselves. Sensible
Americans realize that business is
business" and that foreigners are
buying from US because we sell what
they take from us more cheaply than
they can produce it, or than anyone
else can sell to them, and that it is
impossible for them to adopt any
course which will better the situa-
ton so far as they are concerned.
It is the failure to keep this latter
fact in mind that causes American
free traders to make many stupid
Ill ohS
the expansion of our exports. They
invariably assume that Europe is IN
precisely the same position as the
United States, and that it can safely
and economic ally resort to the 1mpo-
sition of heavy import taxes. But
this is not the case. Most of the ar
ticles which Europeans buy from us
are essential to the successful pros
ecution of their own Industries. They
need our raw materials and food
stuffs, and such manufactured goods
as they take from us are purchased
because there is some obstacle IN the
way of their producing them for
themselves as cheaply as they can
buy them from us.
1t is absurd, therefore, for the Sun
to indulge in such puerilities as the
following: Europe is compelled at
present to buy our grain and our
meat products, but if it should be-
come independent of us in these par
ticulars the American farmer and
cattle raiser would at once feel the
shrinkage in the demand for their
products If Europe could achieve
independence in this regard no temp
tation we could offer in the way of
freer markets for the manufactured
goods of that country would prevent
Europeans from making an effort to
be self-sustaining. And we may safe
ly assume that if the plan outlined
by the Sun in these words were at all
feasible it would be resorted to
promptly:
eff the Europeans believed themselves
to be fighting for commercial and Industrial
existence, abstention from the use of
American manufactures might be regarded
as a policy of practical wisdom as well as
evidence of the highest patriotism. All
the wise people and patriotic people are not
on this side of the Atlantic
Nothing could be further from the
truth than the implication of the Sun
that patriotism has been appealed to
or is depended upon by Americans to
support the manufacturing industries
of this country. The policy of pro-
lection rests on no such shaky foun-
dation. 1t is built upon the firm be-
lief that the imposition of high duties
encourages the development of do
nestle resources, and that the result
must necessarily be a cheapening of
manufactured products by bringing
the mine, the field, the factory and
the consumer close together. No SEN
timental appeal could have accom-
plished the building up of a great
manufacturing industry. Only the be-
lief of the people that it is wise to
enter every field of energy which Of
fers a prospect for profit could do
that. The Europeans have long since
acted upon that principle, and it is
safe to say that in all cases in which
they have remained in state of de-
pendence upon this country they have
found it profitable to do so. There
is nothing likely to induce them to
abandon their past method; and it is
certainly unreasonable to suggest
that we should pursue a course diff
ferent from that which has brought
will be time enough for us to neg
lect our opportunities when we see
Europeans doing the same. At pl s.
ent they buy nothing which they can
profitably produce at home. II will
be hard TO convince sensible Ameri- |
cans that prosperity can be main
tanned by deliberately ignoring this
rule for the purpose of promoting
external trlde.-San Francisco Chron-
icle.