The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-12-08

In the November number of the North
American Review is an article. written
by Senator McLaurin, of South Carolina,
subject 1.-The Commercial Democracy OF
the South" He starts out with the bold
and reckless assertion that 1T is the
natural destiny of the Southern States
of the Union to clothe and feed the
world" At first | felt somewhat alarm
ed at this announcement but on reading
further and finding no statistics to SIS
tain the assertion, my mind was greatly
relieved. and, / confess to feeling OF
infinite satisfaction on realizing that
it was nothing more than a narrowly con-
ceiyed and thoughtless remark of a we'll
meaning but misinformed politician 1t
would be terrible calamity to the South
if this destiny, this prophecy, were to be-
come true. Think of a few millions or
people in the Southern States being ies-
tined to clothe and feed the world-a
world containing fourteen hundred mil
lions of people, about one hundred times
more than are in the Southern States, SO
every man, woman and child iii this az
ficted land would each have TO clothe and
feed one hundred souls Should l, dur
ing my natural life, discover the ap-
preaching fulillment of this prophecy.
much as l love my friends ana fellow
man, much as / am attached to my sur
roundings, l will raise my nat and with
a polite bow bid them all yood-bys for
ever. / will leave the country that Is
cursed with the burden to clcthe ana
feed others and go to the promised land
where they are to be fed and clothed.
The unreasonableness and Righteousness
of this wild assertion is rendered very
conspicuous, pathetically so, nj the pres
ent time, when it is common gossip that
some of the farmers OF our own State
who do, or should, produce our food
stuffs, are about to suffer for the n2ces-
saries of life, and even in years of plen-
ty it is a common sight at almost any
Southern depot to see carloads OF corn,
-four. meat and hay coming il from the
Western States. So you see that the
facts and the prophecy are very wide
apart Yet, we do in a measure help TO
clothe and feed the North, leaving out
the enormous pension tax, by which they
are the gamers and we the losers. Al
most everything that the faflncr, the
artisan common laborer or corporation
buys costs some forty per cent. more
by reason OF the tariff. There is not
shadow of doubt but that an import duty
on any article, the like of which is man
rfactuTed in this country in quantity
less than necessary to meet the demand
of consumers. will benefit the producer,
but not the consumers. Two or three
decades ago manufacturers Of three-yaTd
sheeting could easily make more pront
per yard than they now MAKE PEI poIna
and consumers paid three times more
for sheeting than now. MANUFACTURERS
thought very little about the tarlfi III
connection with the cost OF COTTON nil
equipment. 1t was the returns on the IN
yestment which were ample, that were
alone considered. But conditions nave
changed: we are exporters OF these goods
now instead of importers; we are proouc-
ing more than the home market demands,
and. however much we may have differed
as to the wisdom or folly OF tariffs IN
the mast there can be no question, NOW
THAT WE ARE COMPELLED TO SEEK
FOREIGN MARKET FOR OUR SUR
PLUS PRODUCTS, THAT a TAKlFF,
NOW. OR IN THE FUTURE, THAT AT
FECTs OR ENHANCES THE COST OF
AN ARTICLE OF EXPORT ABRlDGES
ORR ABILITY TO MEET OUR FOR
E1GN COMPEl1IOI ~ 'iti1 '1-> 49,
OF IT'S EXACTIONS.
A mill in this country costs double a
similar one in England, our principal
competitor. In other words, mill III
this country that costs four hundred thou
sand dollars would cost in England two
hundred thousand dollars. Now, VIII
Law down this self-evident proposition,
that the margin between the cost CT Inc
raw material and the net receipt9 lor
the finished product is all there Is 10 DC
divided between capital anu LABOR "e
will allow that capital, IN both cases
should have twelve per cent, one thlia
of which will be required for repairs ano
of machinery, power builuicss,
etc. so capital in the American MIL
must have $4,000 per annum out or the
referred to, while $4,000 would
be its equivalent to the English manu-
facturer In order to offset this dlsad-
vantage the American must obtain his
raw material for about half cent per
mound cheaper than this foreign competi-
tor In some localities he does, IN other
he doesn't, so it is evident that what
we gain by having the cotton at our
doors is swallowed UP by the tarllI, OF
largely so. Some items of expense in
mill building and equipment are very
large on account of long haul OF mate
rails and machinery but mostly, FOR the
want of skilled artisans used &c work
of this character This will grow better
with time and experience, materials VIII
become cheaper as they become more
accessible and in time tariff for protsc-
tion will be a thing of the past
If we are ever TO become truly cola-
mercial nation we must learn 20 treat
others as they should treat us. If We
insist that others must have the "open
door we must open ours. We cannot eX-
port unless we import, cannot sell unless
we buy. True political economy is to
buy in the cheapest market and sell ia
the dearest If we can make commodi
ty cheaper than our neign5or let us 30
it and exchange with him for something
that he can make cheaper than we.
This is in accord with natural l. AS, and
the fitness Of things.
/ am glad to note that there Is a grow
ing sentiment, even among protectionis.s,
in favor of modification OF the import
duties, but Senator WcLaurjn wants NOR,
tariff on rice. because other nations can
f..,o ha us