The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-07-03


industry that reaches vigorous eN
porting development becomes ips
! facto, an economic enemy Of Il hig
tariff, excepting always, and, of course
those brigauds of commerce, the trus'
that are able to crush competition /,
home and exact for their goods pre-
MUM in the home m;rk tsI)Ycr ant
above the price asked in The furcigl
market.
No two Industries in the South ar
more directly antagonistic to The Re
publican high tariff than cotton grow
ing and cotton manufacturing. Ii
view of this fact, how strange it seem.
that this new movement 10 Rcpubl
canize the South should apparently b,
| Iathercd by the cotton mill presidents
of our neighborng States of North and
| South Cardinal Perhaps The stock.
holders will soon apply the proper cor.
rcctivc. 1t is possible, too, that the
men behind the looms may have some.
thing to say about it. The Democratic
| party has always favored our access to
the markets of the world. The Re.
| publican tariff helps to shut those
markets against us.
What has been said of cotton grow
ing and cotton manufacturing is rcla-
lively true OF Southern coal and pic
iron, both of which have outyrown
home consumption. The "oll gushcrs"
of Texas certainly need no protection.
That recent meeting Of mlnutactur.
ers IN Detroit, at which foreign mar
kcts were dcmahdcd for surplus pro-
ducts and tariff reductions advocated,
gives abundant proof that many other
industries III other sections of the
country have reached The stage of cX-
portatiun, which economically inter-
pretcd, means the stage of tariff lc,
duction.
From the present indications the eX-
porting industries Of the United States
will soon be IN position TO demand Il
reform of the talitt and To enforce that
dcmaud al the ballot box, though !hcy
will be bitterly fought by those uusts
that have lnonopolzcd the home mar
ket and that sell TO foreigners cheaper
than to home people.
What our cotton producers and cot
ton manufacturers most need Is a
market for their products Such is
the volume OF our output that no sui
ticient market can be found without
going TO foreign countries.
The chief obstacle to foreign mark
cts is our exclusive tariff system, which
bears SO uncqualiy upon us. We can
not sell permanently to other nations
unless we permit them to sell TO us.
Trade, IN its last analysis, is an cx-
Change of products.
The Uamiltonlan doc rinc Of pro-
lection to 'infant industries" to round
off and perfect the symmetry of our
national growth, rested on a genuine
scientific basis, although the South
was compelled to make the heaviest
sacrifice for this national good t. the
enrichment Of the North. But in mos,
lines we lave now passed beyond the
Stage of "infant industries" and the
national welfare no longer demands
such sacrifice.
1t is an economic wrong, and ought
to be tor any free people an intolcra-
BILE injustice that they should be taxed
to protect an industry that sells its
products in foreign countries cheaper
than at home. Why should we pay
premium in order that our trade con-
petltOrs may get discount?
To illustrate, Southern Russia is
now entering INTO competition with us
in the production of cotton. But
American steel rails to equip road in
Russia to open up cotton lands can be
bought in the English market cheaper
than those same rails can be bought IN
the American market to equip road
through cotton lands IN Georgia or
Texas.
The steel company ls only one of the
many thus sheltered by the tariff.
These trusts, like the serpent in the
fable, are biting the breast that warm
ed them into life.
Our government CO ncnditures are
too colossal and our industries built up
on protection scaffolding are too many
and too insecure for us to talk serious.
ly now about demolishng the tariff
system, but common sense and com.
mon justice cry out for reform of lis
abuses.
The Republican party, judged by It's
past, is not competent for this work.
1t would be difficult for good Amcri.
Cdu CiJlLCho W llilu DGllCI pIOyInCllI
just now than knocking bricks off the
top of the tariff wall.
BY all means let us have broad con-
ccptions, independent thought, and
free discussion, to the end that we
may find out the truth for the good of
the country rather than of party. But
independence of thought does not re-
quire us to become Republicans
does it permit such translolm nation
under existing conditions. The Re-
publican party cannot establish itself
III the South by proclalming mere
sentiment of renewed blotherly love,
which we fully reciprocate, nor by dis
iributing a few Federal offices. 1t will
have to change its economic policy,
the disting fishing characteristic of
which is now high trust breeding
protective tariff that is antagonislic to
the South's business interests and also
to the national welfare.
WILLIAM II. FLEMING.
Augusta, Ga, June 10, 1901.
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