The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-02-15
OUR EXPORT TRADE.
B, AnruunB. rAnQuuAr, Pres. Pennsylvania Ayr. Works, York, Pa

: v0oaoO IN nv own business enables me to furnish considerable
testimony as to the evil effects OF the govera"ehS Encouragement
We manufacture machinery on which, to protect us within the United
] s,atos !. heavv duty is set. But this duty is like that allowed on i'm
! nonea wheat. of no assistance whatever to the producer, Tor we send a
LARGE portion of our manufactures abroad. In the markets OK south
] America. South Africa, and Australia we ave compelled ahu' owing TO
advantages in labor and machinery, are able tocompete WITH all other
oaooo in h world without protection. / do not need to prove
that since "a can trade in those markets without special fayors, we
have no need Of them to keep our place in this 1--we were cncum-
stanced like the owners of certain trusts, for instance Win supply
so firmly held in few hands that consumers were completely at our
marcy and able TO Sc our product year after year to our compatriots
at abont what is received for it in London plus the duty on 1t, we
might get some advantage from protection. But we could get none
without engaging in such a legalized pilage of our felow-citzens as
this. while the cost to us of this merely nominal guerdon of legislation
is higher prices on the raw material Of every machine ormpienent we
put. on the market. Hence fewer and smaller sales.
The duty on pig iron, "a ton, must be mainly paid by the con-
sumner The furnace owners, in turn, are obliged to pay more for their
ore. owing to the duty of 40 cents per ton. Similarly with bar iron,
duty about s13, and with sheet, duty $50 in some forms The price of
: lumber is guarded by a duty against any reduction through importa
ton, and all who use it thus are mulcted for tribute to the lumber
. lords. The price Of bituminous coal and coke is advanced by a duty
while the cost of anthracite, though not depending directly upon i'm
port taxes (since there is none to be obtained from abrood) is neces
sarly affected by that of other fuel. More than this our interests are
closely dependent on those OF the agricultural calling generally, whose
welfare is necessary to our welfare, and whose misfortunes must be
ours also. High tariff duties bring nothing to growers of corn, wheat,
cattle and cotton, while increasing the cost Of most Of the things they
have to buy, and so reducing their power to purchase the tools they
ought to have. Thus is our business affected; and what is true of us is
true of all manufactures who are able to produce goods for regular ex-
port, those of clocks, organs, and sewing-machines, for instance. 1t
is true also, to some degree, of the still larger number who do not ex-
port, but would be enabled to do so, were they allowed the same adyan-
tages that their foreign rivals have of getting raw material where they
can get the best choice of them. There will be no question that, with
this liberty permitted to us, we could establish our business in many
parts Of the world where we are now at hopeless disadvantage, and
make a greater number Of sales at home by being able to offer our
wares cheaper. Which way our interests point is therefore plain
enough