Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-09-27
Protection And Prosperity.

free trade would open our markets
hospitable and seeks peace and good
will with all nations"
Democratic Campaign Text Book,
page 277.
This reeds like a paragraph from
one of Mr.. Henry Watterson's free
trade editorials thirty years ago when
the Star Eyed Goddess of Reform was
his great ideal. Mr.. Watterson might
now be excused for his enthusiasm
and devotion to free trade way bac in
1870 when our American exports were
less than one-fourth of the value of
today and as an exporting nation we
stood fourth in the list. But in the
thirty years that have interviewed
since then under the stimulus of pro-
lection to American industry the
United States has passed all it's rivals,
including Free Trade England, and
today stands first in the list as the
greatest exporter of the world. Let
the figures speak for themselves.
They are not partisan figures but the
official returns from the Bureau of
statistics of the Treasury Department..
In 1870 the export figures of the
worlds great commercial nations
stood: United Kingdom, 1871, OOC, 900
Germany, $552, 0O0,O 900; France, $541,-
600, 900; and United States, 1876, OOO,-
900. In 1901 the figures stood:
United States, 81, AGO, 000,O0O; Unite d
Kingdom, $1,362. 100000; Germany,
$1,113, 900, 900; France, 1904, 900, 900.
Thus the increase in the exports from
the United State was nearly double
that of Germany, nearly three times
that of the United Kingdom, and
nearly four times that of France.
This is the transformation that has
been wrought by the policy of protect
ion and this is the new condition which
answer the Democratic Congressional
Committees statement that .'Free
Trade would open our markets for the
benefit of our own country"
Thirty years ago our exports were
almost wholly of agricultural products.
our surplus going to Europe. Today
our exports are of manufactured
products as we'll as of agricultural
products. The whole American people
now share in the foreign trade. The
products of the workmen in the factor
les, the miners and the fishermen and
the lumbermen alike enjoying it's bene-
fits. Agricultural exports increased
from 1851 900, 900 to over 5000, OOO.-
600; manufactures, from sos, 900, 600
to over $500, 900, 900; products of the
forests, from $15, 900, 0OO,t to over $780,
100000 those of the mines, from So
900, 900 to $50, OOO.O 900, and products
of the fisheries, from $1,000 900 to
over 81, 100000. Exports of agricul-
tural products are now nearly three
times those of 1870; those Of manufac-
lures, nearly six times those of 1870
while the increase in the other classes
is also very rapid.
There never has been time when
there was less excuse for the doctrine
of free trade in this country, and
there never was time when SO few
people believed in free trade. Even
the conservative statesmen of Great
Britain are considering the advantages
of protection and the prediction is
freely made that within decade
England will have a protective tariff
like the United States, Germany.
Austria, France and other great
nations of the world. Only the Dem
ocratic Congressional Committee has
revived this ghost OF the departed
star eyed Goddess of Tariff Reform
in the beginning of the Goth century
when all the world is marveling at the