The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-11-16

| and steel. are cheaper In Spain than In the
United States and Germany, but the fact
| remains that the Spaniards are unable TO
consume them therefore they are dearer
Had your own country consented 20
follow the example OF Spain, had the
American people needed the professional
economists who told them that they
would profit by buying the cheaper iron
Of England, the, result must have been
the same. In that event Great Britain
would today be drawing iron ores from
us as she is now doing from Spain. and
We should be using comparatively little
iron and steel
Never forget the wise remark OF Adam
Smith, who told his readers that the
country which devotes itself to the pro-
duction OF the r,ider things. such as
foodstuffe and raw materials. is always
at disadvantage. because II rs obliged
cuiar products for a very small guam
tlty OF manufactured articles.
But this is only half wisdom. and does
not go TO the cr,ix OF the subject. as did
another observation of the learned doc
tor. who pointed out that the most pros
porous countries were those which
welded farm and factory.
The bringing OF the two together does
more 10 Increase production than any
.
sible for the enormous and many sided
development OF Industry in Western
countries. Whenever the two arc welded
there We find increased wants. and the
caparity 90 respond to them. When they
are separated desire becomes athrophied
Had the United States devoted itself "a
the Cobdenites hoped IL would TO the
production OF raw materials and food
stufrs, the wants OF its inhabitants must
L..
at the beginning OF the nineteenth CEN
tury.
There would have been rude plenty in
spots, and on the fringe OF the country
there would have been an approxima-
ticn TO modern progress BUT throughout
the land. which would have been sparse
~ settled as all regions devoted 10 the
production OF the ruder products in
vsriably are. there would have beer an
absence of . myriad things that we now
deem essential.
Protection has performed the great
work OF thoroughly integratinr the land
II has knit N 40 close together that the
many enjoy what only the few could
under the barbsrc system " nondi.
vereifeatlon of industry. Bringing farm
and factory together hs. made ~ possible
tor the tiller of the soil 10 readily obtain
things which under other circumstances
would have been az inaccessible To him
~ " they were solely produced on the
planet Mars
Most of the more than two hundred
thousand miles OF railway this country
possesses Is tho direct product of the sys-
tenn OF bringing farm and factory to-
gether. They would not have been called
into existence 10 meet the scanty wants
ot mere agricultural populations Their
chief proht In derived from the rapid
| interchange of products which goes on
between people who pursue diverse occu-
pations
The census ~ ipno showed that the
number ~ inhabitants ~ cities IN the
United states With over "a. 600 populs-
! tion ives la.7is3i.. an Increase 81 az
per cent over 1890 This vast urbsn
growth tends 30 smeliorat~ the ccndi-
3 fions ~ farm ife These cifis- are scat
tered sil over 'hs land. sNd 'h~v sra nesr.
r. al nuclei ~ manufacturing industr,