The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-16

The American manufacturer never
could have placed this nation at the
head of the manufacturing nations OF
the world If he had not had behind
him, securing hin every variety Of raw
material, the e~xhaustless resources of
the American farm, developed by the
skill and the enterprise Of intelligent
and educated American farmers. On
the other hand, the deb OF the armer
to the manufacturer Is equally heavy
and the future Of American agricul-
ture is bound up in the future OF
American manufactures. The two in
dustries have become. under the econ
omic policy Of our government, go
closely so mutually inter
dependent, that neither can hope %
maintain itself at the highwater mark
of rogre without the other. Via
ever makes to the advantage of one
is equally to the advantage of the
other.
BENEFITS OF PROTECTION.
So it is as between the capitalist and
the wage-worker. Here and there
there may be an unequal sharing as
between the two in the benefits that
have come by protection; but benefits
have come to both: and a reversal iii
policy would mean damage to both:
and while the damage would be heavy
to all. 1T would be heaviest, and il
would fall soonest. upon those who
II pdIu III IOEIl Oh WAKES edCn week
or each month for that weeks or that
months work.
Conditions change and the laws must
be modified from time to time to fit
new exigencies. But the genuine un-
DERIVING principle of protection, as it
has been embodied in all but one OF
the American tariff laws for the last
forty years, has worked out results SO
bene1cent, So evenly and widely
spread, so advantageous alike to far
mers and capitalists and w~orkingmen.
to commerce and trade of every iii
that the American people, If they show
their usual practical business sense,
will insist that when these laws are
modified they shall be modified with
the utmost care and conservatism, and
by the friends and not the enemies of
the protective system. They cannot
afford to trust the modification to
those who treat protection and rob
berry as synonymous terms.
In closing what I have to say about
the system Of promoting American in
dustry let me add a word of cordial
agreement with the policy of in some
wav including within it's benefits, by
appropriate legislation, the American
merchant marine. 1t is not -creditable
to us as a nation that our great export
trade should be well nigh exclusively
in the hands of foreigners.
THE ARMY.
1t is difficult to know if our oppo-
nents are really sincere in their demand
or the reduction of the army. # in
sincere. what shall We say in speaking
to rational persons OF an appeal to
reduce an army of sixty thousand men
which is taking care of the interests of
over eighty million people? The army
Is now relatively smaller than it was
IN the days of Washington. when Oh
the peace establishment there were
$500 soldiers while there were
a little less than four millions of popu-
lation, smaller han it was in the
peaceful days of Jefferson. when there
were fifty-one hundred soldiers, to five
million three hundred thousand popu-
lation. There is now one soldier
to every forteen hundred peo-
pie in this country-less than one
tenth of one per cent. We cannot be
asked seriously to argue as to the
amount Of possible tyranny contained
in these figures. The army as it is
now is as small as it can possibly be
and serve its purpose as an effective
nucleus for the organization. equip
ment, and supply of a volunteer army
in time of need. 1t is now used, as
never before for aiding I'm the upbuild-
ing of the organized militia of the
country. The War department is en-
gagged in a systematic effort to
strengthen and develop the national
guard in the several states; as witness
among many other instances, the great
field manoeuverS at Manassas. which
have just closed. If our opponents
should come into power they could not
reduce our army below it's present size
without greatly impairing it's efficiency
and abandoning part of the national
duty. In short. in this matter, if our
opponents should come into power they
would either W. to treat the prom
ises they made in 1896 and 1900. hat
is, as possessing no binding force; or
else they would have to embark on a
policy which would be ludicrous at the
moment. and fraught with grave dam
ger to the national honor in the flu
ture.
THE COST OF GOVERNMENT.
Our opponents contend that the gov
eminent is now administered extrav-
agantly and that whereas there was a
surplus Of $50, 600, 900 in 1907 there is
a deficit of more thai $40, 0O0, 900" i'll
the Year that has Just closed.
This deficit is imaginary, and is o.
tanned by including in the ordinary
public expenses the sum of fifty mil
lions. which was paid for the right of
way OF the Panama canal out of the
accumulated surplus in the treasury.
Comparing the current or ordinary ex.
penditures for the two years. there
was a surplus of nearly eighty mil
AOAS " az &c iVOOs diIu oliy d III
tie more h eight millions for the
year that has just closed. But this
diminution of the annual surplus was
brought about designedly by the ado
lition of the war taxes in the interval
| the two dates. The acts OF
March 2, 1901. and April IL, 1902. cut
down the internal revenue taxes to an
amount at one und and
" millions a year. In other words,
the reduction Of taxation mas been con-
siderably greater thar the reduction
in h annual surplus. since the close
of the war with Spain there has been
no substantial change in the rate of
annual expenditures. AS compared
with h fiscal year ending in June.
1901, for example, the fiscal year that
has sjust closed showed a relatively
small increase in expenditure (exclu5-
ing the canal payment already referred
co., while the year previous showed a
4 relatively small decrease.
The expenditures OF the nation have
been managed in a spirit OF conom