Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-09-12

! ntcOS OF DtlttT tduNd dtN''
| better fed. and better clothed Worhiis-
men of higher type than any 10 pe
! found in foreign country. AZ dii
/ hazards, and no matter what eise -
sought for or accomplished by changes
nj the tariff. the American worklngnan
must he protected in his standard OF
wages. that is, in his standard OF Nv
ing and must be secured the fullest
oDportunity Of employment. our i"" >
should in no event afford advantage 10
foreign industries over American IN
dustries. They should III no even do
I.ss that euualiZe the difference III
conditions at home and abroad
II is a matter of regret that the pro-
toctiv. tariff policy, which. during the
last forty odd years, has become part
| If the very fiber of the country, IS not
now accepted as definitely established.
Surely we have a right to say that 1t
has passed beyond the domain OF
theory. and n right to expect that not
only its original advocates. but those
who at one time diStruSted IL on
theorntic grounds. should now
acuriesce in the results that have been
proved over and over again by actual
experience. These forty odd years
have been the most prosperous years
this nation has ever seen; more pros
porous years than any other nation has
ever seen beyond question this pros
pnrity could not have come if the
American people had not possessed the
necessary thrift. energy. and business
Intelligence to turn their vast material
resources to account But it is no less
true that it is our economic policy as
regards the tariff and finance which
hos enabled us aS nation to make
| eurh good us" of the individual Can1-
cities of our citizens. and the natural
rcsour ."s of our country. Every class
Of our peopl- is benefited by tn" pro-
t"rtive tariff During the last few
years the merchant has seen tn" "X-
port trad" Of this country grow faster
than oyer in our previous history. Th"
manufacturer could not keep his fac
tory running if it were not fnr tn" pro-
t"ctivr tariff. The wage-wnik"r would
do dwell to remember that if protection
: is "rulDlrcry." AMI is to h" punished ar-
e corriingly, he will br tn" irs' /" pay
IN" penalty: for either y viii h'
l turned adrft entirely, or hi W;i% : :. I'll
" be cut down to tn" starvation point
, As concluSip ely shown 10y the built ms
t If tn" Bureau of Labor. the iui''h;i ~ina
= power of the average Wacr received by
n the wage worker has Er"rn faster
: than the cos, of living. and this in spite
@ of the continual shortening # working
t hours. The accumulated Swings OF
the workngmen of tn" country. rs
4 shown by the deposits in tn" savings
4 banks. have increased ty laps ant
, bounds. AT no time in the history o
} this or any other country has there
been an era 50 productive of mat"ria
benefit alike to WorkinCnan ana en-
; plnyer. as during the seven years that
hav" just passed.
The farmer has benefited quite as
| much as the manufacturer. the mer.
u chant, the wage worker The mos
T welcome and impressive fact es
tablished by the last census is the wide
' and even distribution of wealth among
all classes of our cOuntrymen The
e chief agencies in producing this dis
' tribution are shown by the census to
/ he the development of manufactures
| and the application of new Inventions
to universal use. The result has been
e an increasing interdependcnce of a4rri-
= culture and manufactures. Agrictll-
:. ture is now. as it always has been, the
: basis of civilization. The six million
i farms of the nited States. operated by
= men who. rs n class are steadfdst
g single minded. and Industrious. form,
Il the basis of all the other achievements
l. of the American people and are more
II fruitful than all their other resources
" rcive from the protective tariff what
n they most need, and that is the best OF
I all possible markets All other classes
: depend upon the farmer. but the far
s mer in turn depends upon the market
5 they furnish him for his produce. The
= annual output of our agricultural pro-
r ducts is nearly four billions of dollars
Y Their increase in value has been pro-
$ diGiouS. although agriculture has Ian
$ "uichrd in most other countries: and
- the main factor in this increase is the
t CORES; ending increase of our manu-
" featuring industries. American farm
] ers have proSpercd because the growth
; of their market has kept pace with
r the growth Of their farms. The adj
{ dit itioull market continually furnished
s for agricultural products By domestic
/ manufacturers has been far in excess
o of the outlet to other lands. An eX-
$ port trade in farm products is neces-
p sary to dispose of our surplus; and the
. export trade Of our farmers, both ir
T animal products and in plant products
= has very largely increased. Without
g the enlarged home market to keep the
surplus down, we should have to re-
= duce production or else feed the
. world at less than the cost Of pro-
v duction. In the forty years ending ir
- 1900 the total value Of farm property
= increased twelve and a half billions
$ of dollars: the farmcr gaining ever
- more during this period than the man
:. ufaCturer. Long ago over-productior
= would have checked the marvellous de-
: velopment of our national agriculture
= but for the steadily Increasing demand
{ of American manufacturers for farm
:, products required rs raw materials fol
O steadily expanding industries. The
4 farmer has become dependent upon the
@ manufacturer to utilize that portion OF
g his produce which does not go directly
g to food supply. In 1900 fifty-two pei
: cent, or Il little over half of the tota