The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-09-12

general labor cost here and abroad. so as at least to eQualize the conditions arising from the difference in the standard of labor here and abroad-a difference which it should be our aim to foster in so far as 1t represents the needs of better educated, better paid, better fed, and better elother working men of higher type than any to be found in a foreign country. At all haz- ards, and no matter what else is sought for or accomplished by changes of the tariff, the American workingman must be protected in his standard of wages. that is. in his standard of living, and must be secured the fullest opportunity of employment. Our laws should in no event afford advantage to foreign in- dustries over American industries. They should in no event do less than equalize the difference in conditions at home and abroad
 Years of Prosperity.
 It is a matter of regret that the pro- tective tariff policy, which, during the last forty odd years, has become part of the very fiber of the country, is not now accepted as definitely established. Sure " we have a right to say that it has passed beyond the domain of theory, and right to expect that not only its original advocates, but those who at one time distrusted it on theoretic grounds, should now acquiesce in the results that have been proved over and ever again by actual experience. These forty odd years have been the most prosperous years this nation has ever seen; more prosperous years than any other nation has ever seen. Beyond question this prosperity 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 1t is our economic policy as regards the tariff and finance which has enabled us as a nation to make such good use of the individual capacities of our citizens, and the nat ural resources of our country. Every class of our people Is benefited by the protective tariff. During the last few years the merchant has seen the export trade of this country grow faster than ever in our previous history. The man. ufacturer could not keep his factory running if 1t were not for the protec- tive tariff. The wage worker would do we'll to remember that if protection is robbery" and is to be punished ac- cordingly, he will be the first to pay the penalty so- either he will be turned adrift entirely, or his wages will be cut down to the starvation point. As con- clusively shown by the bulletins of the bureau of labor, the purchasing power of the average wage received by the wage worker has grown faster than the cost of living, and this in spite of the continual shortening of working hours. The accumulated savings of the work ing1nen of the country, as shown by the deposits in the savings banks, have irl- creased oy leaps and bounds. At 10 time in the history of this or any other country has there been an era so pro- 'ductive of material benefit alike to Workingrnan and employer, as during the seven years that have just passed. The farmer has benefited quite as much as the manufacturer, the mer- chant, and the wage worker. The most welcome and impressive fact establish ed by the last census is the wide and even distribution of wealth among all classes of our countrymen. The chief agencies .n producing this distribution are shown by the means to be the de- velopmlent of manufactures, and the ap- plication of new inventions to universal use. The result has been an increasing interde pendence of agriculture and manufactures. Agriculture is now, as it always has been, the basis of civili- zation. The six million farms of the United States, operated by men who, as class, are steadfast, single minded, and industrious, form the basis of all the other achievements of the American people and are more fruitful than all their other resources The men on those six million farms receive from the protective tarih what they most need, and that is the hest of all possible mar Sets. All other ciasses depend upon the farmer. but the farmer in turn depends upon the market they furnish him for his produce. The annual output of our agricultural products is nearly four bill lions of dollars. Their increase in value has been prodigious although agricul- ture has languished in most other coun- tries; and the main factor in this irl- crease is the corresponding increase ol our manufacturing industries. Ameri- can farmers have prospered because the growth of their market has kept pace with the growth of their farms. The additional market continually furnished for agricultural products by domestic manufacturers has been far in excess .of the outlet to other lands. An export trade in farm products is necessary to dispose of our surplus; and the export trade of our farmers. both in anima
 products and in plant, has very largely increased. Without the enlarged home market to keep this surplus down, WI should have to reduce production ol else feed the world at less than thu cost of production. In the forty years ending in 1900 the total value of farm
 property increased twelve and a hal
 billions of dollars; the farmer gaining even more during this period than tht manufacturer. Long ago over-produc
 ton would have checked the marvelou! development of our national agricul
 tlire, but for the steadily increasing de
 mand of American manufacturers fol
 farm products required as raw ma
 terials for steadily expanding indus
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