The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-12-29
ESTOFALLM MARKETS
THE ONE THAT CAN CONSUME ITS
OWN PRODUCTS.

contains two important declarations. -
follows:
First The Industries ef tals naxjsa
have expanded to such IN extent that
they can no longer depend On the home
market for the consumption Of their en-
tire product"
sscond.-rhs present commercial atti-
tude Of the United States 800 - antag-
onizing foreign nations whose GOOD will
we desire.
These statements, presented to the
country by a body OF men who intend
to try to make serious changes in the
tariff law, are either true or untrue,
and the American people, invited to
sanction disturbing and, in a measure,
revolutionary legislation, are deeply in
terested In knowing just what Is the
truth about the matter.
The belief is widely held that the
productive capacity Of the nation all
along the line Of industries is increas-
ing SO swiftly that the home market Is
likely to be choked and surfeited by
the overplus.
There is no particle Of fact in that
theory.
It Is a delusion assidiously propagat-
ed by the free traders. The statement
given above, the reader will observe,
leaves out Of account the coordinate
and simultaneous growth Of the popu-
lation Of the country. The products OF
industry are, indeed, multiplied In
wondrous fashion, but, also, the num-
Der Of home consumers constantly in
creases with rapidly for which there Is
no precedent in the history of nations.
The final proof that the market IL
not overloaded with manufactured
products is supplied by the indisputa-
BILE fact that we are bringing into his
country every year millions Of dol
lars worth of manufactures Of cotton,
wool, silk, leather, iron and steel, and
30 forth, of precisely the kinds made In
our own mills. If the figures repre-
senting these heavy imports are to be
taken as evidence, they supply conclu-
sive demonstration that American
mills In most departments of industry
actually are unable to meet fully the
requirements Of the home demand.
The truth is that the people increase so
fast, naturally and by immigration.
and their wants and their wealth in
crease so fast that producers Of the
~neceSsaries and comforts OF life a
hardly keep up with them.
This is a very different condition, in
deed, from that represented by the
reciprocity convention at Chicago. 1t
was probably because they were afraid
that the facts would be produced that
the managers carefully packed the con-
vention with free traders.
No wise American despises foreign
trade. He wants all we can get with
out sacrificing something more valua-
BILE. Our home market is a better mar
ket than any other, and 1t ought to be
preserved SO far as possible for our
own producers. Our sales to Germany,
for example, are about $212,OOO,OOO a
year. This Is a nice trade and worth
retaining. But the wholesale domestic
trade Of a single American town, the
city of Chicago, Is $1,781 100000 a
year, or more than eight times larger
than our commerce with all the Ger
man empire. II we should lose the
whole Of the German trade 1t would
not amount to more than the loss Of
business for a day or two by this en-
tire country.
There is not any more wisdom In the
proposition made by the reciprocity
convention and noted above that our
tariff duties ought to be relaxed be-
cause they gain for us the III will Of
other nations. It IL q novel suggestion
In our history that American fiscal leg.
islation should be shaped by fear. Nv.
cry nation In the world has q tari6 that
It framed In accordance with what II
believed to be It's wi interests, and
it, rights in the matter have always
been conceded to be absolute.
That the German government VII
actually send wen q yelled threat t.
Washington IL hardly to be believed
The American people will warmly ap'
prove q vigorous response from oul
own government II the threat shall
sver be made. They are not likely t.
consent that q European government
shall control the provisions Of u rev
euue laws. Only an American fre<
trades. would and that humiliation i'd
mlrable.
The Chicago reciprocity convention
called for = dual tari6"-that ID Il
say. I tariff with high duties for thu
nations which win grant ~ no favor
and low duties for the nations which
viii give No low duties. The idea Of
the convention was to arrange thil
kind OF reciprocity by cutting the Ding
ley tariff rates whenever Z favor y 4
b extended.
The protecti6nists Of the country vii
never accept the plan. They Will. how
evsr. cordially agree to make the q
listing duties the very lowest rates and
70 advance them sharply upon TIL
eoods of any nation that shall attsmp'
to discriminate against ~. II. tor q
ample. Germany shall do %. congress
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