Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1905-06-30

IN tuufactures because our taTiB pr
vents a reciprocal trade-our surplus
farm products sold in the cheapest
m ,rket while our farmers buy in the
dearest market.
The protectionist Boosting of the
value of.our export trade does rot
show up very we'll for our manufac-
turers when the facts are investigated
While the United States exports a
large quantity of agricult ural pro
ducts, that is raw materials, only
eight per cent Of all our exports are
manufactured goods and tfese form
but one per cent Of all our manufac-
lures That shows the low ebb the
pro, ective system, which eliminated
in the passage of the Dlpgley tariff
bill has brought our forsigu trade to
and there is no possibility of increas-
ing the amount of manufactured goods
we can sell to foreign countries until
the Dingley tariff is revised.
The foreigners viii not buy of us
if we do not buy OF them, except our
agricultural products and the pro
ducts OF our mines and forests OF
which the foreign countries that pur-
chase cannot produce enough to sup
ply their own necessities. Our wheat
earn, cotton, pork, timber and meta S
have to compete in price with like
products of other countries aui the
price paid for them is what the for
e'gu purchaser is wiling to give.
Protection adds nothing to the
| price of all kinds Of manufactured
goods which our own consumers
have to buy and therefore increases
the costs OF producing our agricultur-
al prodrcts This is an admirable
system for the manufacturer, which
by the way are mostly combined to
gether into what we call trusts, but
is constant drain upon everyone
else and III ost OF all upon the farmer
who is compe led to sell his surplus
products in the cheapest market-the
markets of the world-and buy what
he cannot produce in the dearest
market, which the trusts have created
here
The defense of this system of pro-
lection is even more extraordinary
and misleading than the statemen
sent out from Wall street by the
masters of the frenzed finance to in
duce the public to bay the watered
stocks they have created. The protec-
tionists tell our farmers aud other
producers of raw products that the
horHe market is preserved ard in
creased for them by the protective
tariff. but forget to say that the price
Tor these raw products must be
settled by what the surplus will
bring 10 the world markets after our
own people are supplied with all they
can consume and afford to pay for.
Every farmer and especially farmers
sons should study these simple facts
of political economy ard arrive at
conc'u ,i1u. if this system Of protec
ton is best for their interests, OF
VIII ether it has not been invented to
indirectly prey upon them. The sue
cession of good crops here and par
tial failure abroad for the past few
years is hardly likely to continue for
another series OF years aud the good
times euj Dyed by our turn RS may at
any time be changed into hard times,
either by large cereal crops the world
over or by partial failure f crop here.
When either of these events occurs
The protective system built up by the
Republican party will be exposed in
all its hideous defotmity and the de-
mand for reform will be irresistible.
The part OF wisdom is to prepare
for what must happen in time to
avoid great disaster, and this can
oaly be done by a reasonable revision
of tie tariff that will be fair alike to
all classes and yet produce enough
revenue to run the government hon
estly and economically administered.
| As fast as the Republican Marty