The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-08-23
died un- In the aggregate exports and

rolled up. In the aggregate exports ana
imports of merchandise the S3.000,0O0,-
eco mark has been almost reached. In
the fiscal year 1906 the exports aggre-
gated $1.7440O0.Go0,0oO and the i'm
ports 81 ,226,000,000. In each item the
highest figures of the past were left far
behond- We sold to the outside world
double as much merchandise In the
Roosevelt year just ended as we did IN
Cleyeiand's year just ten years earlier.
The balance of trade in our favor,
which was S104.000,000 In 1896, was
quintupled in 1906. when it reached
SJ1S.OCO.OOO If we count silver as mer-
chandise, as we ought to do, although
the governments bookkeepers persist
in putting it in class by Itself, the
$1,000, 100000 mark in the aggregate
merchandise exports and imports would
be left far behind, and the balance in
our favor on the trade account with the
outside world would be 1857 100000.
Chairman Sherman's spellbinders
mpst be instructed to present these fig
ures with a good deal of prominence
during the campaign. Leader Sherman
must also impress upon them the even
more significant fact that the exports
of manufactures have increased faster
than those of any other class of goods
which we sent out. While the exports
of agriculture have increased 4S per
cent In the past ten years, the exports
of manufactures have increased 1876 per
cent. In the fiscal year 1906 we sold
over 5000, 100000 in manufactures to
the rest Of the world. Here is the real
test Of the strength Of our industrial
system as created by the tariff At The
outbreak OF the rebellion the United
States was still virtually an agricul-
tural country. Under the operation of
the Republican tariff system the United
States made such advances In the first
twenty years of Republican power that
we gained the first place among the
Countries of the world in the extent of
our manufactures by 1880, beating the
United Kingdom in that year. and our
lead has been steadily lengthening ever
since. The tariff has been the principal
cause Of our pre-eminence in this field
BY the protection which 1t has given
the home producer, the tariff has in
cited discovery and invention, con-
structed laborsaving appliances, deyel-
oped the capabilities of our people and
diversified their activities, caused do
nestle competition, and, while defend
ing the producer against concerted for
eign attacks, has reduced the cost and
improved the quality of all sorts o.
commodities to the American consumer
These advances have enabled US to
reach out farther and farther for for
eign markets as the home market has
become inadequate, and thus Europe
has encountered what 1t calls the
american commercial Invasion" The
tariff can claim large share of the
credit for these conquests at home and
abroad. Manifestly, a system which
has revolutionized the whole Industrial
scheme Of the United States, which
has given us greater prosperity than
was ever known before in any part of
the world, and which has placed our
country so far in the lead In wealth
that it is ahead of its two nearest riv-
ais combined, will have something to
say for itself In the canvass OF 1906.
The Republican party, as the creator
and the defender Of the tariff. will have