The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-06-05

arguments. It has been pointed out
often enough that i is 20 oke inicuieies
of the protective tariff that ~e ore the
absence OF the american flag from for
eien ports AS the Journal of Com
merce aptly states it, people who can
not see the advantage which our ocean
shippers enjoy from having the benefit
of the competition of the merchant ma
rine of the entire world are not at ali
likely to recognize the fact that our
manufacturers can never replace rival
products in neutral markets while a
protective tariff continues to be neces-
sary TO exclude the foreigners from our
own market. 1t is puerile to talk of
the mills coming to the cotton, while
it costs nearly twice as much to build
and equip mill in Massachusetts or
South Carolina as it does in Lanca-
shire
Free trade would mean plac
ing the American wage Garner
on the same basis as the Euro
pean wage Garner, a condition
the American laborer will never
submit to: where the European
laborer gets one dollar per day
the American gets two. Ii
means turning our presents splen-
did home market over to our
European rivals and the degra,
dation of the American laborer.
We need labor in this coun-
trv, the tide is just starting
South, attracted by high wages,
and it is folly to do anything to
turn the current. The cheap
ness of European products is at
the expense of the starving.
overworked poor. Our public
schools have educated our peo-
pie to a higher standard of liv-
ing and there must be no back,
ward step.
AS to the cheapness of ocean
freights, that is not the point at
all, they are enabled to have
cheap freights because of their
governmental subsidies. Each
Ship is a missionary Of trade.
and these people are our rivals.
Would a merchant trust his bus.
mess competitor on the other
side of the street to deliver his
goods2 Not a bit of it. The
policy that has made the United
States rich and powerful is to
keep the home market for her
own people, and now that we
produce six times as much as we
consume, we must reach out for
channels of trade.
We do not regard the matter
of subsidies a party question, it
is simple business proposition.
ione which must be eliminated
from partizan politics for the
general welfare. If European
countries have developed the
high sea traffic by subsidies, and
through such means have driven
from competition the American
seameu, then it stands to reason
that without having our OWL
ships to take our surplus pro
ducts to market, we are at the
mercy of our competitors, with
the result that American pro
duce cannot compete with the
products Of Europe in China and
Japan. But did we have oul
own ships and our own seamen,
the cotton growers of the South
would be especially benefited,
because, instead of being sub
jected to the expense of the long
haul across the continent tc
Portland Oregon. the cottor
would be shipped from the
South Atlantic ports, and taker
directly to China. and the say
ing in the freight rate would en-,
able our manufacturers to open
up, new markets for theil
product, thereby creating
greater demand for the raw
material, and a better price tc
the producer.
The Herald, like many more
i of it's contemporaries, does not
! seem to be able to grasp condi.
| tions as they exist, the country
is growing and cannot halt its
progress because old traditions
may be disturbed. The people
of this day know the possibili
ties of the future. and they know
also that to develope them, they
must be put in position to meet
competition, even in the Sa
hara's. The South has a pro.
duct-a worlds necessity, but
the growers Of this product are
not reaping the benefits thai
should accrue, because our gov
ernment has not so far, giver
that aid to American shipping
which it should in order that oul
vessels would be on compet,
ing basis with other countries.
and thus become trade develop
ers.