Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-10-02
N IS the anxious American pes.

-ASA@ 49, NNA .
American prO4l ess, Jul high wages
ana our abundance Of employment,
and the higher standard OF nV1ng, are
the natural TeSu4L Oh our greater nat
urdl resources. Lei those Wno thus
argue turn their gaze to Mexico,
%abOunding in natural resources as we
know them hot. anu proclaim The PIT
liable comparison. Turn to Cuba, most
bounteou5 Isle OF the tropical seas,
rich beyond comparison IN mother
earths offerings, Lurn 10 CUBA, Wnefe
" william Mckinney rended the yoke OF
oppression, WneTe we llIted oar nag
~TomentaIlly 10 point the a In
CuUa the IaCe Of wages and the stand
ara OF llYI4g have hoyef gotten De,
yOnd the mOmentaFy advance nsplred
by the American 1pnlt.
Other nICl have said our supremacy
lies i'll the inherent traits OF cur peO-
pie, but the argument fails becauSe
our people themselves are OF tie ma
lions Of the old world, whom we out
striged III the ele ,;.l0l CT material
existence. We Americans are Eng
lisn or German, or French or u
TRAN, or Dutch or Russian, or ltallan
or Servian, OF Greek or scandinavian,
or a blend OF some OF them III ina
! melting POT Of American freedom, 50
we have no inherent traits which are
not of them. The explanation OF our
hi-her standards and DoaSIed SD
premacy must he on The equaIlty OF
opportunity, in the guaranty OF the
reward oil merit that comes OF civil
liberty and in the Republican pro-
tective kolicy that prospeTS America
first.
Felt American Influence.
| spoke of Cuba a IA ago.
The West Indian islands furnish a
striking example OF the eleyating
touch Of he prospecting American
spirit. Porto Rico became an Ameri-
can colony at the close of the war
with SPAN. It's people yield their
loyalty to these United States, and
are striving for our American Ideals.
A friend OF mine made q tour OF the
West Indian islands Il the tropical
countries last winter, and he old ne
of the old-time struggle for existence
and the old twenty-hve-cent to fifty.
CEN wage for 30m II labor were
apparent everywhere except in Pan
ana and Porto Rico. Under the
American flag, American standards
obtained, American pOl1cles, not IN
EerenL traits, not natural resources,
hal wrought the miracle Ct human
GdNanCcn.ent
One more thought on natural re-
sources, apDTOp IiaUe to this occasion.
We are met in the maryeIous rubber
city of the void, Cn3 OE Ones INDUS
trial brides. and are within almost
hailing distance Of The pottery linus
tries which make ONO famous nat
Of rubber output or what OF pottery
o. 0ductS is peculiar to the resources
OF OHIO, or any state in the Union?
The raw material is foreign tC this
country. The marketable product is
the blend oil American capital, labor
and genius, fosteIed by the Repub
lican protective policy, and is adding
inestimably TO the flow OF American
coed fortune.
| do not know schedules and would
not discuss them now il | could. The
essential thing-no matter how beau
tiful a free trade theory may be, is
one simple fact: The American pro
duCelS can not compete with the Ole
world and pay twice or thrice the
wage without a protective tariff. I'm
der this protection, our producers
have their home market, the largest
in consumption and the ablest to buy
in all the word. Under Republican
fostering We had come to produce anC
to exchange among ourselves approx
mately forty billions a year. 1t was
on this foundation we had builded t
the envy and wonder of the compel
ing nations. We had it for ourselve:
and, in spite Of our weakness as al
ocean carrier, we sold abroad $309,
UUt,UUU III b.iUDyubU-OtO ulOIC TIA w
bought. We had a commercial bal
ance of trade that wiped out the in
visible balance which comes of u III
tel Isl charges abroad. We were pros
nering as no nation had ever expert
enced, we were being enrichet
: Curough our own resources and on
neighbors abroad, we were gathering
| the needed revenues for a billion
| collar country from those who sough
t our markets, with cuI people unco1
, scious Of the cost of federal govern
= ment.
; We built the Panama canal and di
2 not realize the enormous expenditure
OhiOans were not aware that the
| paid their ten millions, and more, t
that gigantic enterprise. They though
I only OF the triuInphS of commerce
l that might attend it's building. w
!, were so fortunate we did not stop t
l realize or appreciate, and came to Il
understanding of things attained unit
T the mistaken verdict of the America
g people resulted in industrial disturb
e ance, business hesitancy n int
rupted employment.
e Realization dawned before Eur
pean war came to add its excuse fC
$ diminishing revenues, and cOnvictio
[ will grow with all our earnest prayer
:, for peace. l am sure no American d
5 sires the ~ascendancy OF this nation
the cost of conflict now devastatin
+ the ranks of our fellow men in the Of
e world. But it will not be selfish if W
heed the lessons that are taught L
r by The reflected conditions which W
d must experience. First of all, we al
s learning that we have the resourc
q and the genius to live within OF
q selves alone, if need be, and sttai
q the loftier heights Ct civilization. Hi
u dreds of things for which We hay
: depended upon the cid world, could
u produced here at essentially the san
1 cost, if we levied Il tariff to encouras
J. development, anu could guarantee
" maintenance 20 safeguard the inves
= Llent.
', Lesson From War.
There is another lesson taught
y the reflex of the foreign war to pro-
@. the wisdom Of Republican policie
"a Ever since the civil war Jul party HI
been advocating the restoration of o
L American merchant marine. Leadil
rs producers, we rightly held v
ought tt be supreme as carrier
a Nightly developed in -transportatit
II at home, We held hat we ought
81 least compete as carriers OF the Ges
is But vigorous Democratic opposite
at and that of Republicans deferred
er the cry Of special privilege, defeat
S us, Notwithstanding the impelling I
L LltpLlHIn anu IN pIOiAASS VI "i0Sh
le commerce.
II Never was opposition so illogic'
We boast our expended millions. gat
ID cred from the grand duplicate of Oh
d, to construct our market roads, a.
II special favor is never thought of. T,
If justification is the common good. Y
re ten millions annually, from the enti
ID nation, in subsidies and mail contraC
e. designed to foster a merchant p1ariI
I'd was booted at as special privilege
f. tolerab1e. We m~omentarily lost sig
to of the common good. We forgot
IN rather, our opponents did-that Il
an very policy of special encourageme
is and fostering support has builded o
n industrial cities and dotted our {
IN main with the furnaces and factori
IN which. in the aggregate, make this
ii dustrial nation. I do ont know til
IN it is true, but it has been OpeT
in charged that the lobby which inspir
n, this lo~ftv-sounding opposition to t
re encouragement of American carrie