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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 1898)
Conservative * 11 to the nuiubor of inhabitants is not yet equal to our traffic with British Aus tralia. The five million (5,000,000) ( ) people of British North America bought of us last year eighty-five million dollars ( $85,000- 000) ) worth of goods ; the thirteen million (18,000,000) ( ) people of Mexico bought only twenty-one million dollars ( $21- 000,000) ) worth. The English-speaking people of the Dominion nearly seventeen dollars ( $17) ) a head ; the Spanish-Amer icans of Mexico , the most progressive state which has been under the evil influences of the Spanish rule , less than two dollars ( $2) ) per head. NO UOUNTIES FOR STEAMSHIP LINKS. I do not mean to raise any objection to every effort that can bo rightly made looking toward an increase of exports to South and Central America , Asia , Africa , and the Philippine islands. I do object to all the proposed artificial methods of bounties to steamship lines , and yet more to taking on ourselves the burden of distant colonies. The only effective method of promoting exports is to promote imports from these non- machine-using countries , and in that way increase their purchasing power. It is often held in support of the policy called protection with incidental revenue that if wo put a tax on a foreign product it does not always increase the cost to the consumer , but is sometimes paid by the foreign producer through a reduction in price. Such is sometimes the fact. The price of the foreign prod uct is reduced. But in such case the reduction in the price simply reduces the purchasing power of the producer to buy our goods. It is doubtless true that by the imposition of a duty on the potatoes , oats , and hay of Canada , es pecially of the Maritime provinces , the prices in Canada have many times been so much reduced that the products would not pay their cost. Therefore the growers of these products have not only been unable to buy the American goods which they desire , but vast numbers ot Canadians have been forced to migrate to the United States season by season , in spite of contract laws , in order to got the means for supporting their families in Canada ; thousands coming and going with every season who might have thriven in Canada by supplying the people ple of the United States with fish , pota toes , oats , barley , and hay , to our great benefit , while themselves enjoying an increasing measure of prosperity in their own country. INVITE IMPORTS OF CRUDE PRODUCTS. Who would have suffered in this com petition ? Only a few railroads would have been deprived of a part of their freight. The effect of these duties , especially on New England , being only to compel the people of New England to pay for a longer haul on Western fee ( products , while losing a market for their goods in the Maritime Provinces , whicl ) y every law of nature and affinity con- tituto a part of a family group of states ying south of the St. Lawrence and east of the Hudson river , which ought ; o bo united by every possible bond of imtual service and mutual benefit , vhatover may bo the central government ; o which they owe allegiance. When ; ho traffic is free from the obstruction of heavy duties imposed for protection with incidental revenue , and also freed : rom the mediieval absurdities of our lavigation laws , our flag will follow our ; rado to and from all our ports. We can have all the trade that the purchasing power of these countries and continents will permit their own people ; o enjoy when we stop the humiliating cry of pauper labor , and invite the im ports of the crude and partly mauufac- ; ured products which , being absolutely 'ree of taxation in Great Britain and nearly if not quite free of taxation in other manufacturing coxmtries , now serve to protect foreign manufacturers : o the detriment of our own. But even if we have gains which open ports in Asia , Africa , and Oceanica might give us in the next ten years , the larger mar ket in these poor continents and states for our own products would be far less than the same policy would open for us among our kith and kin , the English- speaking people of Great Britain and her colonies. AVE MUST DIP THE DUCKET , TOO. We may well apply to ourselves the story which Booker Washington told when meeting the efforts of the South ern states to induce immigration. He told the story of the captain , of the ship far away on the ocean who signalled a neighboring vessel for fresh water. The answer was : "Dip your bucket over the side. " Again the urgent signal came : "We must have freshwater. Again the answer : "Dip yoiir bucket over the side. " Not until the third time was the reply comprehended , and when the bucket was clipped over the side it brought iip the fresh water of the Amazon river , whose current extended far beyond the land. The negroes are waiting for the recognition of the value of their service. The South is rapidly learning how to dip her bucket over the side. The commerce of the English- speaking people , who are our lath and Ian and our neighbors , the whole world being today a neighborhood , is waiting for its rapid development by the ex change of products by which all woulc benefit alike. Our neighbors signal us again and again : ' 'Dip your buckol over the side. " When wo learn thai lesson , and when the commercial union of the English-speaking people has been established , the reign of law and the reign of peace will prevail. No natioi burdened with militarism can then com pete with us in the supply of the increas ing wants of the world at large. Under a policy of protection with in cidoutal revenue , which is wholly a variance with the policy established by Alexander Hamilton , supported by Clay , issented to after opposition by Webster , aid practised for a century of the eco- lomic history of this country : At var- anco also with the principle of tariff eform laid down by the Republican Tariff Commission in 1888 , and now at variance with the progress of the very nterests which it is intended to protect , lie time has arrived when moderate nen of all theoretic views are likely to combine in securing a remedy for the lerversion of the power of taxation which is oven a perversion of the for merly accepted policy named protection , : o the end that a simple and effective system of collecting the national reven ues may bo established under which "all taxes that the people pay the gov ernment shall receive" with the least jurden or obstruction to the freely chosen pursuits of the people themselves. The laws in Nebraska - COUNTV COJI- braska defining MISSIONKUS. the methods o f electing county commissioners and the laws which provide for the sessions of county commissioners and the laws which permit county commissioners to draw pay for an indefinite and unlimited number of days each year need revising and amending. The present system is an abomination. Under it the mileages , per diems , and livery bills of county commissioners may be made very large and fat and profitable to county commissioners. It is reported to THE CONSERVATIVE that the office of county commissioner is con sidered profitable in some counties and that men holding positions on the board frequently make money thereout of. Bridge builders and repairers are some times on intimate and almost "dividing" terms with county commissioners , it is said , in some counties in some Western states. But when the law is properly revised and amended such scandals will be impossible. Yesterday birth ; L.IFK IS SHOUT today life ; tomorrow AT IJKST. row death. For the first wo are not responsible. But from it all responsibility results. For the second we are developed phy sically , mentally and morally so that we may end ill , or well , or indifferently ! For the third , which is imperatively the logic of the first and second , all men should bo ready. The word of com mand to the great army of humanity which living and breathing marches the globe comes with inexorably unrelenting and unmitigating compulsion Halt ! THE CONSERVATIVE OKDKHS. TIVE has so many extra copies ordered for its next issue , which will be the last for the year 1898 , and will bo sent out on the 29th of De cember that the edition for that date will exceed TEN THOUSAND COPIES.