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.