Conservative.
cote , there are times when I feel like
exclaiming with poor Richard II :
"Let's talk of graves , of worms , and epitaphs ;
Make dust our paper , and with rainy oycs
Write 'Sorrow' on the bosom of the earth. "
*
For it seems to me that this great
heritage given to us to make a home
where Liberty could dwell in peace and
prosperity with her votaries has been so
misused that in justice it must be taken
from us ; and that , by our own mis
deeds , it will , sooner or later , be made
the grave of Liberty. O. H. REEVE.
P. S. Since signing the foregoing
article , this morning comes news of the
appointment of Oapt. Olark of the Oregon
gen and Whitelaw Reid as coronation
representatives. Well , Olark is a repu
table man for the place , but what
Whitelaw Reid has ever done for the
country that he should be pushed to the
front , puzzles me. However , I am so
thankful that "fighting" Bob Evans
and the "impossible" Potts were not
selected which would have been more
in keeping with the treatment of Miles
and Sohley that I can "put camphor
in my ink" like Douglas Jerold , while ,
like Jeremiah , I write Lamentations.
The old Polytheists declared : "Whom
the gods would destroy they first make
mad. " Surely , the gods must contem
plate the destruction of our new and
"strenuous" President. 0. H. R.
Plymouth , Ind. , Jan. 15th , 1902.
FREE RAW MATERIALS.
[ By J. B. SARGENT , of J. B. Sargent & Co. ,
hardware manufacturers , New Haven , Conn. ]
It is of great importance that iron ,
steel , lead , wool , hides , and other ar
ticles which are the basis of manufacturing -
turing industry shall bo free from any
tax or duty whatever :
Tirst , that manufacturers of count
less articles shall be able to put their
industries upon a sound basis.
Second , in order that their products
shall be cheaper , so that they may
supply more of them to our people , and
therefore give more employment to our
labor.
Third , in order that the extra cost of
materials shall not handicap the pro
ducts of American labor in their compe
tition with foreign manufactures in any
country in the world.
The protective tariff upon some of the
materials named has aided those who
produce them in this country to extort
such a price that the manufactured
articles into which they enter largely
cannot be sold abroad. In some lines
the tariff burden upon the cost of ma
terials is lightened for the exporter by
the rebate which is allowed on exported
goods made of imported materials ; but
in others exportation is checked , be
cause it not possible to present the
proofs which are required , and the re
bate cannot be obtained.
In spite of all , however , we do export
both crude and manufactured articles to
every part of the world. It is as clear
as day that wo could export more of
them , and employ more American labor
in malting them , if it were not for the
protective taxes which increase the cost
of the materials , implements , and ma
chinery used in producing and market
ing them. The protective duties are
thus taxes upon all American labor , but
fall with especial severity upon the
labor engaged in producing articles
which must find a foreign market.
These articles are increasing in quan
tity and variety. Those engaged in
producing them now outnumber those
who could possibly be exposed to the
injurious competition of imported pro
ducts , if every protective duty were to
be abolished. We must now seek a
market abroad for our surplus produc
tion , not only of cotton , corn , wheat
flour , and provisionsbut also of finished
manufactured goods , such as cotton
fabrics , machinery , hardware , and me
tallic products of every kind.
"But , " it has been asked , "are not
pig iron and steel bars and billets pro
duced so cheaply here that this country
exports millions of dollars' worth ?
How , then , could we get these materials
cheaper , even if there were no duty
upon them ? "
The answer is that , while iron and
steel are produced cheaply in this
country , they are not sold cheaply here.
They are sold for export at lower prices
than those we have to pay , and foreign
manufacturers who use them get the
benefit. In other words , the bearing of
the protective duties is the same that it
was ten years ago , although the condi
tions have changed. Then foreign hard
ware manufacturers were able to buy
cheap foreign iron and steel , which we
couldn't get on account of the protective
tariff duties ; while now foreign manu
facturers can buy cheap American iron
and steel , which we cannot buy so
low because of those protective duties.
The protective duties give to the great
steel combinations their power to extort
high prices from Americans , while
selling for foreign export at a reduction.
This is true in other lines besides hard
ware , as in the steel plates used in ship'
building , for example ; and the only just
and effective remedy is the removal of
the protective duties.
It is true now , as it was ten years ago ,
that the foreign hardware or machinery
manufacturer's advantage lies in his
ability to obtain cheaper materials , and
not in cheaper labor. Our labor is
really the cheapest in the worldbecauso
now , as then , it is paid more ; but it
produces more , so that the labor cost of
production is less here than in foreign
countries. Indeed , the articles which
we most excel in producing are those in
which the proportion of labor is com
paratively large and material small , like
machinery and shelf hardware ; while
wo find it harder to compote with
articles requiring less labor and more
material , like anvils.
It would be a great mistake , however ,
to rest the demand for free raw ma
terials solely upon the benefit to those
producing goods for export. It would
free them from grievous burdens. It
would stimulate their industries and
increase tue employment they would
give to their labor. But in a still
greater degree it would free the whole
American people from grievous burdens ,
from gross injustice , from dangerous
monopolies , from oppressive extortion ;
and it would give still more employ
ment to American labor , now deprived
of a part of its fair share by the protect
ive duties which restrict production.
Free raw materials should be demand
ed , not for our export business alone ,
but to benefit the whole American people
ple ; not as an end , but as a first step in
a steady , consistent progress toward the
only just and permanent condition for
a free country , free trade.
HISTORICAL SUGGESTIONS.
The Conservative has received a com
munication from Dr. Frederick Albert
Hatch , of Omaha , a gentleman who
lectures on matters connected with
western history , in which he makes two
suggestions which seem to us very
reasonable. We quote with pleasure
from Dr. Hatch's letter as follows :
"My object in writing is two-fold. Why
can you not advocate the postponement
of the Exposition in St. Louis until
1904 , for this reason ; that while the
legal transfer of the Purchase took
place in December 1808 , the formal
transfer of Upper Louisiana did not
take place until about the middle of
March 1804. At that ceremony , Lewis
and Olark , with their detachment of
U. S. soldiers , were present and took
part. An account from the memory of
an old colored woman , was published in
a St. Louis paper along in the ' 80's , I
think , which gave a fairly graphic
picture of that event. There would be
nothing in the sentiment governing the
time of opening the Exposition , incon
sistent with making it to occur in 1904.
My other reason is to suggest that it
would be helpful in more than one way ,
if in our own Public School System , a
place was made for a day when all over
the state the pupils of sufficiently high
grade should be expected to write or
bring in compositions on some event in
the early history of the state , which they
may learn from old settlers , or from
reading. Many an occurence might be
rescued from oblivion in this way. It
would be fine if a small fund divided
into suitable prizes could be given for
the best compositions on this subject.
It seems to me that this would bo a good
thing for the State Historical Society to
take up.
Perhaps these points have occurred to
you , but it will do no harm for you to
know that others think of them. "
