Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1887 — PERTINENT QUESTIONS. [ARTICLE]

PERTINENT QUESTIONS.

Some <Jarations Which the Free Traders Mtj.Flnd Trouble In Answering;. The Philadelphia Press of several day| ago contains the following tariff nuflfror the free traders to cAick: Why an official reporfMrecently published by the London Daily Telegraph sho.jyflJ.hat 30 per cent. at. the children of Britishy workmen in London go to I school every morning without a inouih- | ful of food? Why halfpenny (one cent) dinners for school children failed in Birming- ; ham and other industrial centers, beI cause children could not gqt the money ! to pay for them? I Why., thousands of men are constantly ■ walking the streets of the'great indus- | trial centers without food or Work? Why more than 1,000,000 in a populai tion of 35,000,000 are out of work under free trade? * ~

. Why does John Bright admit that j under free trade the English farmer has \ lost in recent years $1,000,000,000? | Why does Joseph Arch admit tlial in ; fifteen years 800,000 persons have given [ up the cultivation of the soil? Why have the number of persons enI gaged in the ‘ grainful occupations in I England decreased in fifteen years from I 14,786,785 to 11,117,564? Why does Mr. Hoyle say that the j forty-second report of the registrargeneral shows that “one out of every seven of our population end their days as paupers?” Why does the report of the British postmaster general show that in 1875 artisans and laborers constituted 22 84100 per cent.? Why do women working at the forge and anvil the whole week making nails only earn $2.15? Why does the current rate of wages for the common laborer rarely exceed fifty cents per day? Why does Mr. Chamberlain say: “Never before was the misery of the very poor more intense, or the condition of their daily life more hopeless or more depraved,” if free trade has been successful? - Why has the cost of pauperism and crime under free trade increased from $30,000,000 in 1740 to $82,000,000in 1881? Why did Mr. Cobden receive during his lifetime $1,000,000 cash (see Morley’s Life of Cobden) from the manufacturers of Manchester in payment for his services to bring about free trade, if it was a grand principal calculated to benefit the workingmen of all countries, and not a means to cut down the wages of laborers and inciease the profits of monopolists?, . Why has the number employed in the five' principal textile industries declined from 919, ft l7 in 1865 to 853,303 in 886 in England, and the number so employed double in the same period in the United States? Why has the silk industry practically gone to the wall? Why has the linen industry declined in England in the last twenty years and increased 300 pffc cent, in protective Germany? Why have the number of workmen employed in the iron and steel industries in Germany increased since the return to protection 40 per cent, the wages paid 57 per cent, and the average paid to each workman 17.4 per cent? Why are these facts substantially true in many other industries in Germany? Why has Germany increased her exports of manufactured goods under protection when free traders said she would ruin her export trade by returning to protection? Why do the official reports of toe British consuls inform us that the German empire has been so benefited by protection that it is in the atmosphere; that it is the strongest ot the government’s policies? ?■ If protection has been so ruinous to. the why-have we. in 25 years of it —. A. Increased our population 20,000, 000? B Doubled the population of our cities? G. Increased our coal product from 14 000,000 tons to 100,000,000 tons? D. Increased our iron ore output from 900,000 tons to 9,000,000 tons? E. Increased the number employed in our racial industries from 53,000 t® 350,000? F. Increased the number employed in our wocl industries from 130,000 persons to 350,000? G. The number employed in our ;j woolen industries 60,000 to 160,000? H. Robbed England of 55,000,000 customers in the cotton industry? I. Employ 35,000 instead of 12,000 in the pottery, stoneware aud glass industries? J. Employ 39,000 instead of "6.000 in the chemical industries? K. Increased our railway mileage, from 30,000 to )_’o 000 miles? L. Increased the nmutier of o.ur farms from 2.000,000 to 4,000,000?M. And their value from $6,000,000,000 to $10,000,000,000? N. Qur pro<ipctipWpflcerp4ls.iwnA,l,s. 230,000,000 bushels to nearly- 3,000,000,000 bttahelß? ■ O. Our live stock from $1,000,000,000 to more than $2,000,000,000? . Oar flocks from 22,000,000 to upwards of 50,000.000? Q. Our wool products from 60,000,000 R. The number of persons engaged in

gainful occupations from 12,500,060, to 17.500,000? S. And our agfpegatt'"of wealth to such figure® that it makes Americans JipjrtfTcon tempi ate the totals and fills "tpe advocates British free trade with envy, haired and other wrongful pas"HfOns tiYTPping to which, isn’t? T. Why are wages of the laborer here Higher than in any ofher country? U. Why do the greater percentage of workingmen own their homes? \ V. Why is labor respected and the | workingman supported in every legitimate endeavor to better his condition? W. Why do their children go to school well fed and well clothed? X. Why do a greater percentage of workingmen become masters there han in any other country in the world? Y. Why do the intelligent American wage earners, as a rule, support protection with theit votes and defeat free traders like Hurd, and Morrison? Z. Because it is the winning cause and the cause of the American people. A!1 of which is respectfully submitted.

ROBERT P. PORTER.