Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 May 1891 — ANYTHING FOR FREE TRADE. [ARTICLE]

ANYTHING FOR FREE TRADE.

Free trade attorneys are nothing if not inconsistent. In one breath they declaim against any form of tariff for the alleged reason that the duty is always added to the price paid by consumers. In the next breath they demand “tariff reform,” through adoption of the British policy of collecting revenue from noncompetiug imports. In other words, they ask that a tariff be laid against the importation of articles in which there can be no home competition to aid in keeping down prices, aud that revenue be collected exclusively from such articles as the country must purchase and import at whatever cost, or do without. This means that Congress shall put on the free list all woolen, cotton, afcd linen fabrics, all manufactures from wood and metals, all grains and animal products, and collect the more than $100,000,000 now obtained from these competing products by inpnfiing a tariff on coffee, tea,

spices, rubber and other noncompeting household necessities, that now come in free. Df course the demand for •‘revenue reform,” along this line is promptly seconded by the Cobden Club, finds'zealous commendation in the foreign press, and need not appeal in vain for substantial • asHistaoce from those European manufacturers who seek to sell their wares to our people without being subjected to the inconvenience of having to pay for such privileges. No sane man believes that any money foreign competitors might save through a reduction in our tariff would be allowed to benefit any but themselves. Their sympathy with tariff reduction in this country is a matter of business iather than philanthropy; nud on true business principles j-heir allies on this side the A 1 tantic will not be premitted to relax their efforts in behalf of free trade in every product of factory, forest and mine in which American enterprise is now interfering with foreign ambition and selfishness. The shrewd business men behind the warfare in behalf of free trade have never ceased to covet the reward promised by their Parliamentary committee a few years ago as certain to follow substantial control of the markets of this country. Nor have they relaxed their efforts to that end. Let the them in 1888 be emphasized in 1892.

The ..Etna Iron Works that were built here some time ago with a great flourish of vast possibilities, and great expectations, were sold at sheriff’s sale last Saturday. An expensive lesson for Crown Point, and which teaches her people that if you have money to invest, don’t give it to a stranger or to a tramp factory but have sense enough to invest it in your business—in your own town, and don’t hunt up a perfect stranger who can fool people with aflood of prom, ises and get donations of money which we could so much better keep and use for our own benefit and improving our own property.—Crown Point Star.