Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1891 — CURRENT COMMENT. [ARTICLE]

CURRENT COMMENT.

POINTS FOR PROTECTIONIBTB. Foreign Markets, and How They An As footed by she McKinley Bill. It was, however, after the passage of the McKinley bill that the real animus of the English free-traders was manifested, and in commenting upon the English criticisms President Harrison said: “The criticisms of the bill that have oome to us from foreign sources may well be rejected for repugnancy. If these critics really believe that the adoption by uo of a free-trade policy or of tariff rates having reference solely to revenue would diminish the participation of their own countries in the commerce of the world, their advocacy and promotion by speech and other forms of organized effort of this movement among our people is a rare exhibition of unselfishness in trade. And on the other hand, if they sincerely believe that the adopt ion of a protective tariff policy by this country inures to their profit and our hurt, it is noticeably strange that they should lead the outcry against the authors of a policy no helpful to their countrymen, and crown with their favor those who would snatch from them a substantial share of a trade with other lands already inadequate to their necessities!’' —President's Message. Now, as to foreign markets! The difficulties encountered in seeking admission to foreign markets is not entirely a question of the amount of protective tariff imposed in the countries where the products are manufactured, as it is the amount of pro-a tection imposed upon foreign-made goods by the country into which admission is sought for the sale of those goods. Every civilized country in the world, excepting England, has enacted protective tariffs for the protection of their own labor or producers, and the effects of those tariffs upon England is set forth by the highest authority in England. Lord Salisbury, her Prime Minister, said at Manchester, the birthplace of English free trade, April 16, 1884: ‘You know the industry of this town is being cramped and fettered and confused by the growing wall of hostle tariffs, which shuts you out from most of the civilized markets of the world. [Here, hear, and cheers.] * * # I fear that most of the advantages which we might have offered to the other nations of the world in return for more favorable tariffs have been thrown away by the want of foresight of former legislatures. * * * At all events, you must consider this: That if you are being shutout by tariffs from the civilized markets or the world the uncivilized markets are becoming more and more {ireoious to you.” Three months ater the Prime Minister said to an immense gathering of laborers to whom he pictured the depressed condition of English industries and the inability of the working classes to gain a livelihood: “Look around. Where will you find men who count upon a secure and certain future. [Cheers.] Everywhere you will hear of industry languishing, of commerce unable to find prolitable employment of the hearts of men of business failing them for fear of banks refusing to take money on deposit because they do not know where to invest it —every sign of the presence over the community of a great apprehension of a disappearance of that security [Cheers] which made property in England seem as solid as the rocks upon which England herself is founded. [Cheers.] That time has passed away; men are not employe! as they formerly were; capitali. ts do not gain profit; the working masses are ceasing in many places to gain a livelihood. ”

fA voice—“ They are starving. Lord Salisbury told the wbi-kirig men in the Town Hall in Birmingham: “Free trade does not gain ground among the nations of the world; on the contrary, it is what a gentleman behind me calls no trade. ■ . * * At all events, tsie matter is one that requires grave and careful investigation to see whether no remedy, by diplomacy or otherwise, can be applied to a state of things which is acting with fatal effect upon the comerce of this country. * * * “It is a matter which seriously concerns the life of trade. It seriously concerns, therefore, the emoioyment and wages of the working classes.” On auother occasion the Prime Minister of England said of free trade in England: ‘ The result has been great misery and ruin.” Mr, Medill, of the Tribune, knows these facts; the advocacy of free trade by that-paper caw only be acoounted for upon one hypothesis, that expressed by the Cobden Club member at the National Agricultural Association: “Joseph can't help hissel': we’ve got him under our thumbs." The aiin of the Chicago Tribune is the destruction of the Republican party, Every clipping that can be be made from free trade and mugwump papers for that purpose Ts published .in the Chicago Tribune with zest and often eulogistic comments. As the Interocean said some time ago: The Chicago Tribune is a democratic spy' in the Republican ceap, 1 know of no more pertinent enquiry ever made in Congress than that of the Hon. Seth L. Milliken, of Maine, in the House of Representatives, April 40, 1884. | <* “Who is demanding a modification of the tariff in the direction of free trade? Is it the mechanic, the manufacturer, the miner, the farmer? Mo. Where are the petitions asking this *egi station? Do they appear before this House from say great industry in tins country? No. Who is pushing this Measure? The Cob

den Club, the theorists in out* col | leges and those Democrats who in | herit the doctrines which were an nounoed in the days when slavery, which despised American labor anc free American workingmen, desirec through “free trade" to obtain cheaj food and clothing for the slaves. Does any one know of any working man who belongs to the Cobdet Club? Does ho know of any practi j cal American farmer or mechanic 01 manufacturer who has not a large) British than American interest that is a itnsnber of that club? How dom it happen that that, British iastitu tion is taking so much interest in bui affairs and is reaching its fingeri over here so eagerly and industrious ly to manipulate our politics? Whi is it distributing its ‘free trade an{ tariff reform’ tracts all o v er oui country? Why is every member o j Congress deluded with \hem? Is i' a disinterested spirit of beneficent* which causes it to take so great paim and provide the groat amount o money which all this costs?” T. P., Elmwood, Ill.: Yonrrcques is best answered by-quoting substantially what Sir Waiter Scott puts in the mouth of the fish-woman, who, knowing the dangers and hardships her husband and sons faced to procure the fish, when told it was not “cheap enough," said: “It’s no KISH you’re BUYING, IT’S MEN’S LIVES.’ Cheapness resulting from cheap labor is an unmitigated curse; cheapness of products through the healthy competition of well-paid labor, through tariff, as in this oountry, is a bless ing: It was the cheapness of poOrlypaid labor that the Mills bill and its author sought to inaugurate here, as expressed by Mr. Mills in his speech at East St. Louis: “If Grover Cleveland is re-elected President of the United States, as he will be; if another Democratic House of Representatives is chosen, and It we can get our Republican friends Out of the other end of the Gapito! and get Democrats hi the place of them, we will pas 9 a tariff bill that Euts raw materials all on the free st, and then we will put our owe intelligent and skilful and productive labor in this country upon a plane o i equality with the laborers of ail countries,”

That the aim of Mr. Mills and his* friend Cleveland was to reduce the pay of the American laborer, and to bring him down ‘‘upon a plane of equality with the laborers of all other countries,” admits of no doubt. Both knew that our protective tariff ensured to our laboring classes higher wages than were paid in any other oountry. Mills blurted it out at East St. Louis. Cleveland was cunning enough to evade it. That Mr. Mills knew how well paid our laborers were is proved by his speech to his constituents at Coricaua, Texas, May 21, 1887, when he said: “We produce and exchange among ourselves, and consume in the satisfaction of our wants, more of the products of our own labor than the 200,000,000 on the continent of Europe. We have invented, and have now in operation, more labor-saving machinery than all other people. We are turning out over six thousand millions of dollars’ worth of products of manufactures every year, and producing them at lower cost of production, and at the same time paying higher wages to our workmen than any other people. ” “Buckeye,” Columbus, Ohio. Mr Hurd claimed to the farmers that a reduction of the tariff on wool would raise the price of wool; and to the manufacturers of woolens that the reduction of the wool tariff would give them cheaper raw material. He however never explained the contradiction. John W. Hinton.

PRATHERS’B PLAN*

State Lecturer Prather, of the Kansas Alliance, has issued an address setting forth a plan of organization and campaign in which he lays great stress on the importance of co-operation. “We,” he says, “have been working upon the competitive plan until we are nearly a nation of wealth-producing paupers. Others have been working upon the co-operative plan aud are wealthy. Show the difference to our people. We are the masters of the situation, not only politically, but from a business standpoint, both in buying and selling, if we only learn the great lesson of co-operation. ” State Lecturer Prather evidently has very vague ideas in regard to cooperative labor, and knows just e uough of the subject to lead him into error. His statement that “we have been working upon the competitive plan until we are nearly a nation ol wealth-producing paupers" is a sur prising contrast to the repeated admissions of intelligent foreigners that we arc the best housed, the best clothed, the best fed and the most generally educated people in the world. It is amazing how any self respecting American can talk about our being “a nation of wealth producing paupers” in view of the overwhelming evidence that wealth is more generally distributed in this country than any other, and that the American possess and enjoy the com forte of life in a larger degree and wider diffusion than any other peo pie on the face of the earth. Whoever says otherwise either does not know what he is talking about oi willfully misrepresents the facta..

The amphibious woman U looking tht way again. Miss Agmss Back with, tu« female champion swimmer of England, b preparing Vs make another visit to Amaric* Suing the spring. She is determined this than to aoeomplish tan (eat es swimming trass a— is Monk to Bidtatwag hnsah-