The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-08-03
Free Trade Democracy.

With remarkable unanimity, the demo
cratic Party. or what there is left OF 1T,
pitch into the NEW issue its leaders have
raised, and strike right and left, with as
little regard for rhyme or reason, as they
used to exhibit when they used to go it
blind for slavery and against abolitonists
The arguments that are made use of to sus-
tain the dogma of Free Trade are various
and frequently show more ingenuity than
common sense.
Among the advocates of Free Trade in
this State, the most earnest and able, Is,
probably, the editor of the Milwaukee Ne~s
but even his genius frequently gets into the
speaking of Capt Wards pamphlet, emit
tied Protection VS. Free Trade" which we
are publishing in our columns by install
ments, he says: 'The New York Journal of
Commerce makes humorous notice of this
extraordinary document, in which the edi-
tor thus alludes to Capt Wards laughable
assumption that the farmers Of the west do
not prosper like the farmers of New Egn-
land, because there are no factories here"
| Then follows an extract from the humorous
notice." which, like great many ''humor-
Gus" things we have seen, has neither point
nor pith 10 it. And here comes in the ''hu-
inorous" part of the NepS' article. After
quoting from the New York paper, the edi
tor of the Meas says:
1.-THE whole truth of the matter lies in a
nutshell With the same amount OF labor,
more can be produced from one acre OF Wis
consin land on the average. than from two
acres of New England laud, and Wiscon
sin farm is intrinsically worth more than
two New England farms Of the same size -
| Yet the population of the New England
States as a whole, get rich much faster than
the population of the Western States. Whyt"
The editor of the Meas goes on to answer
his own question just as Mr. Ward answers
! it in ''this extraordinary document" and i'll
that same "laugkable assumption" because
as the Meas says 'Hhe Neac England farmer
derigts an important iacidentaI advantage
from his proIjmity 10 tile readg markets ere
ated by the partial legislation of congress and
from the various influences of wealth flow
ing ia around him; and this for the same
general reason that a farm located near a
wealthy city is worth more per acre than
Que located far away in the rural districts"
Here we have the Whole question conced.
ed by the editor of the New3 himself. Substi-
tute the words manufactures in the above
extract for the words partial legislation
of congress-, (Which is what the editor
means, though little choice III his use
of terms.) and we have the gist of Captain
Wards 'laughable assumption" stated by
this apostle of Free Trade as truth, and
as an argument iii favor of the very theory
and practice he is combating.
The talk about partial legislation of
congress. - of course is mere free trade clap
trap. The Legislation" complained of is
just as partial to manufacturers at the west
as at the east. The Meas incidentally adj
mits that this Legislation" is just as par
tial to the farmers and people, generally, of
New England as to the manufacturers. 1t
enables them with poorer land, requiring
double the labor, to get rich much faster
than the population of the west"
By the introduction of the various man
ufactures at the west according to the edi-
tor of the Nea05, land would be quadrupled in
value For says he "a Wisconsin farm is
intrinsically worth more than two New
England farms OF the same size" while the
New England farm "by its proximity to
the ready market created by" New Eng
lanH manufactures, is rendered much more
valuable than a Wisconsin farm of twice its
intrinsic value.
Do we want any better argument i'll IA
vor of the establishment Of manufactures
and diversified industry, at the west, than
this, wrung from the unwilling admission
of the Free Trade theorist by the sheer force
of facts that he can neither get around nor
explain away?
The most ultra Free Trade democrat will
any more partial to eastern than to western
manufacturers, and above we have the adj
mission from one of the most ultra of that
! class, that the ready market created by
their manufactures" enables the New Eng
land farmers on their hard and unfruitful
farms to grow rich much faster than west.
ern farmers on their easily titled and rich
and productive farms This is a full answer
and refutation to the charge set up in an
other place by the same editor of the News
that the partial legislation of congress"
enables the manufacturer to grow rich out
of the hard earned profits of the agricultur-
list. Like many others we have heard of,
these theoretical Free trade democrats only
need to be given rope enough, to hang them
selves.
The Nea closes its remark with the fol-
lowing
Thus while it is fact that the sterile
New England farm is worth more per acre
than the productive western farm, and that
the east is increasing in wealth much more
rapidly than the west, the reason of the
fact is not that our children cannot work in
factories but that eastern capital is protect
ed by congress while western capital is
not"
The editor of the Meas is happy in his
statement of the facts but when he comes
to the statement Of 1.-The reason of the fact.
he is most lame and impotent What is
the use of talking nonsense, and telling
fasehoods about eastern capital being pro
tected while western capital is not ?" Why