The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1868-06-10
As VIEWED BY A FREE
TRADER.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

~ Ieo Ss''''" " NV A''o""''
SIR: You never seem to tire nor
end on the question of Protection, and
yet you fail to convince any one that
your theory is for the best interests
of the country and what may seem
strange is that the men to whom
you say most-the workingmen-
have the least faith in your preaching.
One of the immediate effects of "a high
tariff is to keep up the price of labor
which is more than four times as
high in this county as it will average
in Europe.
l am for unqualified Free Trade.
l would sell out the Houses,
discharge the leeches that swarm
around them, and allow people to sell
and buy products and goods whenever
they found it for their interest to do so.
This will bring us to a true and nor
NAL condition.
see clearly what the immediate eff
feet would be. Commercial distur-
bance would be the natural result, for
it would be great and radical change.
We should be on an entirely new foun-
dation. The first effect would be to
stop manufacturing here, and the
country would be filled with foreign
goods, many Of rhich Europe ~ould
nerer see her money for. A commercial
revulsion would be out of employment
and the price of labor would come
down, down, down, until lit touched
the European Standard, and then sue
cess is secured. All that is necessary
in this country, with the marvellous
skill and wealth which we possess, to
compete successfully with the foreign
manufacture, is low wages. The writ
er of this once manufactured goods in
Brussels (Belgium), where he eprocured
thBservices of the best mechanics for
less than 80 cents per day and good
workmen for 1S2 cents.
| Free trade would certainly work
this result; and then we could manu-
facture goods for the whole world.
Gold would flow into our Golfers from
every land like a river. We should
soon be rich and independent, defying
the world commercially as we now
may physically. When will you rid
yourself of your narrow and contracted
views of trade, and preach the pure
gospel of commercial liberty as you
now do political?
Yours respectfully.
CHARLES SIMMONS.
New York, May 80, '6S.
The Hibune's Reply.
1. Itis'auite probable that, ifskilled
labor could be had here in abundance
for 30 cents and good workmen for
lSa cents per day, we could manufac-
ture more than we now do, thongh we
should still come far short of supply
ing "the whole world" But we could
not so depress the wages of part of the
Labor of our people without substan
TALLY reducing the price of all the Ia
Dor in the country. And we do not
believe it wise or well to reduce the
wages of labor to any such extent.
We know that the 1Sf to 80 cents per
day would buy nothing like such a
large aggregate ofthe necessaries and
comforts of life as the present wages
of our Working Glasses secure them.
We should have cheaper garments,
cheaper food THAT is, at lower money
prices) than now but it would take
great deal more hard work to buy
them. And-the Laboring Class be-
ing substantially the Voting Glass
they would not long stand it, but
would insist on going back to better
wages and better times.
2. We do not believe there is any
real advantage in buying goods Of
Europe, breaking and doing her Out
of the pay for them. We hold tc
buying less, but paying for all we
get.
3. 1t seems odd that those who in
sist on the benefcencc of Free Trad,
arc rey aptto run from aohere it is t.
whcre 1t as not. Our correspondent
says we should all get rich here if hi
policy was in vogue but why didn'
he get rich in Belgium and stay there
Why doesn't he go there now ant
manufacture, instead of staying here tt
grumble?
4. He says that the Working Mel
| have no faith in our Tariff views
That remains to be proved. We ar
gued the question in Harry Clay time
! and always carried with us a majorit,
of those Working men who coulc
f read. The other sort were impervi
: GUS to our arguments but we do no
despair even of them. Just wal
till Reconstruction is is finished, an,
we are ready to try conclusions will
q you on Protection.