The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-09-02
Dickinson On Free Trade.

with the Democratic Candidate for |
Congress. And we hope to find him !
in a good humor for the occasion.
Tie platform of your party, Mr..
Dickinson, and which you have as
sured us you stand on, is practically
free trade, is it not,
DIcKGNsoN-Well, yes; so far as
Ohio is concerned, it is, practically
and really, although some Of the
other States, and particularly Pen
sylvania, don't agree with us in that
policy. You see they have in their
vast hills, mines of iron and coal,
and they have immense manufac-
tories Of every kind, which employ
mnumerable workmen. at good
healthy wages. They are nice peo-
pie, as a general thing, but somehow
they have got it into their heads that
if the tariff Is reduced on pig iron,
and nails, and such like, that the for
eigncrs who make iron cheaper than
they can will food the continent
with their productions, and so O.
lige them to stop their works, and
throw, those laborers out of employ
ment; and so they go for tariff to
protect themselves, and oblige the
''rest of mankind" to pay them more
for their iron than they could buy
the same from the foreigners. But
I say, if they can't sell as cheap as
the others they ought to stop. We
have right to buy where we can
buy the cheapest. That's Demo
cratic.
Will you tell us Why those for
eigners are enabled to sell their iron
SO much cheaper than we can here.
DICKINsoN-Yes. First they have
immense capital, and even at low
per cent, they net enormous profits;
and second, they pay their workmen
smaller wages than are paid here.
just think of it; the American work
men get $4SS per ton for pudding
iron, when in England they get only
$2.37!, and in Belgium only $1.2O;
and what is true of iron is true of
cotton, for while American laborers
get from $S to 50 per week for spin
ming cotton, the English workman
gets less than 81 per week, on an
average. Those are the principal
reasons.
Then we suppose you are in favor
of reducing the wages of the Amer
lean workman, TO correspond with
the wages of the foreign workers?
DICKINsoN-That would seem to
be natural conclusion, and yet we
would not like to have the working
people see that point. Our plan is
to make each class of workers believe
that free trade will enable them to
buy the products Of the other class
cheaper than they can now. We
never talk to them about the effect
it will have upon their trade. That
would not be policy. Its their votes
we are after you know. But, really,
if it is democratic to buy of those
who sell the cheapest, it must be
Democratic to hire those who work
the cheapest.
We think we understand you. It's
of no consequence what happens to
the workmen after you get their
votes.
DIcKINsoN-WelI to get their votes
is the first thing. And then, if they
suffer, after free trade is inaugural
ed, they can't blame me, for they vo-
ted in favor Of it.
But, Mr.. Dickinson, do those
heavy capitalists pay taxes under
this government?
DICKMsoN-Why no; certainly
not. Why do you ask that ques-
ton?
Because, you folks have a great
deal to say about men in this coun-
try who loaned their money to the
government in the time of its neces-
sites, and received in return bonds
not taxed. Yet without any consid-
Grafton you would open up this entire
country as prey to these foreign
vultures, who pay no taxes here, who
owe no obedience to our laws, who
are not subject to military duty, and
who cannot be called upon at any
time to defend the government
And you would compel our citizens
who pay their taxes for the protec.
ton which every just government
is bound TO give its citizens, to shut
up their work shops, and let their
capital lay idle, in order that these
foreign cormorants might batten up.
on the land. You will reduce the
wages of our workman, or throw
them out of employment, in order
that the cheaper labor of Europe
might be supported. Is not this sol
D1CKINsoN-Well, why don't they
sell their goods as cheap as those
foreigners? We believe, just as oul
platform says, shat in the arrange
ments of revenue tariff all the ne
ccssdries Of life should be absolutely
free Of duty," and there's where
stand, and as all these things arc
among the necessities of life, why
they should be governed by that
rule. That's Democratic.
Well, Mr.. Dickinson, when the tar
if bill was up in the house, last
session, you were present were you