The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-09-05
Free Trade Meeting at the Court
House.

| 1lUubGS
Mr.. Lloyd, who travels and speaks in
the interest Of the American Free Trade
League, an organization that has itShead.
quarters and leading membership in New
York city, addressed an audience number
ing perhaps hundred persons at the
Court House Saturday night
He stated at the outset that he did not
appear in the interest Of either of the pc.
litical parties Of the day, but simply Us
the advocate Of the Free Trade doctrines
that were held in common by leading
minds on both sides. 1t was his mission
to ignore politics in the facts and argu-
mcnts which he presented to the people
in favor Of Free Trade. He cited the fact
that nearly all the leading papers III the
West, Republican and Democratic, were
advocates Of the principles lie represented.
And 50 Of the public men. The CinCln-
matt Commercial! had recently advised that
in selecting candidates for the next Con-
gress care should he taken TO choose those
opposed 10 the Protective Tariff saysteln,
and the Commercial is q Republican paper.
What IS tariff? asked the speaker.
Some people think that 1t is o tax laid on
foreigners for the benefit OF our people.
This Is an entire mistake. 1t Is o tax on
ourselves, lust as much rs our internal
taxes, but with this difference, that
whereas the government gets tho benefit
Of our internal taxation 1t does not get the
benefit OF our Tariff taxes. A protective
tariff is machine that levies taxes upon
the many for the benefit Of the few and
docs not put, as it pretends, money in the
needy pockets Of the government
lie illustrated what he meant by Tux
Ing such articles as salt and iron for ex-
amples: The government leVics an enor'
NOUS duty on salt. But we only import
about half our suit, and hence while the
government only gets tho duty on one
half the amount used by the people the
manufacturers get 1t on the balance, for
the amount OF the duty regulates the price
at which all salt Is sold TO consumers.
He cited also the duty on coarse blink
els, of which two million pairs are an
nually used by the poor in this country.
These blankots can be furnished in Liver.
pool for about one dollar and forty cents
in gold. But their importation is prac-
tically prohibited, owing to an excessive
duty. And yet this excessive duty does
not yield dollar to the government, be-
cause all the blankets are made in this
country, and are sold at three and half
and four dollars per pair. This is great
burden on the consumers, md is levied for
the benefit of few manufactures OF these
blankets in this country.
In regard To iron, the duty Is nine dol
lars per ton. But this puts only an in
considerable sum in the Golfers Of the
government because most of our iron Is
made in this country. But that nine dol.
lars of duty adds TO the margin of profit
for manufacturers, and is paid by all the
consumers of iron. HCaccOunted Tor the
high price of iron by reason Of this duty.
Mr.. s. Il. Woodward, who was present,
asked the speaker whether he supposed
our excessive and irrcdeemablc currency
had anything to do with the price otiron.
The speaker was willing TO allow that 1t
hud some effect in increasing prices. AIR.
Woodward thought that it just about
made up the difference Of nine, dollars
about which the speaker had been talk
ling, The increase in cost Of production
per ton was from say eighteen dollars in
gold times to twcnty.eight dollars IN t!sese
times.
Mr.. Hearn, who was also present, said
that when the speaker was through he
would like to present n few facts for his
consideration. The speaker gave way in
n moment or two and Mr.. II. took the
stand and called attention to the tact that
in the matter of iron, about which VIC had
been hearing, there were two sides
TO the question. 1t was all well
enough MS n matter of theory TO tell us
about what Free TrdC had done Tor
Great Britain. But what was the condl:;
ton Of her working people as compared
with ours? Lookat the difference in their
wages and in tlcScost Of living. Here, In
/ this country, wages were higher and liz.
inr WINS cheaper than in England. The
wagcs Tor boiling in the English iron
mills were from one dollar and torty-ninc
cents to two dollars and twenty.four cents
pcr ton in our currency. In Wheeling it
was seven dollars and quarter per ton.
The price paid for heating ton Of rails
was thirty.two cents currency, while here
It is ninety cents. Common laborcrs in
English rolling mills received from $2.5!
to $4.57 per week. Here they received
molc than twice that amount. For flour
these English employees paid about 1904
per barrel. For beef, about % to 25 cents
per pound. For butter, about A cents.
SLr. Hcarn contcndcd that these figures
revealed side Of the question that Free
finders were not in the habit Of dis
closing.
Mr.. Lloyd, said that Of course wages
were high and provisions cheap in new
and extended country like ours, as com:
pared with an old thtckly settled country
like England.
About this stage Of the meeting, which
had lasted upwards ofAn hour, the limited
taudience had become very thin indeed,
and the few tint remained seemed to
think that they had heard about enough
for tile present, and 50, with one accord,
they rose up and adjourned themselves
without the iormality Of a motion. W.
Mn. LOUIS n. BoSArARTE, late Of Paris,
is about to travel for his health. He will
4 IL.