New-York tribune., 1871-11-20
MILES LOGIC.

Mr. John Stuart MILL late NJ. p, the diStin-
guishcd writer on Political Economy, having
been chosen an honorary member of the Lib
| cral Club i'll this City, was invited to give to
| it his reasons for desiring this country to adopt
Frce-Trade policy, and did 30 i'll letter
which was read and discussed at the Club
having already been printed in every edition
Of TIE TRIBUNE, with the Editors reasons fol
dissenting from Mr.. Mills conclusions. Not
loss than One Million American PrOtectionist'
were thus placed by us in full possession of
the best argument that could be made against
our views by the most eminent living phIlo-
sophie champion of Free Trade.
Mr.. Mill, in a recent letter to Ncw-York
friend (rcad at the Liberal Club last Friday
night, and printed in THE TRIBUNE next morn
ing>, intimatcs dissatisfaction with the status
of the controversy. Let us hear him and judge.
He now says:
"Mr ircery's objection that the high wages IN the
United states cannot be caused by cheap land and spare
population. land checl and population sparsrr
in Canada whore wages are lower deserves notice both
account OF tho and the subject. But not
pretended that tho effect OF these causes III producing
high wages cannot possibly DE modified or frustrated by
anything else, the Free Trader afford TO admit the
fact stated by Mr.. Greeley.
IL VIII lOl DC contested lht wages 3fO at III events
much higher in Canada than Ill Great Britain For the
rest my knowledge Of Canada and its is
not sufficient to enable me to explain every part Of its
economic condition ! should require TO know, first,
between what parts Of Canada and what parts OF tho
United STATES the comparison to land and population
AMI wages is made secondly, whether the wages said
TO he lower IN Canada are wages in gold, and assuming
that they are 50, whether, when compared with the
prices Of articles of consumption, augmented These
prices y tariff they do not enable the Canadian
lab0er to be fully well of his neighbOr your
side OF the ii0ncr Finally II those questions all
resolved in favor Of Mr. Greeley the only inference that
should draw is, that the arts Of production less
advanced and the labor Of the community less efficient
in Cnada than in the United states the natural effect
OF winch would be to keep wages lower than the cir.
custances OF the country with respect to land and
population would Otherwise make them. 1t should I've
remembered also, that Gas observer Mr. Grecey's
sovereign remedy. Proteclo exists i'll Canada though
not TO the same extravIr1nt pitch III the United
States"
Here Mr.. Mill asserts that Protection
"exists in Canada" Is not this Quibblef
Canada has Tariff, enacted expressly and
only to supply her need of revenue. 1t is lower
than ours could possibly be, because of our vast
National Debt which, Gncludng our Pension
list absOrbs One Hundred and Forty Millions
of Dollars per annum. Canada has purely
Revenue Tariff, as We have one avowedly
framed 80 as 10 afford adequate Revenue to
our Government and at the same time give
Protection to our National Industry. Here are
the two antagonistic policies in operation side
by side. Mr.. Mill, shrinking from compare
son, seeks to confuse or cOnfound them.
Could he render stronger testimony to the
merits Of PrOtectiOni
Mr.. Mill wants to know what parts of Can.
ada and what of the United States are the
basis of comparison. We answer, No parts,
but the whole The two countries are confer.
muous for distance of several thousand miles.
Tens Of thousands of Canadians are this day
at work in the United States, for the simple
reason that they can earn more here than
they can at home They know all about the
difference between our paper and the Canadian
convertible currency. They know that living
costs more here than in any part of
the Canadas; yet they come over
here in thousands. because, after max
ing all allowances and deductions,
Odr wages are far the better. But more:
thousands have, within the last few years,