The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-04-12
Gres1iitg State Sd,iraaI.
FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL IL, 1872.
Speech of Hen. VIM. ID. Kelley, of Pennsylva-
vania, in the House of Representatives,
March 18th, 1879, in Answer to the Free
Trade Argument of MIR. Kerr


Committee of the Whole on the state ofth,
Union Mr.. Kelley said
Mr.. Spedke7-I meet the gentleman. sir
at the very threshold of his argument. -
His fundamental proposition is that the
government has no right to impose u duty
on goods imported into the country except
for the purpose of revenue. This DENY.
and say that it is the duty of the govern
ment Of the United States to maintain the
autonomy, the life of the nation, and the
spirit and principle of that life; to MAIN
tam that system of government which, ac-
cording equal rights to all, exacts equal
and intelligent duties from all. This, sir,
involves the maintenance of the laborers of
the country of family and home, and that
at a cost of so small portion of their earn
lngs that they shall also be able to send
Their children to the public schools thrown
wide open throughout the country. and
possibly to the free colleges endowed
~ the states or by private mu-
innocence. 10 the existence of
agoyernnent resting upon the virtue and
intelligence OF the people this is essential.
1t is no boon to the laborer. It is the
DUTY oil the government to protect the Ia
oorers OF the country in the recent of
as the only means of keeping firm and I'M
shaken the foundation upon which our Re-
publican institutions rest-intelligent pon-
ular opinion. Nothing is more apparent 70
mo than that the government and people of
this country may defend their rights and
institutions by peaceable measures. as
well as by those implied by the nainte.
nance OF a standing army and navy.
The speech of the gentleman as it goes
broadcast through the country will cause
many shudder and many a sigh in the
homes OF our working people. 1t adiudges
the standard of their wages to be those |
gwen in other lands. 1t holds up England. |
FRANCE and Belgium as the exemplars we |
should follow. Sir, there are in this coun- |
try more than million toillng farmers. ar
tlsans and laborers who have fled from the |
blessings OF Belgium, the Zollyerein. and |
threat Britain and they know that a sys-
tenn of customs duties equivalent to ihe
difference between American wages and
those paid in the lands from which thew
lied is the barrier that defends their homes
and families, and their ability to send their
children to school for the education re-
CURED to qualify American citizens for the
intelligent performance of their civic du-
ties.
Belgium! says the gentleman. Sir. the
gentleman's kind heart should have cor
rected his head there. In the coal mines
OF Indiana, women and children do not
work. In the iron furnaces now rising
rapidly throughout the whole Southern re.
gion OF the gentleman's state, there are no
budding girls at work, no matrons leaving
their young children at home while thew
Toll as forseman, or do the drudgery of the
furnace. How is it In Belgium? The coal
OF Belgium is largely mined by women and
girls. The unskilled drudgery of the iron
furnace is done by women and girls in that
country. In the glass factory the men re-
tam the Light work of blowing and mould
Ing, while the women and girls do the
rough labor OF hauling the coal and other
materials and removing the heated refuse
OIL the works. Is that an example to COM
mend to the working people of the iron re- 8
slon OF either Indiana or Pennsylvania p
NO, SIR 1t is not an example which Amer
can craftsmanship should follow or pro- {
pose.
Great Britain The gentleman closed in
1 blaze of glorfication to Great Britain. j
tie told us that in 1912, under protection n
1auperism had reached the enormous figure i
u four hundred and seven thousand. Wby. r
;lr, there are nearly half million people 0
ieeing from the British islands annually to =
'scape the blessings of free trade.u aud a !
arge share ofthem como to place themselves
lnder the oppressive Course of protection'' g
n the United States; and under free trade the r
lumber OF paupers has swollen to more
nan twelve hundred thousand, as ascer- l
alned by the number found in the unions h
N holiday, the first day of the year. fl
winch process showed as the gentleman o.
aS SAID, less than one-third of that num- n,
er III ls42, but thirty years ago. This, N
oWever, Is not the real number who reach u
during the year; for the census d,
! the Work-house is taken on the LIST of n
anuary, holiday, and the number of o,
aupers found on that day is what is given 7 ffit
. the world al al
Free trade blessing to the people of y
ngand! Why, all her ,philantbropists ii,
eplore the fact that the small holding of
md Is disappearing, that the small work an
lop which might have grown to be a fac /"
'ry, is being absorbed by the monopoIizine
lpltalist. The laborers flee from the !
lessings free trade confeis upon them -
England, that they may not go down in |
and restitution to unhonored Vi
'aves. leaving no mourner to drop tear ~
yer their remains when released from the
aserles inflicted upon them by the govern Isl
6 classes, who look only to the interests Ti
the consumer, and take the very life pr
God from the operative in every depart Of
ent of productive industry. Mi
Let us look at the facts. Where does fsi
ngland get her door-frames, her doors. br,
n window-frames, and her window ~
shes? Go look at St. Thomas's Hos b be,
tai, the last noble building erected bv sor
iVate munificence and government aid in pei
e city of London, and inquire where each i hGf
or and door-lrame, each window-frame the
d sash came from, and you will learn :
at they came ready-made from Norway, a
On the 4th of July last my distinguished III
end from Massachusetts MIR. Hoarl L
rotc me from London. His letter was VII
lief, and | can recall most of it. Among Il Il
her things he said that having become a
mewhat Familiarity acquainted with an in , ls5
lgcnt workingman, a leader of his class, p
had asked him how the experiment Of sen
e. trade. was working. ''Fatally for the
)" was the reply, as reported by Mr.. bar bar
oar; 1--WE begin to see how terrible a Jaic
stake it was for the working classes. bra
:, In Pimlico alone | knew about eight tia
ndred men who had made decent liyings issu
cutting lath; but now all our VIII VIII