Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-20
woROESTEB
TuURsDAY. JUNE go, 1s7e.


The New York Evening Post takes notlce oil
the wages question and its relation 10 free trade,
but fails entirely to state the question correctly.
As the Post does not appear tic be the attorney
of sny special interest, hut gives expression TO
thoughts that are honest, however mistaken, we
read regularly all it says of free trade against
protection. 1t finds u text for the article to
which we refer, in the title Mr. Dawes has given
his speech on the tariff: Americans must Con-
troll their own Markets and their own Wages"
1t thinks there is misapprehension in this title,
aud, TO remove it, undertakes 10 bring daylight
into the whole matter by explaining what is
meant by market" in this way: Ga market
is the meeting Of products on sale with other
products on sale for the purpose of mutual
exchange of the two" But, the Post will hard
" assert that English and American wooden,
cotton, or iron goods are likely to meet in New
York, or in any other American market, "fOr
the purpose of mutual exchange" The English
goods would come to crowd our goods out of the
market. Mr.. Dawes speaks of oar markets;
and the purpose is to control them by means OF
protective system, for the benefit OF American
labor. The Posts explanation of the term
"market," does not touch the question at issue.
That journal may get nearer the question by
inquirng carefully how it can be made possible
to manufacture such goods in this country as
cheaply as in England, without adopting the En-
glish starvation system of wages, which, of
course, is impossible. 1t may learn that we
must protect our industry, or allow it to be de-
stroyed by the influence of other systems of
labor much more like barbHrism than that
which we seek to establish in the world. The
truth is, the millennium has not yet arrived;
there is much to be changed in the
social and industrial Condition of England,
and of some other nations, before they
can have equal, just, and harmonious
relations with our system. Therefore,
to talk as if the world were in condition TO
have "all these things of production and distri-
button regulated by natural laws as unerring
and as beautiful as the laws that govern the
heavenly bodies seems to us very lamentable
nonsense. Our proper business is, not to dream
of what should be, but TO deal faithfully with
what is We may talk finely of "unerring nat
ural laws" and sing millennal songs until we
are hoarse; but this will not change the actual
condition of the world nor remove the necessi-
ty for protecting our system of industry against
destructive competition with the more uncivi-
lized and serfiike systems to which labor is sub
jecied in most of the European countries.
There is room, in this country, for "reSenue
reform" but not for that sort of revenue re-
form" which means free trade. Our tariff laws
have never been perfect. Duties have been i'm
posed on various articles which are not pro-
duced in this country, and relative to which our
industry needs no protection. The protective
policy does not require duties on such articles,
and there are some others which might be ex-
empt from duties without injury to our home
production. But there can be no abolition of
tariffs and custom houses while the government
needs revenue TO pay current expenses and
provide for the public debt; and the
welfare of the country will constantly de-
mand that the necessary duties shall be so
imposed on imports as to protect our industry,
and not as to destroy it for the benefit of En-
glish manufacturers. The advocates of free
trade seem unwilling TO treat this question fair
ly. In many ways they show a disposition to
make it the foremost business Of our revenue
laws 10 give the English manufacturers control
of our markets. 1t is not so much the free trade
of millenarian biologists, (that is to say, alb
solute free tradel, they want, as just that
amount of free trade which will destroy protec-
tion of our home manufactures. The abolition
ofdutes on tea and coffee did not suit them,
because it did not interfere with protection;
their crusading friends in England do not pro-
duce tea and coffee They are understood, and
there is not likely to be growth Of public sen
iiment in their favor.