New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-12-05
Work for Free Trade.

at no period Of our national existence mas !
the country made such rapid progress IN ma
terial wealth as during the last four years,
and at no period were the people SO really
prosperous and happy. Never before was
the demand for labor so universal. Never
before was the price of labor so high. Never
was the laboring man so independent. In
deed, every interest of our country has made
more rapid strides in that period than ever
before in any decade Of our history.
That the policy inaugurated by the Repnb-
lican party soon after coming into powey OF !
repudiating the old free trade idea that our
workshops should be in England, and adopt
ing the policy Of protection to our own in
dustry, has been the immediate cause of this
wonderful degree of prosperity and happi-
ness, nobody but the blindest teacher of the
free trade heresv will he bold enough to
question.
Let us look at some OF the facts bearing
upon this subject, which the last census re-
port reveals. According to this report there
were in June, 1870, in the United States
252, 14S manufactures, employing 40, l9l
steam engines, with united horsepower
of l,2l5,7ll, and SILL engines put in mo-
ton by water with combined horsepower
of ,l3O,4l6. There were busy in manufac-
tories 2,053,9ll operatives; l,6lj,j9 Of
whom were males above sixteen years, and
beside, ll4,G26 children. The combined
capital invested was $2,lls 100000, and
during the fiscal year 1916 900, 900 Of salary
were paid. The raw material consumed
amounted in value to 81, 4sS 200, 900 and the
manufactures reached in value - $50 .000,-
900.
4 comparison with the last census report
would show that all these figures have more
than doubled in the last ten years, and Il
still further investigation would establish the
| fact that the progress indicated by these sta
tistics in that perlon was greater than during
any thirty years under free trade in our
whole history. Protection may, therefore,
Justly claim the principal credit of this rapid
increase in wealth, and this remarkable con-
dition Of general prosperity.
| The fact is one that ought to, and I'M
doubtedly will, excite the most serious alarm
and will probably set them to work with more
zeal than ever to break down the dangerous
monopoly" of protective tariff. The in
vestment of more than two thousand millions
of dollars Of capital in manufactures and tho
employment Of more than two millions of
operatives in manufactures, indicate very
alarming state of affairs to free traders, and
threaten great danger to the country, if we
are to credit their theories. The fact that
$71G 900, 900, or an average of 1888 to each
man, woman, and child, is paid to these OPP
eratives yearly, will hardly reconcile them
to the terrible monopoly" Nor will the
fact that they consume yearly 50, ASS zoo, 900
of raw material, which would otherwise be
worthless, or have to be shipped to Europe,
neither manufactures worth "a ,2322 900 900,
which amount We should then have to
buy foreign manufactures, will be likely to
satisfy them that the system of encourage
ment to home industry is not miSchieyOus
and wicked.
But sensible, intelligent, patriotic men
know the figures we have quoted teach quite
a different lesson. They will understand
that, without the encouragement given to
home industry by Congress, hardly a manu-
factory, except of the most primitive char
acter, would ever have been erected in this
country, and that we should have been abso-
lutely dependent on England for the clothes
we wear, the iron we use, and indeed for the
very means Of national defense by which the
nation was saved from a great rebellion.
Two millions of operatives now constantly
employed would then be idle, and the
s7T7G, zoo, 900 yearly paid them would 60 into
the pockets Of foreign pauper laborers.
That policy, however, does not exist, and
the country is therefore prosperous, and the
people happy. Every year they are growing
richer, manufactures are becoming more nu-
merous, and stronger, and the country more
powerful and independent. 1t becomes
the free traders, therefore, to take prompt
measures to check or destroy this growing
evil. Soon the manufactures, working men
producers, and employees will defy English free
trade opposition to American industry. Soon
it will he too late to substitute foreign for
domestic labor and fabrics.