Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-04
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1879.
THE FREE-rR OE mOVEMENw.


With leisurely but certain strides the free
trade movement is advancing in this country.
The fact "protection" has almost driven
American shipping frorn the face of the ocean
is awakening thousands to the paralyzing eff
fects of that system. The fact that every
poor victim of chills and fever must pay sixty
cents an ounce to two monOpolist drug houses
in Philadelphia, before he can be allowed
quinine to cure him, is teaching the people
that protection" is not the protection OF
trade, but the protection of monopoly and
cruelty. On Thursday last the New York
free-trade club celebrated its anniversary
amid congratulations upon what had been
done during the year to arouse the country
upon the subject of placing our national COM
MERGE upon the basis of correct and rational
principles. The club sends out lecturers, and
disseminates free-trade literature. and it is
receiving accessions to its membership from
some of the strongest "protectlonist" dis
tricts in the republic. Prof. Perry, of Will
iams college, said that subjects connected
with political economy are receiving more
attention from collegiate institutions
than formerly. He observed that in
proportion AS young men gain
the power of analysis and learned to distin-
guish correct principle from erroneous asser-
ton, they become free-traders. yale"
said the professor, ''gives excellent economic
instruction, and Numbers of the young men
who go out from it, and from Amherst,
Dartmouth and other colleges, go into the
newspaper offices. They throw their life into
4 Ill,
of the principles of free trade. 1t is the
press that will help US to win this fight. We
must, said Professor Perry, depend on the
young men who go to the daily and weekly
newspapers to assist US in winning this bat
tie. But we shall win it, for the stars in
their courses are fighting on our side" Da-
vid A. Wells, the most able free-trader In
the country, said that if the question could
be fairly presented to our people how long
they would endure restrictions on trade any
more than on free speech or freedom of
movement, the answer would be given
as quickly as they could express
their will through Their representa-
tlves in congress. Our commerce
has gone into the hands of foreign nations.
England and Germany can carry merchandise
within the very Gulf of Mexico, and to Mex
leo itself; while our system protects the for
eign shipbuilder and sailor, leaving our own
with nothing to do. With all the evil inAu-
ences that system false in principle and op-
pressive in practice can produce. people are
asking why we have so long been suffering
from bad trade. The answer is obvious and
demonstrate. We have traded on principles
that lead to commercial disaster, therefore
commercial distress was the certain result.
Attempts are making to introduce the culture
of tea into this country. Suppose we could
grow it 80 as to sell it at dollar pound,
while the Chinese sell it at sixty cents, and
we put forty cents a pound duty ON the
Chinese article-on quinne the duty Is sixty
cents an ounce-theu we could grow our own
tea; but, would it pay ?" 1t will, if it would
pay q lawyer to mend his own boots
for the sake of having the work done at his
own house. When man can buy an article
OF his neiRhbor for less money than he can
make it himself, he does SO; and what is true
of neighbors, is true Of neighboring nations.
To buy where we can buy cheapest, and sell
where we can sell dearest, is the great COM
mercial law which cannot be violated with
out loss and damage. A free interchange of
produce between nations is consistent with
the doings of that Providence that gave diff
ferent climates to different regions. To OPP
pose a free exchange of products leads to
such curses as a tax of sixty cents an ounce
upon quinine in favor of chllls and fever, and
of suffering and poverty.