Daily Republican., 1879-12-05
A NOTE.
the Republican " still leads In
strcuIstiOn. Advertise where you
ret the most for your money ana
thO I" RepubIic ar - In that paper.
Ru,nous Policy OF Free Trade.

Englishman, on the ruinous enec's U
free trade on British industries. Eng
land. he says, has had four lean years,
and as yet there is scarcely any
sign of returning prosperity, the only
sign being that America, prosperous al
she is, may draw portion OF her sup
plies from England, and thereby iacili'
tate trade in that country. America,
France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium
and Holland are referred to as protec-
tive nations, and the employment OF all
the citizens of these nations is an un-
answerable argument in favor of pro-
lection. Mr.. Sullivan grows enthusi-
astic as he instances what protection
has done for America. The effect OF
protecting the employment OF the pso-
pie here, he says, is a little short OF
marvellous the best workmen of Eng
land have hocked to her; industries
that ten years ago had no existence,
have sprung into vigorous life, and
neither war nor rebellion, debt or soft
money, nor hard money, have been
able TO cause more than a temporary
arrangement of her wonderful prosper
i.y. Amongst the many causes which
eucumbers highlands debit side are the
following: "Fereign competition has
lessened the general employment Of the
people, and made the returns OF labor
and capital 50 uncertain and tlunctua-
ting, that masters could not calculate
their profits, or the workmen their
wages, for month together. 1t has
.engthened the labor and lowered
the wages of British workmen to the
level of their foreign competitors, and
has destroyed the national pride in the
national industries. Besides this, it
has created wild competition in price,
that has ruined the quality of English
goods, and it has destroyed the English
workman pride in his work" This ia
a dark picture truly of the results of
free trade, and unfortunately the peo-
pie of this country having passed
through just such free trade depres-
sions know that the picture is not too
highly col0red or over drawn. Were it
not for her free trade principles England
would ere this have recovered
from the shock of her business panic and
would by this time be on the high road
to prosperity. Never before have English
workmen suffered for the want of en-
ployment, and many Of the best of them
have been compelled as Mr.. Sullivan
says to come to America where labor is
to a certain degree protected, for en-
ployment. The force in our own home
machine shops and cutlery manufac-
tories has been augmented by the ar
rival of Sheffield machinists and cutters.
The manufactures of England as Mr..
Sullivan says are excluded from for
sign markets by prohibitory duties and
excluded from their own home markets
by foreign competition, and he peril
nently asks the government Of England
what they are going to do about it,
whether they are prepared to support
tn elm in idleness, and if the bread win
ners leave the country who are to sup
port the old, the infrm, the widows
and the children left behind These
are important inquiries and their point
edness applies as well to this country
As to England. When such dark
picture of the results of free trade in
England is drawn, and of which we
have ocular demonstration Of its truth
by the influx of British into this cOun-
try, it is poor time to contemplate the
adoption Of the same principles here
that have silenced the workshops there.
We wish that all the mechanics, labor
ers and manu- facturers in Wilmington
would take the time to read Mr.. Sulli-
vans article and ask themselves what
side they are supporting by Their fran
ehises-the party of protection or the
party Of free trade.