The Portland daily press., 1880-11-01
Hartford courant,l
An English Fight.

There was as much truth as wit in Mark
Twain's characterization in the opera house
Tuesday night, of one ported of our confic
as an English affair altogether English OF
Connecticut, English of Indiana, and the En-
glsh over the water
For some reason another, the English
have taken a very lively hand in our presiden-
tial contest. If they had shown the same SYM
pathy in our Union struggle, on the right side
we should have had great occasion for graft
tude. We do not know what the Golden Free
Trade club were doing during the war, wheth-
er they were counting up the advantages
to England of free trade with the
new confeaeracy--an unlimited market for
English goods in exchange for raw cotton-but
If they had set their printing presses going in
favor OF the confederacy as vigorously as they
are now at work tor the Democratic tariff for
revenue only their performance in point OF
pure selfishness would I'VE been about what it
is now.
The fact is that the country is pretty well
flooded with free trade documents stamped
with the name of the "Cobden club" Who
pays for these? Not the Democratic national
committee, we are assured. Mr.. Barnum has
more direct and telling use for his money.
No, English free traders foot the bill 1t is
English manufacturers who are putting this
finger in our election They say it is all for
our good. They profess philanthropic inter
est in us, until their benevolent faces are
lighted up with radiance like that of the full
moon. It is solely for our good that they want
to stop our manufacture of goods and supply
ne wi fna.rn nxUfl nlc :.
in the broad interest of humanity that they
profess this. 1t is in the interest of humanity
that they would lower the wages of our work
ingmen to their own starvation standard. We
have other conceptions of the interest of hu-
manity. AS Mr. Henry C. Robinson we'll said
at the opera house, the highest object of gov
ernment is not to make cheap shirt; it is to
make man!
There can be but one meaning to this raid of
English tracts and arguments through the
Cooden club. Our manufacturers interfere in
all the markets of the world with the sale of
English goods, and the Golden club thinks
this is very wrong state of things 1t is
therefore trying to stir up the Western farm
ers to think they are misused by the tariff. We
are much obliged for English instruction on
many topics. But when her self interest is SO
vitally concerned, and is hostile to our inter.
est. we take her advice for exactly what it is
worth. There is probably not a farmer in the
Union who does not know that a near and con-
slant market is better than distant and flnc-
tuating one; who does not know that the more
factories we have in this country, at his very
door, the more men there are employed in them
the greater will be the steady demand wear by
year, for the products of his farm.
The fact is that we have built up here by
the aid of judicious encouragement of indus
tries among other means, a nation that in all
its products, manufactures and ars, is more
nearly independent of thu outside world than
ever nation was before; and we do not intend
to surrender any part of our Independence, be-
cause England happens to be in tight place
and cannot sell her goods or keep her laboring
classes from discontent.