The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-30
FREE TRADE AS A CHRISTIAN
DUTY.

Henry Ward BeeCher's paper, the
Christian Union, goes back on the Repub'
lican doctrine of Protection, and advo'
Gates, as Christian duty, the Democratic
doctrine of tariff for revenue only. The
following is an extract, which will be
approved by every Democrat:
Free trade does not mean the impor'
tation of foreign goods free of all duty,
but system under which no duty is
levied upon imported merchandise for
any other purpose than the simple col
lection of such revenue as the govern.
ment requires, and under which no pref
erenCe is given to domestic merchants or
merchandise over foreign, 1t forbids,
there, all protective duties, all bounties
on exports, all licensing systems, such as
the New York aldermen established, re-
quiring cartmen doing business in this
city to live here, and all discrimination
in taxes or privileges Of trading between
residents and non-residents, citizens and
foreigners.
For ages nations believed that they
could make permanent profit by steal
ing from other nations; even after they
had learned that theft, as between man
and man, was improbable to both sides.
At last they are beginning to learn that
righteousness exalteth a nation; which
they might have learned long before, if
they had been willing 10 believe what
the wise man told them in Prov 14:34,
and to understand that, Thou shalt not
steal" was addressed to nations as well
as men. But righteousness in every re.
spect exalts and profits any nation; and
sin in any form is reproaCh and him
dranCe to it.
Now, the whole system of protection
rests upon desire to deprive foreigners
of some advantage, and to transfer it to
ourselves. France is successfully engag
ged in making silk; and we say, Let us
destroy half the silk factories in France,
and starve half their workmen out OF
the business, 30 that we may make prof
it's of the business in our own country"
So we put on heavy duty, far in excess
of the needs of the government; and af
ter paying in the course Of twenty years
about 5000 100000 more for silk than We
need to, we have at last the satisfaction
of seeing few poor Frenchmen, who
have suffered everything short of starv
ation through our diminished purchases
of their work, come over in the steerage
and 90 to work in our few silk mills
This has been done quite successfully in
the case of steel, the manufacture OF
which has been transplsnted by means
of literally starving out the Sheffield
work. men, until of them came here to
make steel for us. The men are Just the
same as ever; he steel is the same; We
have paid an enormous price to get the
work done here; and then We rejoice that
we are no longer paying tribute to for.
eigners7 John Smith was making steel
at Sheffield for US, and was happy in his
work. At a vast expense to ourselves,
and with great suffering to him, both in
his body and his affections, we tear him
away from his old home, and set him
down in Pittsburg to do the same work
and charge us twice as much for it. The |
folly of the thing constantly leads one to |
forget its moral aspect. But the Gospe |
condemns our act, not as unwise, but as |
cruelty selfish. John Smith in Sheffield |
or in France is as truly our neighbor,and
as much entitled to our consideration |
and love, as when he crossed the ocean |
and settled in Pittsburg or Patterson. 1t
is not merely foolish, it is wicked to do |
anything which is indirectly intended to |
deprive any man Of honest labor, USE
fully directed, or to compel any man to
leave his home and friends, in order to
come to our country and do the same
things here he could have done for US as
well at home"