The Portland daily press., 1880-12-01
Do Our Own Work. Keep Our
Money at Home.

Money at Home.
No American can be in England long with.
out being involved in discussions upon the
American system of protection to home labor
Free trade with this country is an object Of in
tense longing to all Englshmen, whether en-
gagged in eonimerce or manufactures, or wheth-
er landholders or persons retired from business
All Englshmen understand that open markets
in the United States for their manufactures
would instantly revive all their industries and
stimulate them to the highest activity. Our
home market is enormous is constantly widen.
ing every day, and "free trade would give
them the undisputsd control oft
Among many discussions upon this subject
that have had in England, with Eugishmen,
was one, the reproduction of which will show
very clearly the interest that England has in
free trade with this country, and what the re-
suits of it would be to US, and especially to our
working people. My interlocutor was high
ly cultivated man, q Professor In one of the
great Universities, and was thoroughly in
earnest.
Prof. We wonder how 1t is that You Ameri-
cans do not see that Free Trade is tho true
principle on which the interests of all COM
merce ought to be conducted, and that it pro-
notes the interests Of all nations that adopt 1t.
The trade and commerce Of this country have
been greatly extended by it.
D.. Yes; see that. II I were an English
man should be free trader, because that
policy docs promote the interests of your coun-
try You are in position that enables Won to
compete successfully with the manufactures
OF other countries, consequently you no longer
need protection to your own industries But il
the immediate effect of the assertion Of free
trade in your country had been to close ali
Your mills and to blow oat the fires Of all your
furnaces, and to turn out of doors without en-
| ployment all your people engaged In these
works, would you consider the free trade
policy good one for the country?
Prof. Without doubt, no. But free trade
had no such effect upon our industries on the
contrary it stimulated them wonderfully
d. Yes understand that, and know the
reason. Put free trade adopted by us would
instantly paralyze all our industries, or the
most of them, and would deprive our people Of
| employment. OF that we are sure; therefore
| We see that system that promotes your inter-
es's. would greatly ipiure US.
I Prof. How can that be? Free trade is
based on sound principleaOf political economy,
and therefore must proI1ote the interest of All
nations that adopt it.
d. Free trade cannot promote the interests
| OF all nations. Irrespective OF their crcum-
stances and conditions any more than the
same drng can scit every patient irrespective
| OF his disease and constitution. Free trade
| promotes your industries but would kill ours
L.Hr In England is very cheap, but with US
labor is dear; consequently your manufactur-
ers can produce goods SO much cheaper than
| we can that you could undersell us in our own
markets and thus destroy all our industries,
| that yours would compete with.
-. Prtf. Very well; i see that. Such would
OF course he the immediate effect OF free trade
upon you; but in time your condition would
Il I0f t0Al4
then you could hold your own in spite of
| British competition. A
| D. Dow would that come about?
Prof The price of a commodity in the mar
ket depends upon the supply and the demand
/ In England the supply Of labor is ample to
m''st all demands, and more; consequently it
| is cheap, and we can produce goods cheaply
(, Free trade in your country would instantly
stimulate all our industries cotton, wool, iron
steel, and all goods made of those materials
The profits OF our manufactures of every sort
would be greatly increased; all our Industries
| would be enlarged and extended, producing a
] demand for more labor; consequently the
| wages OF labor would rise in our market, and
the cost OF producing goods would be increased
II the meantime your working people would.
as you say, be thrown out OF epployment:
| consequently your labor market would be-
slutted, and wages would drop to our standard,
ana then your factories and forges would start
! up again, and your manufacturers could COM
| pete with ours.
u. You understand that very we'll, You
have described clearly the effect itwould have
| upon US. But IT is not our policy to cheaper
| labor. We wish to keep the wages of labor
high; we measure the prosperity Of the coun-
/ try by the price Of labor. When it is high
business is prosperous. when wages are low
business is paray zed. When wages are high
the working people have it in their power to
| make happy and comfortable homes. When
wages are low they cannot do this,
and in old age, like your work people,
would have no resource but in charity.
Whatever happens we want to make high
and keep highS the wages Of labor.
| utsuppose We did not care for this and
should adopt your policy. A considerable
| time must elapse before we could adapt our
selves to the new conditions. In the mean
time disaster must inevitably befall the great
mass OF our manufacturers and work people.
wade every branch of business. But now the
country is more prosperous in all its industries
and interests than any nation ever was before.
| Why should We change all that?
| Prof. You have boundless extent of most
| fertile land, SO cheap that any actual settler
| can have farm without money. Your work
| people thrown out of employment could 90
West and take up land. God has assigned
| your country for agriculture You can pro-
| duce food Of all sorts cheaper than we can 4;
and we can manufacture goods for you, while
| you can produce food for US with which to pay
fer our manufactures. -At
D. We shall not probably agree as to the
designs OF Providence In relation to US. At
| present we have protection to our own indus
tries; the result Of doing our own work instead
| of hiring others to do it as you suggest is to
lind abundant remunerative- employment for
our people and to keep our money at home,
instead of sending it 70 England as we used
TO do. Under this system our country
has growth in population, wealth and power
| greater and more rapid than any other since
| the world was. Why should we not conclude
that Providence has suggested the policy Of
protection to our own industries In order to
nous home market; by keeping the supply Of
| it in our own hands we stimulate industry
keep up the price of labor; give employment
70 all our people, and induce skilled workers
their trades here. This effect of protection is
now IN full progress and has been
lsior many years. Manufacturers from
Europe transfer their business and ma
cninery 10 our country, and their work
people also, on very large scale. They make
ti,eir goods and sell them there, the money be-
| ing kept at home. The result of this has been
md IS now to make the bslance Of information
al trade largely ia our favor, as it formerly was
| greatly against US, making money dear, throw
| ing our hnanceS into confusion, and putting
our manufacturers in that respect to great dis
| advantage. Under protection money has be-
come abundant and cheap, more abundant-a
| s,eat deai-and mu;h cheaper than ever be-
Its roEmefiy All our great enterprises, OF
| whatever sort, we're embarrassed for lack of
/ money or by its high price, and we were COM
| pelled TO so TO England for it, draining tn Q
| country BY the high interest we were com.
| pelled to pay. Now. we have abundant money
ithonie, at a low interest, for all our good en-
| terpr ses that command the confidence of the
money market; and we 60 to England for mon
| ey only for doubtful and shaky enterprises
l ike the Emma Mine, and Confederate bonds
| 1t is an old and wise saying, LET well enough
| done." Why should we change q policy that
| has produced results 80 wonderful for good?
Pfuf. In England your protective tariff is
| regarded as unfriendly to our country, II not
aostile to it, because 1t affects our interests so
I ujur1ously; and for that reason. II for no 9TH
| 81, We think we have just claim that you
should modify it. if not change it entirely.
ID. 1t seems to us an extraordinary sugges.
| tion that our domestic policy should be ar
ranged to promote the interest of other nations
| 20 the injury OF our own. 1t would be a style
| OF craftsmanship that has never yet been in
Jentionaliy tried anywhere, least Of all in Eng
land. France, Germany and Switzerland are
also affected by our tariff though not to so
great degree as England. But we have nev-
or had suggestion from either of them that
| II Is not wise, and clearly within our right to
arrange our domestic policy in such . manner