The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-10-02


Der Of Congress from some Of His Cor
.stIiuenis- "a. .......,.. .g.,
Special Dispatch 10 The Chicago Trisurs.
QuNcY, Ill September 29.-The Hon
James W. Singleton, member Of copgres
from this district, having urged deanit
iree.trade doctrines upon his hearers in
speech in this city last Thursday, humble
OF the manuiacturenoi Quincy have oinet
in an openle to him, published in tn,
Wig this evening. The agners are stove
foundry men, machine men, manuiaclur
ers OF paper, carriages. wagons, plows fur
niture and the Ike, and represent a large
amount OF capital. They include the bull
ofthe manufacturers Of the city. The fol-
lowing is the letter:
To he Hon. Jams W. Sin5leton:
DEAR sIR:-In your recent speech In
this city we understood you TO call on the
farmers and laborers to combine and de-
mand Of Congress such legislation as
would enable them to buy in this country
the goods OF foreign manufacture at such
prices % the latter can afford to sell them
for. We deem It not transcending the
bounds Of our political privilege to inquire
Of you whether you are willing TO follow
this advice 10 its legitimate consequences.
What suggestion have you TO make to the
farmers TO help them TO extricate them.
selves from the dilemma in which the ap.
pllcation Of the doctrine Of your advice
would speedily involve them? Are Won
prepared to direct them to 4 convenient
and profitable market for their farm pro.
ducts when the results OF your theory
shall have shut up the thousands oil
shops, mills and factories OF this coun-
try; driven portion Of our operatives
and artisans 10 thepublic domain, still fur.
Their to swell our annual agricultural pro-
auctions (which you admit Is even now
rapidly increasing every year,; turned
another portion oil them into poor, needy
idlers; and consigned still another por-
ton to the list Of paupeis? Areyou ready,
In view Of the natural dependence OF DIFF.
ierent industries upon each other, OF the
relations Of raw materials and OF partly
and wholly manufactured products, and Of
the rates OF wages 10 other countries TO
the rates otwages in this country, are you
ready, in view OF these things, TO strike
the balance-sheet and show who gains and
who loses by the plans you propose? 1t
might stArtle you TO find that your advice
had practically ruined those you aimed to
befriend, and had been friendly only to
the foreign manufacturer, OF whom you
now seem to wish nothing more than to
buy his products cheap.
Fortunately weare not left merely TO
guess what would be the result Of follow
ing your advice. Such experience as We
have had with II in this country, coupled
with the experience Of England in the last
thirty years, proves simply this: that, II
We make our ports free 10 foreign manu-
facturers, the operatives OF England must
raise their wages from 80 10 80 per cent,
and those ofthe Continent OF Europe from
60 10 100 pei cent, or our American oper.
atives must lower theirs to the same ex.
tent. This is equivalent to saying that
American operatives must seek other EN-.
for nobody believes that the
foreign operatives have 1t In their power
TO raise their own wages Are you aware
that, at this moment, there is rolling
mill company in this State, employing 100
men, which has for months been holding
10 allegiance project for adding more
buildings and increasing their capacity to
an extent that will require 1000 men
simply holding off to see II their enterprise,
In It's present form, is TO be swamped by
the adoption In this country oil the doctrine
you advocated in your speech in the Park
last Thursday?
For ourselves, we go go far. as to say
that 1t ought to be the policy OF the Gov
eminent that no State should be allowed
70 let out its conyicts-to labor on terms
that would permit the goods produced by
them come in damaging competition with
those produced by the civil industrial
classes. This Is the doctrine OF Protection
brought down to an illustration which
can understand. It is q we'll
known fact that nearly, or quite, all the
hollow.ware required by the foundries Of
this city is made by convicts and brought
from distance, because the proprietors
here cannot afford to make 1t and put 1t
upon the market in competition with the
cheap convict.made ware, which other
foundries handle. Otherwise they could
make 1t here, and thereby furnish EN-.
ployment to q much larger number OF
men.
Now, II you could extend this convict.
made production to the other parts OF the
foundry business, the employees now at
work might quit at once aud look for job
at something else; aud finally, the propri.
etors might shut up shop, retire from bus:
iness, and live upon their capital. But, II
you want TO see this system operated on o