The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-10-09
SHUT UP THE MILLS.
FREE TRADE THE GREAT IDEA.
Down with Protection-The Truth Told
to the Turkeys.
T1-RKEyTowS. Oct. > 1880.

TURKEYTOwN, Oct. J, 1880.
DEAR WHIG:-The Democrat club at
this place had a grand time on Saturday
night last,-a torch-light procession, a
brass band, and lots of speaking. Soon
after nightfall the clans began to assem-
BILE from Kimbleville and New London:
men and women in wagons and on horse
back with torches, banners, and trans
parencies: some of the horses We're gaily
decorated, and all seemed in good spir-
its. A remarkable feature of the meet
ing was the large number of Republic
cans present,-residcnt of, and voters in,
the Fourth district.
At about 7.30 o'clock the meeting was
called to order and the grand ball opened.
Mr.. Daniel Bratton, j., was first called.
| was glad of that, for | know and re-
spect his father. and have heard that the
young gentleman is a youth of promise.
The youthful orator came promptly to
the front and delivered himself of speech
in many respects quite remarkable. His
introduction was well got off. and was
gave promise Of what never followed: for
when he came to deal with the issues
now agitating the country, it was diff
cult for me to determine whether his
malignant partisanship or his ignorance
of the subject in hand was his greater
fault make due allowance for his youth
and for his looking at things from a
Democratic standpoint: but when a man
goes out to enlighten others, he ought to
have his own head clear.
His first laundering Justification of his
tory was the assertion that the Republi-
cans made the war. | would like to ask
Mr.. Bratten question OF two here. Were
they Republicans who fired on Fort Stump
ter and compelled its furnished garrison
to surrender while the Democrats were
yet in possession of the Government?
Were they Republicans in all the South
who stole the property of the United
States. of whatever description and where
ever found? Were they Republicans who
tore down, and trailed in the dust, the
national flag, and raised in its place the
Rebel rag? Finally, were these acts acts
of war; Here let me quote Mr.. Gree
ley in reply to this same charge. He
said: There was not a Republican en-
gagged in the rebellion. but from the
President of the devilish concern down
to the drummer in the ranks, all were
Democrats.
Mr. Bratton next attacked the tinan-
cial policy of the Republican party, and
said what have seen in the papers of his
party, they were indebted to the acct
dental OF providential circumstances of
short crops in Europe and good crops i'll
America. mo Returning Boards or
other Federal officers said the orator.
supervised the planting of the fields or
the gathering of the harvest. They were
the gift of the great High Priest of the
Democratic hierarchy Gods and men
attend. The Democratic hierarchy! Now
that is what | call sublime. \ touch
above the vulgar, bordering close on the
ludicrous. My stars, but the people did
stare when they heard that, and wonder
what next. Suppose, said Mr.. Bratton.
the circumstances were reverSed-short
crops in America and good crops in Eu-
rope What, then, he exclaimed in tri-
umph. would become of your boosted
resumption9 Mr.. Bratton ought to know
that the circumstances might be reversed
under free trade and then what would
the Democratic administration do, with
nothing to depend on but grain, and that
Il failureo Should the circumstances be
reversed under protection, we have our
manufactures to fall back on. and can
live on our own means; while if our fac
tories are stopped or crippled by free
trade, we will be obliged to import our
goods and have nothing to ship i'll ex-
change Do you see, Mr.. Brattcn, where
you are now? When Mr.. Bratton gets
down from the third heaven, where that
dazzling figure Of speech-the Demo-
cratic hierarchy-carried him, let him
look into the compendium of the last CEN
sus, and he will see that if the American
farmers would live On corn or acorns and
sell all their wheat, exc pit seed, it would
not equal in amount the foreign goods
we now import Had it not been for the
present tariff, which called our splendid
manufactures into being, all our agri-
cultural products would not be sufficient
to supply the goods we would have been
obligad to import. and consequently the
balance of trade would be against us and
resumption an impossibility. Do you see,
Mr.. Bratton?
After lauding Hancock above any man
living OF dead, and urging all present to
support him, he wound up his remarka-
BILE speech by saying that the Democratic
party was contendiny for free ships, free
hode. home rule, and hard money. That
is pain truth and to the point. No am
biguity or nonsense about Il ,iudiciouS
tariff, or a tariff for revenue. but squire
free trade. Now that's what | like, a
candid statement of the case. We all
know that is what Il ma jority of the think
ing Democrats are driving at, but few of
them have the honesty to say so: and |
thank Mr.. Bratton for frankly stating the
issue i'll such plain language. The young
gentleman will see this subject differently
sometime. His good sense assures me OF
that, and his candor and fairness interest
me greatly. He is just from college and
fresh from the reading of Adam Smiths
Wealth of Nations, Il purely theoretic
work, written solely to build up British
manufacturing supremacy, which aims at
making the whole world tributary to her.
Should the young man feel disposed to
investigate the subject more practically.
he would get great deal of light from
small volume from the pen of Horace
Greeley, published some years ago; or if
it is his wish to sound the deepest depths
of the subject, | will lend him Carey on
''The Principles of Social Science" a
most exhaustive work. He can not at
ford, with his intelligence, to be so far
wrong on so vital a question.
But am not yet done with his speech.
Free trade means one of two things. 1t
means either to lose our mills and send
their inmates from their comfortable
homes. OF reduce them to the condition of
their fellow workers i'll Europe. This last
will necessarily be the case. for. as it has
already been observed, we must continue
to manufacture, because We cannot pro-
duce grain enough to exchange for all
the goods we need. This talk about clos
ing the mills is absurd. They must run
on some terms, either as at present un-
der protection, which gives profitable
employment to millions of our people,
who in turn become the best customers
to the farmers, merchants, shoe-makers,
tailors, dress makers-everybody i'll short.
even the rum seller fills his till from the
well-paid operatives i'll our mills. All
classes are alike benefited by protection.
\ farmer living near these works finds
ready sale at good prices for every thing
he raises, and many things that would
perish on his hands if our goods were
imported. Wood. lard, fruit, milk, but
ter, vegetables, fresh meat, and lots of
things that in the aggregate are of great
Importance. and which children and
women can prepare and carry to market.
which would be lost if our work shops
were in England. Now it is proposed to
change all this by abolishing The protec-
tive feature of our tariff and levy for reve