Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-04-14
Protection VS. Free Trade.
Mr.. Editor. Dear SIR

YOU assume TO be an educator OF the
people through the medium Of your
press, it would be but fair for you to
make such explanation in relation to
your statements Of facts, that we. the
people, may know that we are being
educated correctly. You say, in your
article of the 10, that capital is pour
ing into thu lap of America, from
free trade England and nearly every
great interest in our country is fed by
it. Now this is all true so far, but
you continue and say, that our Rail
ways and manufactures are more or
less controlled by English wealth, and
becoming more and more SO every
year; whereas the statistics furnish
ed by national authority show US that
there is not Railway or a manutac-
turing enterprise in the United States
at the present time, wherein even a
controlling interest is owned by Eng
lish Capital. they also show Us that
not exceeding one-third OF the Rail
way Stocks in the United States are
owned by European Capitalists, and
less than one-third of that amount is
owned in England, also they show US
that less than one-third of the Nation
al debt of the United States Govern
ment is owned in Europe, and not
exceeding one-ffth is owned in
England Again you say that "free-
trade England is getting richer and
richer Now if by any hypothesis
free trade England can be getting
richer eff the American people by
sending to us from one-half to three
Million dollars in gold by nearly
every Steamer that comes from there
to our shores to pay US for the neces
saries of life for her people or if the
fact the American people have been
called upon from year to year to CON
tribute from our abundance, thousands
upon thousands Of dollars to keep her
subjects from starving. is the means
by which England is getting richer
and richer, then we, the American
people, ought to know by what pro
cess Of arithmetic that problem can be
worked out, and you, as public edu-
Gator ought to inform US. Again you
say that no country that is able to
stand alone ever made anything by u
high tariff. Now 2y experience IN
battling with this world for more than
fifty years has convinced me that a
high tariff protecting American labor
against the competition Of the pauper
labor Of free trade England is all that
has made it possible for you to become
what you are, public educator that
is all that made it possible for a poor
rail splitter and poor canal driver to
become Presidents of these United
States. That it is all that has made
it possible for the masses of the
American people to become tolerably
well educated, sufficiently so to read
your paper, thus rendering a central
lied government an Empire or a
Kingdom in America impossible.
You say further, all that high tariff
ever done is to further m0nopolies, to
make the strong stronger and the weak
weaker now if you mean that high
tariff enables the American people to
monopolize nearly ali Of the industries
of the human family, then | agree
with you but if you mean that 1t
enables certain parties to monopolize
manufactury. then | do not understand
you, for manufacturing is free to all.
If you mean Banking, [ am in the
same fix, for Banking is free. Ii you
mean Railroading it Is the same, Rail
reading is free { Gen. Walker tells
US that there are more than fifty mil
lions of people in the United States. }
Now every man, woman and child can
go to RailroadiLg if they wish to. If
you mean that high tariff makes the
great mass of the American people
stronger, and the free-trade nations of
the Old World weaker, then [ under
stand you. But if you mean that it
makes the English capitalists stronger
and the American laborer weaker, my
education in political economy is sadly
at fault, and you, being public in
structor are bound by every principle
OF honor to instruct me Alright.
Otherwise it will be lair Tor your
patrons to believe that you are employ
ed by the British free trade league to
destroy the institutions that have
made this country what it is, safe
asylum for all Of the poor aud Cypress
ed of all the nations of the earth
Down went the prices, and out went
the fires in the American furnaces,
nail faeturies &c, and again up went
prices to just what the English manu-
facturer aud importer saw fit to charge
US. For 3 long years the American
laborer was compelled to work for just
what the farmer or the merchant saw
fit to give him. Ordinary wages rang
ed from 81 to 40 and some actually
got as high as 80 cents per day, and
we were compelled to work from sun
rise until dark, no s hour system then,
and not one in one hundred would get
dollar in money three times per year !;
but our pay was invariably either a
little something for our families to eat
or an order on store, the keeper of
which paid us just what he could
spare best, and that too at his own
prices. We could take what he offered
or nothing. But in 1912 what 4
Change tariff law was enacted af-
iording Incidental protection to Amer
lean labor, Immediately the fires in
the American furnaces were rekindled