Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-03-30
Hon. D. Wyatt Aiken on "Free
Trade"

| Font MADISON, 8. c., March ~, 1882.
| EDiToRs COURIER: / have read with quite rs
much attention 1t deserves the speech of
Hon. D. Wyatt Aiken in Congress on free trade.
| Mr.. Aiken may have some friends who think he
is statesman. but the country at large regard
him rs demagoguc to whom o salary is quite
as much Of consideration principle. His
hobby is "free trade" aud what ho has to say
about IL has ofcn been better stated by abler
men. II is therefore nothing new; but as il is
a question that is of vital Importance to the
people Of South Carolina and of the whole
South, it cannot be too thoroughly discussed,
and you newspaper men would render the State
| service TO keep your readers well Informed
| upon the question and bring it to their attention
| in all its bearings.
Now, If there is q State in The Union or q
spot on earth that at the present moment enjoys
| absolute and unlimited '.lrce trade" that place
is South Carolina. Here the working and
effect of The system con be plainly seen and
clearly studied. We have il in both theory and
prnclicc lis effect and bcaring OH every in
dustry can be clearly traced, and rs ii has been
but few years since she enjoyed or was cursed
with large degree Of protection, the opporlu-
nifty for comparing the TWO systems is plainly
within the memory Of the most of your readers
"Buy where you can buy cheapest" is the
motto Of the free trader. Well, we are doing
that We are buying our bacon and flour and
corn at the West, our clothing, hints and shoes
at the North. and everything that We cat, wear
or consume we buy far away simply because We
can buy them cheaper than we produce
them at homo. At the present time pi oduce
absolutely nothing but cotton, and only that
because there is nobody else to produce it any
| cheaper. We are in the enjoyment OF absolute
''frce trade" and under il Tho Western man
makes our wagons, pows furniture, steam
| engines, thrcshing machines and almost every
| article Of wood or iron that We use, and then
| finds time 10 raise our bacon, wheat and corn.
| The Northern men furnishes the balance Of our
wants Go in any store and look around you;
cnn you put your hand on single article they
have not produced or name single article, not
| affected by climate, that We need or consume,
that they cannot produce cheaper or better than
| we can? This is not wholly our fault We have
| simply taken advantage Of tho privilege Of
"baying where We can buy cheapest" and the
| Western and Northern men have grown rich hy
our purchases and they have ruined every local
industry and stfled every effort TO produce these
things ut home.
The construction of railroads and cheap
freight rates have made this thing possible. In
| fnct without Legislation or consulting the wishes
| of the people it has brought Stree trade" with
all the name implies our doors. Having tried
it would it not be well to osk, "Is il good
thing?" Does any native of South Carolina
takc any special prdo in the fact that all his
fine wagons and engines and machines made
by other people? That his meat and bread arc
raised by other hands? That 10 him aud his
ncighbors is left the poor privilege of raising
cotton at ten cents pound to pay for all the
things he may nned or want? Ilo must raiso
cotton or emigrate Tint is tho only choice he
has. lie might like ever so much md be we'll
| fitted to build steam engines saw mills, or
pursue some manufacturing industry, but "rrec
trade" says no, we can buy these things cheaper
elsewhere, aud that is the policy Of our people.
1t is but few years since that manu- ufucturing
had some slight protection in South Carolina.
Railroads were few, freights we're high aud the
| foreign product in some degree barred out
There we're small manufacturing establishments
scattered over the country that produced the
furniture, the plows and wagons and other tools
needed by the people. The money now sent
elsewhere for these things was then kept al
home. Diversified employment wns given to
many persons and there was some other oppor-
tunity aud employment except the eternal cot
ton, but tho "frec trade has driven nll this
from among us. wagon shop in Greenville O
few years since used to build five hundred farm
wagons year and now their principal business
consists in repairing the Western wagons will
which the land is filed. hear much tall
about manufacturing industries being built II,
among us, but do not SEQ them. A furniture
factory was recently built in Grecnyille. but !
stands idle simply because the Cincinnati manu-.
lacturcr undersel him at his own door. A
little protection 10 this industry might have
given employment 10 many people, Not les
than three thousand people are engaged in
oiher States in making the furniture wo bn,
every yenr. Would il not be IL good thing It
[ give employment to That many people at homei
We send thirty millions of dollars each year I,
| the North aud West TO pay Tor things we ough
to produce at home. But the policy of fire
, trade iorbids this We consider it n grca
wrong to encourage home industry. Wo pre-
fer to pay our money TO strangers rather tla
our noighbors. We may dislike the Yanke
and think very i'll things Of him, but wc be-
him to tako our money which VIC have worke
80 hard for, because it's "free tradc.' Vel
free trade has built up great industries at ,h
North and West to supply The South with oil ii
needs, and when it has stripped US of Win
little We h,vo loft, We will begin to appreciat
I ! itq bcnpAla 0ihnr