The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-11-03

| fIuS iiSu otCCi rains Ut LIS ocupOIts
was $50 ton in gold; since 1870 at
rails have been sold below 800 in cur
rency. In 1877, ten years after the
American mills were prepared to man.
ufacture steel rails to All orders, the
price of their rails had been
REDUCED TO $40 A TON,
and In July 6S2. Notwithstanding the
recent extraordinary demand for steel
rails, and the appreciation In the values
of the raw material from which they
are manufactured, the price Is only $45
per ton. Mr.. Tarsney states the pres
ent price at $50 per ton. Will he deny
that American workers in steel and
iron get more wages than those Of free
trade England?
We have dwelt somewhat at length in
showing the effects of protection on
the steel industry, for 1t Is upon this
point that free traders and the advo-
Gates Of "a tariff for revenue only"
raise their highest notes of condemna-
ton.
AS another illustration of what home
competition will do, single Instance will
suffice. Mr.. Tarsney has evidently
drawn much Of his
FREE TRADE INSPIRATION
from the Detroit Evening News, which
has been rampant advocate of Eng
lish interests for many years. In 1878
the editor of the News introduced a
resolution at the annual meeting of the
Michigan press association when held at
Ann Arbor, asking congress to
REMOVE THE DUTY ON PAPER.
He vigorously urged its adoption on
the ground that American newspaper
publishers ought to have the right to
buy where they could get paper cheap
est. The price of common print paper
at that time was cents per Id. The
late lamented w. s. George and Others
raised their voices In opposition to the
passage of this resolution. Mr.. George,
although he would have been temporal
rily benefited by the removal of the
duty, fought the resolution with all the
sagacity and force for which he was
noted. He argued that the high price
of paper would cause American capital
lists to invest their means in paper
mills, and home competition would low
err the rates. The resolution failed. A
long discussion of the tariff question
between the News and Republican fol.
lowed. Now what has been the result?
Mr.. George was right and Mr.. Scripps
was wrong. Since the day the latter
drew his resolution at Ann Arbor
millions of dollars have gone into the
erection of paper mills and thousands
of American workingmen have been
employed at remunerative wages, while
printing paper can now be
BOUGHT AS CHEAPLY
in America ass,n Canada or free-trade
England. This one incident of practi-
cal experience thoroughly explodes all
the nonsensical free-trade theories
which have appeared in the News col
umns since 1878.
FINE-sPUN PREFERABLE THEORIES.
College professors and democratic
orators can construct their fine-spun
free-trade theories, but the experience
of this nation shows that such policy
when carried out inevitably brings the
enormous capital and cheap labor of
Europe in direct competition with our
own industry, and results in the entire
destruction Of our manufacturing inter-
ests whether of iron, wool, or cotton.
BY such overthrow of our manufactures
more than four millions Of workingmen
now profitably employed in them would
be
THROWN OUT OF EMPLOYMENT,
and the 100000 of people now sup
ported by their labor deprived of the
means of subsistence. The ultimate
result would be to compel these labor
ers to accept European pauper-lab0r
wages, or to drive them into agriclAt-
ural pursuits. to become the competi-
tors of the farmers, who now reap a har-
vest in the home markets which pros
porous manufacturing enterprises have
brought to their doors. Put free trade
into operation and in 10 years there
would not be a furnace, rolling-mill,
cotton or wooden factory, or any other
but the simplest kind Of manufactures
in existence in all the land. 1t has been
wels, said ~with labor at a third
the~prioe, commands in The United
| States, an THE control Of the vast CAPT.
tai which long years of protection have
enabled them to accumulate, English
| French, and German manufacturers
could undersell our own to such an
extent as to drive American manufac.
turers from their own market, and
much more from those of foreign ma.
tions wherever they have gained foot.
hold"
The facts above given are also com.
plete answer to Mr.. Barnes false as.
sumption that 100000 of the Ameri.
can people are injured by the protec.
| tion given to $4,000 manufacturers
| The chairman of the democratic state
central committee showed himself to be
GENIUS OF THE FIRST ORDER,
however, Swhen he claimed that the
recent democratic and whisky victory
in Ohio was won principally on the
merits of free trade. What are you
going to do with the $4,000 saloon
keepers who shelled out their last dol.
lar to defeat the republican party
which had taken its stand in favor OF
law, order, decency and good govern
| mentp
Free trade new issue in Ohio, Mr.
Barnes? The platform of the Buckeye
democracy in the recent campaign con-
tanned the following plank: "A tariff lev
led to meet the actual needs, and so adj
justed In its details as to encourage pro-
ductive Industries and afford labor a
just compensation without creating
monopolies." Look again, Mr.. Barnes,
and see If you can discover enough free
trade In this plank on which to base a
"new ISSUE" Your assertion that In
free-trade countries the people are more
prosperous and better wages are paid