The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-10
IMPARTIAL TESTIMONY.

cal features Of the entire world, and the first
five volumes issued last year, are devoted to
Europe, volume ~ being devoted TO
England. NJ Reclus is recognized as emil
nently fitted for the undertaking, and his
conclusions and statements will carry
weight everywhere The work is thorough
in every detail. The character of the soil,
the substrata the location of carbonferous
beds, the depth of the sea, are all
given with minute fidelity. The
heights of mountains, the distribution of
population, of wealth and of education are
all faithfully transcribed in such manner as
to give the reader desired facts at glance.
At the close of volume the author gives
some very elaborate statistics of the wealth
and manufactures of the United Kingdom.
From these an idea may be gained OF what
America would come into competition with
in the event that free-trade ideas should be
adopted here. Take, for example, the iron
interest Reclus places the total annual out
put of iron and steel in the whole world at
about IA, 100000 tons, and says: 'The iron
industry of England is of paramount import
ance, for it supplies about one-half of the
cast iron employed throughout the civilized
world" But England is equal to even
greater demand, and for this reason is seek
| ing better market in America, through the
adoption of free trade. Reclus says:
I'm no single year have more than 7,000-
! nptnDlIV
years more than half the available furnaces
have occasionally had their fires extin-
| guished. No other branch of industry has
suffered more from the depression of the
years 872-79 than that of iron. but happier
conditions of international trade have led to
a wonderful revival. English iron-masters
| have more especially been intent upon re-
ducing the cost OF producing iron, and in
this respect they have been eminently sue
| cessful."
America is not DESTROYS of the "happier
conditions referred to, nor is she anxious to
reduce the cost of iron at the expense of the
comfort and well-being of the working
classes, the source of all power and wealth.
Throw down the bars of the tariff in this
country, and every blast furnace in the
United Kingdom would be rekindled within
six months. What the effect would be here
may be imagined.
| As to the cotton interest the same author
ity says further of England:
"In 1861 England supplied half the cotton
goods consumed throughoutthe world. The
| quantity of English produce has increased
| since then, Notwithstanding frequent oscilia-
| tons; but continental Europe and the United
| States have made even greater progress, and
| Great Britain has thus relatively lost ground
| The English cotton mills contain as many
| spindles as those of all the rest of the world
| combined; but owing to The powerful compe-
tition which English manufacturers have
been compelled, to meet, it has repeat
| eddy become necessary to work short
| time b or ~ to stop work altogether
| Continental manufacturers produce certain
| kinds of goods of a superior quality, and they
| have succeeded in depriving England of
some of her most profitable markets whilst.
the cotton industry of the United States,
| fostered by high protective duties has taken
a considerable development Americans are
not only no longer compelled to go to En-
| gland for their cotton stuffs but they have
the audacity to ship manufactures of their
own into Lancashire"
So much for protection in America. In
stead of raising the cost of production to an
unmarketable price, we have been enabled
through its operations, to compete with even
England in English markets, and our artisans
are doing work for English consumers not
only in cottons, but in cutlery and other lines
| But while America has made wonderful pro-
gress and is beginning to compete with the
rest of the world, we are not yet ready to
offer an opportunity to the blast furnaces of
England, with their annual capacity of TO-
900, 900 tons, and the cotton factories of Eng
| land, in which are half the spind!es of the
world, to come into direct competition with
our ell-paid and wel-clad mechanics. We
don't want it said of us, as Reclus does of the
iron mills and boundaries of England THE
men, women and children employed on
handmade wares work long hours and earn
most cheerless," In another place he says:
Nearly all medical men are of the opinion
that the population of Lancashire and York
shire exhibits signs of physical degeneration.
! The number of children physically unfit for
work on the completion of the thirteenth
year appears to be increasing" In other
words, the children in England are incapaci-
tated for work about three years before they
ought to begin to work. 1t should be borne
in mind that Reclus writes, not as a politi-
cian protectionist or freetrader, but as a
historian, anxious only to arrive at the
truth
The character of the competition which
would come against u.s. should the barriers
of protection be removed, may be family
conceived when glance is taken at the ex-
| tent of the industries OF the United King