The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-08
A FERE.rRADE DREAM.
How Easily Sentiment Is Demolished by
Plain Facts.

Plain Facts.
Writer IN Chicago Inter Ocean.
The Chicago Tribune of last Friday, re-
ferring editorially to the free-trade conven-
ton held at Detroit during the week, says;
The welcoming speech was delivered by Mayor
Thompson, who, every time he looks eastward
across the river, sees a houfishing Canadian
town, whose trade naturally belongs to Detroit,
but from which it is ruthlessly cut off by a tanH
In the interest Of Pennsylvania iron masters,
Ohio wOol-groweTs, and New England cotton
spinners.
1t is to be presumed that the editor of the
Tribune, sympathizing with Mayor Thomp-
son, looks with longing eyes on that flour
ishing Canadian town" from which he is
separated by the ruthless tariff, as maidens of
old were separated from their devoted
knights by dreadful dragons. This being an
~iconoclastic age that ruthlessly stamps out
the romance of coyish maidens as well as the
false gods of old men, it may be well, before
the ogling of the Tribune editor and Major
Thompson should go too far, to place some
facts before them which will gently remove
from their vision the horrible specter of the
ruthless tariff" and show them that those
~''fiourishing Canadian towns" like the
knights of old that were kept from their
dear Angelinas by ruthless dragons, are poor
cusSes anyhow.
A gentleman of this city spending a Sun
day in Detroit during the year 1871, thought
it would be a good time to test the value of
free trade VS.. protective tariff, as Canada at
the time was as near free trade as it iS posi-
Bile for a civilized country 10 be and exist,
while the United States managed to struggle
along under the highest tariff it ever had.
With this object in view be crossed over to
Windsor, and as he says Il hunted up an En-
glish Canadian, so as to get the facts, if any,
in favor of Canada. How are times in this
country l asked of this man, who was
perched on a rail fence, dressed in a patched
b~lue-overall suit. Very poor w hat is
the cause of it?' L don know. Two out
of three of our workingmen are going over
to the States Indeed how do you ac-
count for that?' Well, over in the States
laboring men get ST. 70 per day, and plenty
work; here we have more men than we can
employ at ST. per day What is your bust
ness?' I am a vegetable farmer Where
is your market?' Over in the States?'
What duty do you payH Ten per cent,
act of magic, III sould wipe out the States,
would you have any marketP None but my
family DO you deal in any other farm
productsP Yes, a little, in hores and cattle.
l pay $25 duty for a 500 horse, and am glad
to do it. because l can find a ready market
over in the States while here l have little or
no market
Taking dinner at the hotel, which was
built to accommodate the visitors to a val
liable mineral spring on the bank of the
river that divides Windsor from Detroit, l
asked the hotel-keeper where most of hiScus-
toners came from?
From the States
Chow much did this spring and hotel
cost your
about SO, 00o.'
"'What will you pay me if / move your
hotel and spring just over the river into the
States?'
81 will give you S., 900, and then l will
make s., 600 by the transfer
Talking with the captain of the ferry
boat, 1 asked him if he had any property on
the Canadian side.
"'Yes, l have, and Pm - sorry for it. I
have nine acres in the suburbs of Windsor
"'How much is it WORTH
"'About S., 000.'
located outside Detroit, as it is outside Wind
sor?
"It would be worth at least SIS, 000.'"
1t would seem from this statement that the
"hourishing Canadian town." despite the
ruthless tariff is actually living off of this
much protected country. In further proof
OF this fact the tribune and Mayor Thoinp-
son Will find in the report of the United
States consul at Sarnia for September, 1882,
that the Canadian farmers bring their wool
over into the United States, get from four to
ten cents a pound more for it than they can
get in Canada, and actually buy American
ready-made clothing to take home, paying a
duty to the Canadian government, and then
claim to have made money in the transac-
ton. A little fact wipes out a good deal of
sentiment.