The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-01-27
Free Trade Fanatics.


the Wheeling Lnteltigencer, furnishes
the following;
The strongest argument for pro-
tective tariff comes to-day from an
Englishman, and the American free
trader may learn volumes by reading
Joseph Hatton's statement of Eng
lands present condition in his new
book entitled "To-day in America"
If Frank Hurd and "Mike Hartee and
the thousand and one other satellites
of the Golden Club in America would
look closely into the condition of
England to-day they would cease
holding it up as an example of the
results of their pet hobby. Mr.. Hat
tons book is not a political document,
but merely the comparison of fair
minded Englishmen of England and
America. He praises the virtues and
condemns the faults ofboth countries,
and among other questions discusses
the effect that free trade is having on
England and protection on the Uni
ted States. He says that thousands
of Englishmen of the thinking class
feel that free trade is running the
country, but they don't dare to look
the situation in the eye and ask for
protection.
Birmingham is one of the leading
manufacturing towns of England, and
Mr.. Hatton paid visit to it to find
what these people thought about this
subject. He found that this city,
which used to ship millions of dollars
worth other manufactures to America
now imports similar goods from the
United States. That the hardware
exports are steadily falling off and
that the amount in 1872 was nearly
500, 100000 more than that of 1877.
That America bought only "a, 402 tons
of steel in 1877 against $4,000 tons
in 1872, and that the export of rail-
road iron in 1876 had fallen to less
that one half what it was four years
before. He shows by interviews with
leading manufacturers, some of whom
are free traders, that there is falling
off of millions. of dollars in nearly
every article of English make export
ed that the workshops of England
are in non paying condition and
that inevitable ruin seems to be STAR
ing England as manufacturing coun-
try, in the face. The many statistics
he cites are too voluminous for a
newspaper article, but his figures
show that his statement is well found
ed.
Ex-Governor Noyes told the writer
he heard the Prince of Wales once
say that England had reached her
zenith, and that America was the
country of the future. Premier Glad
stone thinks America is to supersede
England as the business nation of the
world, and Joseph Hatton seems to
be of the same opinion. He says:
May it not be that the present falling
back of English trades, the universal
distress, the hopeless prospects in the
future, the failing banks, the dishon-
est financiers, the growing wealth of
lawyers, the increase of the consump.
ton of luXuries, the profligacy of our
cities, the conspiracies of labor in the
interests of idleness, the loading of
our cottons, the inferiority of our once
splendid cutler and hardware, the
division in our councils and the selfish
partisanship ola statesman are all de-
tails of the general aspect of realm
that is suffering its race to decay and
its works to degenerate. Whatever
England's future may be she is at this
moment passing through supreme
crisis, or rather she is in the midst of
great national troubles. We shall
not promote a beneficial change in
our prospects by refusing to inquire
impartially into the arguments and
opinions of those who claim that a
modification of our present practices
of free trade is one of the essentials
to an extension of the profitable com.
merce with the world. Some of the
soundest heads in the world are in
favor of a duty on certain classes of
imports. In the South there is an in
creasing demand for an inquiry into
the present operation of foreign tar
ifs, and the prospects of continued
free trade at home in the face of rising
protective duties abroad. The Eng
fish free TRADER of to-day who refuses
to discuss the question reminds the
A american of the dying gambler who,
having ruined himself by following
certain method of play, exclaimed
with his last breath, 1.-THE system is
right, nevertheless 7"
In answer to the Golden clubs in
reference in American matters Mr.,
HattOn tells the fOllOwinp.