The Labor enquirer., 1883-03-10
PROTECTION VS.. FREE TRADE.

agitated the people for some time, and
particularly during the latter days Of the
session of congress. The simple reason
for our silence lay in the absence of
anything like thorough understanding
Of the subject, and We are not fully
satisfied In the matter as yet. We do
not feel that we are owning to be monu-
ment of ignorance in making this con-
fessiOn, for We make the .assertiout and
are positive Of its correctness, that not
one man III ten thousand can fully and
| positively say what are the different
/ effects Of protection and tree trade 'lpon
! the IabOTing classes Of this cUUutrv-thp
only standpoint from which it is entitled
to consideration at our hands the only
! standpoint from which those haviuQ the
welfare Of humanity at heart consider it.
| While we admit that We do not fully
understand the subject, we must say
that, in the light Of what knowledge we
| possess concerning it and our desire to
see all God, people benefited. We are
for free trade.
With one or two exceptions the labor
press Of this country advocate free trade
and MANY able arguments Aaye been
advanced in favor Of such system.
From one Of the exceptional cases.
protecttonist labor Journal. We desire
! to make an extract or so and allow our
readers to Judge if there is consistency
or honest 'poor mans doctrine in them.
eff American workmen will work for
the same wages as foreign workmeu we
can have free trade. but # they want
better wages-then we must nave pro-
lection to that extent"
And again:
Labor can never protect itself Jgaiust
monopoly until it stops the Wholesale
emigration into this country
In the same column with the foregoing.
extracts which declare that the onI,
class of Aorkingmeu in the world en-
titled to enough to keep life Il them is
found in the United States. > the toIIow-
ing strong language
The man so miserIy ami mean vnu
has and yet refuses relief to the naked
and hungry is worse than an assassin.
The last paragraph contains our senti-
ments exactly, and is the strongest argu-
gument we have read in favor Of free
trade. If protection starves the poor in
other countries then we say wipe 1t OUT
The principles of humanity that we
advocate are broad enough to stretch
across the Atlantic and try ty help She
suffering poor in Europe a. well us n
America. The newspaper on individual
that desires only to alleviate the suffer
ing and provide for d chosen few Of a
world full Of sufferers jscertainlv limited
in charity and benev0lence, Df all mo-
nopolies, the one giving only 4 certain
class the privilege of earning bread to eat
strikes It's as the greatest Charity may
properly begin at home, but it need not
stop there As well might the aborers
in one state say if We are protected
against the emigration of the poor nun
cry men in our sister State, we are salts
fed. The mere fact of a boundary line
being marked out by corner stones OF an
ocean figures nothing with the true man.
The heaven-inspired movement for the
liberation Of the toilers Of the earth to
be successful and worthy the smiles of
Providence. must be universal, Tn
righteous, imperfect and cursed would
be the monument Of American wage
! workers freedom erected on the amacia-
ted corpses ofthe starved of other lands.
Away with such inhuman doctrine.
But we deny that free trade would tend
to further pauperise the laborers of this
country. Protection has kept the pro
ducts Of other countries away from here
and the demand there not being equal to
consume what the labor of the country
could produce, has made the supply of
labor in excess of the workers needed.
So the competition in the ranks of labor
has been 50 great that wages have been
reduced. This reduction of wages has
caused the flooding of our country with
workmen. Now, if the producing powers
OF. other countries were worked to their
full capacity the demand for labor would
be nearer equal to the supply and the
importation to this country be stopped.