New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-07
A FREE TRADERS CHOICE
A CONSUMER OPPOSES CHANGE OF T,pu,


MENT.
| ~ the EdifOr NJ The Tribune
SIR: /. is n misfortune for this corntry a.,
nearly all its instructors of the young have w.r.s
in the footsteps OF British teachers Of no,i,ia1,
economy Thus they come 10 consider man onIv.
a producing and CONSUMING creature Bat in a..
country. he l. also n efgOyerning creature a..
economic teaching must be false in its applicatoo
10 this country. if 10 is not based upon the fac,
that here the laborcr Is calico TO bear responsiu,
ties and TO perform duties which do not fan imam
him anywhere else. He has 30 govern himself ",
cannot escape the costly consequences OF neglect q,
error When labor judges wrongly IN Enrope
monarch or a hereditary ruling class may avert az.
a,ter But here. if the worker votes unwi,ely. m,
cost comes out of his own pocket. say what ".
Will, the people often mistake in minor things. and
the cost OF all defects in Government must be pad
by labor ont of its earnings.
This is a burden. Economically. the man who
has to earn living and also to govern the country
is not on equal terms with the man who has only IN
earn a living He ought not to work as mnch and
he cannot live az cheaply. Governing takes time
Ii man is TO govern rs to escape costly errors
il takes "A great deal OF time. He must read, and
know what is being done, and understand the ques.
tions to I've decided by his vote. To that end, he
must have some education. He must attend meet
il Is. and give time TO the caucus. the convention
and the election. Thus part OF the time Of the
man rs q working machine must be diverted 10 the
needs of the man a ruler. Hence the time which,
at q certain rate of wages will suffice to support
man and his family, viii not suffice at the
rate of wages to support tie man and his family,
and TO do the work of governing besides II labor
lodges the loss in time by Sinking the duties Of
citizenship, then labor has to bear greater loss
49,, Oh, oil of
That is not ALL nor the worst British political
economy entirely fails to fit two great American
facts-immi grafton and emancipation The pro-
tcctIve policy. continued now for more than twenty
years. has brought to this country 100000 i'm
migrants. Emancipation and eniranchisement
have added TO the governing class G,OOO,OOO
colored citizens. The labor OF the new voters Is for
the most part unskilled. and they all stand in
especial need of a greater knowledge OF the duties
of salf-government. And this political revolution
has come, too, ut time when general revolution
IN the industrial processes thrusts aside a great
multitude of workers from wouted empoyments
and gives work to others who have the manual
deytority to handle labor-slylng machines. What
are we TO do with this vast army of unskiled
laborR How are we 10 meet the discomfort which
the wholesale shifting of emDoyment' must causei
Already we hear communistc cries m every street
Already the torch has brought disaster to more
than one city. Property scents danger formerly
unknown Upon the voter falls a new and terrible
responsibility OF all conceivable tyranny. tho
most horrible il the tyranny of an ignorant and
hungry majority. but how are we 10 escape 10 m
les, we enable the voter 10 eIucate both himself
and his children7 Diversion of time 10 education
means higher wages or suffering And suffering.
where shtrfs and police and soldiers are all taken
from the ranks of labor, is apt to mean attempted
revolution.
SIR. do not dare 20 cast vote that may tend
backward, toward the lower level OF wages that
once prevailed. For twenty years our protective
tariff has accustomed Labor, skilled ana unNh.Ied,
10 n certain measure o. contentmeut Let oilers
say shat modes of life have departed too far from
hcalthml simplicity, or that extrayagant habits
have been formed IL is now too late to 90 back
with safety. when a generation of workers has be-
come accustomed 10 a certain mode of life. it IS
utterly impossible to force them backward, in
self-governing country, without social disorder. II
were Il waste of time to discuss whether labor has
been altogether benefited by the higher wages that
have prevailed under the protective system The
naked fact is that you cannot go back without
checking education; You cannot go back without
such social disorder rs will shake our political
structure to ts very foundation.
NV frec-trade friends must admit that these are
lrrr,St lble reasons for change OF choice. We are
no longer free TO choose that course which seemed
visest twenty years ago We have taken upon our
selves new responsibilities which we cannot cast
Oft We have a new Nation to deal with new
generation Of workers and voters, with hablEs OF
life which cannot now be changed without peril 10
the very existence of our institutions There Is nc
helm for it, We are absolutely compelled To educate
the new body of voters. to that they have wages
enouoL To educate themselves and their children
,nd meanwhile to secure such measure OF content
ment to labor that civil order and industrial pros
perity may prevail That means higher wages thar
can be paid. if there is direct and unchecked com,
netition with the uneducated and discontinued
labor of other lands.
The laborer TOO, being selt-goYerning cItHeh
rust have such industrial conditions that he may
n,,i,,. = reasonable Independence. Liberty cannot
live if EMPLOYERS can make men vote or starve"
rho worker of the Northern States has been accus-
TONED 70 such freedom and he will not surrender
it. He mas enjoyed such wages that, II he chooses
l., .,r elucate his children lie has been defended
above all from the full force OF those periods OIL
commercial disaster which have swept over Europe
Adopt any other system now, aud the hrst collapse
of industry abroad will bring with II collapse Oh
order here. Applied to these conditions all inc
nolit,cal economy of Europe is false and the teach-
mos of most of our colleges are dangerous 10 ths
Pcpublic. We must deal with the facts rs theS
are II. after twcnty-thrce years OF protectloh' VIZ
n,v, abandon that defence of our labor, We must "
prepared to abandon free institutions Also OF 10 u"
P''r ' .,,,,' ,,.,tI, o.,r lives EDAX.
Mar York, Aug. 8, 1854.
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