The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-02
AMERICAN PROSPERITY.
The Facts as They Exist, for the CarlisIean
Statesmen to Encounter.

Statesmen to Encounter.
Philadelphia Telegraph.
The Carlisle school of statesmen who propose
to legisate for this fifty millions of people, are
going to legislate upon new plan. They con
TESS that what they design to do is only in the
way OF experiment; that they may be wholly
wrong about it. but, nevertheless, they are gong
to give it a trial Mr.. Carlisle Acknowledges that
he had heard Of that woman in Belgium who
was found making nails at a few cents day.
That mountaineering in free-trade Belgium, IN
lately free trade Germany in present free trade
Holland, in free trade England. Ireland, Scot
land, and Wales-might be multiplied by mil
lions, and still there would be other millions of
her. She would be found in that same belglum
and IN Holland, Germany, and Austria also,
haInessed with horses, or in the Netherlands
with dogs. at the cart or at the plow; she
would be found in the coal mines of Belgium and
England and Wales, digging or hauling coal IN
short, III every free trade country Of Europe she
would be found doing the strong mans work
heNlng the wood drawing the water, by the labor
OIL her hands and by the sweat OF her brow earn
ing her bread which did she not do she would
starve as surely as she was born, because in
those benefcent free trade countries not only he,
but she also, born to lOTly estate must hive at
the hardest, coarsest work, or cease to live. Not
only In Belgium viii that poor woman be found
making nails for few cents day, but making
nails for little in England. for less in Holland
drawing the boat along the towpath Of the canal
not only doing the work that mules do here,
ing the mules kicks and curses 1t is only
in those fine old frectrade countries, whose
market is the whole world who do not have to
confine their sales to their own people, that wo-
man must work or staIve-must work as men
do because the wages paid TO a man are so low
as to make it impossible for him to support little
more than his own individual life 1t is not only
woman, whose place should be on her own
hearth who works for the pittance; it is also the
little child thrust into the mine, mill, pit at
ages when the children of American working
men are still on their mothers knees.
As class and rule, the American woman
works only in her own household. She has
house, with not only board floor, but carpets
covering the boards. 1t is well furnished
lighted, heated often handsomely decorated
Better than that, it oftenest represents the re
ward of her husbands industry aud her thrift
1t is property, and 1t is theirs. Within 1t they
and their children lead clean, wholesome,
something more than decent-beautiful lives.
The woman in Belgium, England, Scotland or
Wales who makes nails or digs i'll the mines or
in Holland is haIn1SSed with horse dogs to
cart or plow, or drags the heavy boat through
the canal by the rope about her withered breasts,
is housed worse than our workingmens dogs.
Not house at ALL in hut, often with either
bare earth hard stone floor lily lighted, not
heated at all in any sanitary sense the whole
family huddled into one room by day and by
night; half clothed, half fed, unable to live de
cent, wholesome lives If Mr.. Carlisle and his
brood want to know what the workingman's life
Prof. HuXlcys late address on the homes of
London workingmen; and if they want to know
what it is in the country, then let them read
Canon Kingsley's poem of 'The Poachers
Wife"
All these social and economic evils under
which that woman and that man, not only Of
Belgium but Of all trade Europe, suffers.
may not be wholly due to free trade. But at
least free trade and all the world for market.
have not relieved him or her from that awful
poverty which is beyond any power Of descrip-
ton. Step cut of those free trade countries into
protective France-only mildly protective, but
still protective in greater degree than any other
and we will see nation prosperous and happy
We will see women working but not as else
where. They work chiefly in their homes. rear
ing their children, though not to the extent
as in the United States, where womans work is
chiefly home work and, with most rare eXcep-
tons, womanly work. Here we have unexampled
prosperity fixed, enduring prosperity, and
here we have protection, if Mr.. Carlisle pleases
to add, restricted market Is it worth WHILE
as the Carlisles are so uncertain about the re
suits to experiment with the policy that has
made that Belgian woman worker at the anvil
with her little children working with her! She
is in England also, in Holland also, everywhere
in fact, where free trade is Here she is safely
comfortably, often luXuriously, bestowed; her
chief duty to make her home attractive, to fit
her children for the highest pursuits. Free trade
may not destroy our industries or throw out of
employment millions of workingmen, or reduce
their wages to the standard of the Belgian wo-
mans, but it may; and as it may, is il wise to
play the fool with it any more than with a dyna-
mite magaznel