The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-01-30


foreign labor national blessing
No. il is not, and in spite Of all the |
writings and preachings OF the Cob
den Club. I maintain that the more |
we examine the meaning OF mere
cbeapness. the more distinctly We
find that it means a low standard
of life" Now, is it desirable to lower
the standard of a nations life It's
a fact. deny it who can, that cheap
places in all fully settled countries
have hitherto been those in which
the working poor have been the
most degraded and depressed, and
cheap times those in which they
have been the most wretched.
THE FOLLY OF 'CHEAPNEss."
In the West Indies, FOR instance,
food for week can be grown with
two hours labor. Are the negroes
of the West Indies prosperous ?
They are idle and miserable beyond
belief Amongst the moninks OF
the Don wheat used to be so cheap
that il was burned for fuel. The
misery and squalor was without par
al,el in Europe. But it Is not nee
essary to 20 to the West Indies or to
the Don to illustrate this argument.
Take America and Ireland. Amen-
ca is essentially dear country
where a high rate-a very high rate
of living prevails high wages /!
high expenditure. ireland Is a cheap
Country. where the wages are low
very low. and the rate OF living as
low as possible.
The worker in America gets high
wages and spends them; he tolls,
and sows, and grows, and works and
buys. The worker in Ireland does
none of these things he neither
tolls. nor sows, nor grows. nor buys
he does without. Now, which
conduces most to human happiness
the high rate of living in Amerlea
or the low scale of living in Ireland ?
Which, again, conduces most to hu-
man happiness-cheapness or en-
ployment?
The Golden Club tell the opera
tives that wheat is los. a quarter
cheaper tnan it was thirty years ago,
and that this alone is complete reply
to any objections against Free Trade.
Suppose it is-and | believe it is
what does this prove? 1t proves
that railways and steamers, and tht
| development of the great grain dls-
tricts Of America have brought to
our yerv doors stores of grain that
before were inaccessible, or did not
exist but this has nothing to dc
with Free Trade. II is true wheat l.
cheaper los. a quarter than 1t was
forty wears ago, and SO II would have
been if Free Trade had never been
heard of. Free Traders make great
deal of the fact of wheat being cheap
er. but they carefully conceal The
fact that meat is 80 per cent. dearei
than it was forty years ago, ano
fruit and vegetables and all dairy
produce, milk, butter, good cheese
are 60 to so per cent dearer
THE INCREASED PRICE OF BREAI
sTUFFs.
New, it is an unpleasant Statement
but il is true, that the lower price o
wheat is not owing to Free Trade
but to steam but the higher price
of meat, vegetables, dairy produce
etc. etc, is the result of Free Trade
because Free Trade has thrown th'
land cut of cultivation, reduced oul
stock, made it hopeless for our farm
ers to cultivate at a profit. Granted
that wheat is los. quarter cheape
than it was thirty years ago, anC
meat 80 per cent. dearer, and this 1
approximately true in both cases
what is the exact gain or loss to eacl
, individual Each adult consumes
on an avearge, six bushels of whea
, i'm the year, so that he saves by tn,
fall in price of wheat Is 6d. per an
mum. Ga assumption that a work
r man in good employ eats thre
= pounds OF meat every week, thu
, would be an increase Of 81. per weeI
or 39s. per annum. so that he woul,
, gain Is. Cd. and lose 39s.. net los
of BIS. Cd. independently of th
. greatly increased cost of milk, butte
r and vegetables.
t Owing to unrestricted competi
, ton many of our manufacturing in
2 dustries are dead many are hope
e lessly sick. Our operatives are los
' ing their work and their wage'
o. Owing to unrestricted competitio
5 in agricultural produce the land
! going rapidly out of cultivation
f the laborers are losing their wort
r the stock of meat is rapidly dimir
D ishing and the price rising. Is ther
! then no thorn 10 this vaunted ros
/. of competition ? Unrestricted con
= petition in cheapness, such as Free
V traders are now forcing on thi
: country, must end by making tn
Y conditions of labor unbearable. NJ
o Chamberlain saws that England hs
9 been described as the paradise of III
e rich, ana he warns us not I
e allow it to become the purgatory {
# the poor.
n Can any means be conceived s
e eerain OF making it a purgator
:. of the poor as to encourage wild. ur
V restricted foreign competition tha
|. deprives our own work people {
their werk, and drives them lows
4 in the scale of life? Look at it fro.
l. any point OF view YOU like, the que'
+ ton resolves itself into protection c
e emigration. If foreign competitio
V is restricted, if native industry
= protected, their wages will rise, the
IS work will be steady, the land wi
e again be brought into cultivatio
r stock will increase, and the price
meat viii fall. If the present sy
TEN of unrestricted competition
encouraged, their industries will di
IS appear, more land will go out +,
n cultivation, wages viii fall, and I'll
d only escape from a lower scale ofli
: viii be emigration.
II Yours, etc,
e EDWARD SULLIVAN.
? 81 Palace Gate, Keasngtoa.