Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1884-07-31
The Heresy Of Free Trade.


it, The democratic party has its
strength in the south, which is large
ly agricultural, having but few indus
tries. Ii il true there Is a growing
sentiment in favor of prott ction in the
south, owing to an increase i'm manu-
features, but the purely cotton sec
tions are yet violently free trade.
Next to the south its strength lies i'm
New York, which is dependent entire
ly upon foreign trade. 1t makes its
money by importing goods from other
countries. Every English manufac-
tur.r has an agency in New York. and
well-nigh all the French and German
manufacturers They, of course, want
free trade TINT they hay kill off
American manufactures. They want
America ms pasturetield. The Ger
man government excludes American
pork. TO protect the aristocratic farm
ing class, but it wants us to admit
their manufactures free of duty. The
manufacturers of England, France
and Germany, want the people of
this country to take their goods, but
they do not want to take our products.
They want America to sell goods to,
but not to buy of
teiiibt rfee erracne, e,-'out' give tine -pno.
control and the conservative element
would be too weak TO hold the ultra
free traders i'm check, and the result
would be tinkering and trouble that
would be actually worse for the coun-
try than as though free trade, pure
and simple. should be proclaimed.
There would he the doubt and delay
that is the worst thing possible for
business. The uncertainty would
keep money out of business, would
check new enterprises and destroy old
ones.
Every farmer has a direct interest in
maintaining manufactures. Protec-
ton to manufactures is protection to
agriculture, The one interest is
bound to the other. The republican
party il committed to protection to
American labor
The country should beigoverned by
"A party that has policy, that is not
!raid TO declare itself upon all ques-
tions that arise. The democracy have
no policy They are not united upon
anything. There is as many shades OF
opinion in that organization as therp
are congressional districts. Upon the
question of money they are hopelessly
divided. In some states they are foI
fiat money and opposed 10 tie present
system. and in the others they are IN
favor of National banks and curren
cy based upon gold. They do not agree
upon tariff, they are Mt variance OF
the question of internal improve
nents, in brief they agree upon moth
ing. except a wild desire TO control tn,
federal patronage. A democratic
platform means nothing. No demo
cratic convention dares TO express al
opinion upon any subject that cannot
be construed TO mean anything any
body desires. A democratic admins
tration therefore, would come into
power with no fixed line of policy, anC
there could be nothing so demoraliz
ing, nothing SO destructive of business
interests. it would be a series of ex
periments which could not but resul
: in complete decentralization.
The republican party is the onl.
= party that has ever seriously set abou
developing the country. Before il
, accession to power what development
there was came of itself and by yer,
costly and clumsy methods. The cur
: rency of the country was in a terribl
condition, killing enterprise an,
checking progress. The republican
: party gave the country the best all,
most stable currency in the world
: The republican party built the Pacifi
railroads, it improved our rivers an,
r harbors, il has fostered manufacture
: TO a point that gives us footing "A
| against the old manufacturing coun
$ tries, il built up new states and enor
mously strengthened old ones. Til
progress of the last ~ years has mad
this country rich and powerful, and
is reasonable 70 expect that if the re
publican party be continued in power
its future will be quite as glorious a
its past. .-Ibledo BL0de.