New-York tribune., 1886-02-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE FRUITS OF FREE TRADE.

BREAD WINNERS ABROAD. BY ROBERT P. PORTER.
l2mo., PIP. 400. New York: j. 5. Oeilvie Il Co.
Many readers of THE TRIBUNE and other journals
are already familiar with the painful accounts
which, in the letters here republished, Mr. Porter
has given OF the condition of British working
people 1t is too sad tale to be read without a
shudder, especially il it Is remembered that the
brutali2ed men, the uusexed women, and the starv-
ing and stunted children of whom he tells, are Oh
our own race and blood, belong to our Kin beyond
sea-" and are dwellecs IN what used to be called
GMerrie England" Mr.. POrteT's array OF details,
collected by himself from workers ana manuiact-
urers personally in many cases. showing the wages
paid in many branches of Industry, and Uhc actual
cost Of necessaries of life in the chief centres Of
those industries at the time of his visit his
graphic descriptions of the habtat!Ons, and the
lives. the clothing and the conversation Of the
workers, their habits and amusemcnts. their hope
less toll and their prOncness to drown sorrow i'll
drink, make the picture he has drawn intensely
realistic and impressive. The man is tn be ptiad,
whatever has political opinions, who read these
accounts without asking with passionate earnest
ness, as it possible that the boastod prosperity
which England has attained under frec-trade has
come at such horrible cost as this y
But the book does not stop there 1t goes on 20
prove That all the horrors portrays are III the man
direct results of the economic system wh ch isJusty
styled essentially British, since other civilized
nation Oh earth has consented TO 50 degrade its
laborers making a market of their bodies and souls
Other nations have as much or greater suffering
among lab0rcrs, from which governments are strly-
ing to elevate them. with slow but perceptible sac
cess. But no other nation deliberately adopts
commercial policy which Systematically exposes
labor TO the full force of competition with the worst
paid labor of other countries. and thus grnds the
workers between that competition and monopoly
..l,, aud har llSf
The most important part of Mr.. Porters work
is the array of proof that free trade is steadily
DESTROYING the industries of Great Britain, which
protective policy maintained for many generations
had grandy developed. 1t is impossible to realize
how convincing the proof is. or how broad and
great the change already worked in the industries
of Great Britain without connected pcrusal of the
entire series of letters. Then it is seen how in one
branch of industry after another, there have come
first tremendous losses, which with passionate feel
ing the manufacturers attribute TO the defensive
tariffs of other nations, and to the development Of
foreign competition under such defence. 1t is
shown how the United States and France. and
Germany, and Belgium, and Italy and far-oh
India and worst of AL those ungratefu children of
the mother country, i'll the estimation of free
traders Canada Victoria, and the other colonies
have developed home industries, and thus have
taken away trade from British manufacturers and
bread from British workers Finally, it is shown
how some British manufacturers, like Nh Marshall
of Leeds, alter losing 100000 yearly for five
wears. have gathered together their diminished
capital and migrated with it to the United States; A;
how Armstrong is establishing gun factory in
Italy and how others move other establishments TO
Germany and France; aud how. in short, the hOr-
rble degradation OF labor is but the agony which
lust precedes the death of an industry in trade
England
Incidentally the book is full of information re-
pardiug the statistics of various branches of
facture in England, Scotland aud Wales, showing
in what districts and toG each predOmnateS; OF
pauperism and crime, and their enormous cost of
the innumerable changes which under free con-
petition have destroyed industries in some towns
where they have been long established, and built
mp the same industries elsewhere of the prevalence
OF drunkenness. particularly IN most OF the manu-
featuring towns where labor is ill-pad; of the
management OF railways the cost of travelling, and
the powerful influence of high charges for freight
upon manufacturing prosperity and OF the influence
OF great inventions upon human progress There
are descriptions of the appearance and surround
ings of many English towns and though, consider
ing che object Of the letters. there is rather too
much of the guide-book sort of information
especially abDut the early history OF noted places
the information does help TO eniven what would
otherwise be too gooW> a picture. Nor is the
author unwilling to gIyk~y1edit where credit is due
to manufactures for wise and humane organization
of industry and care for ting condition and comfort
of the workers. Such Instances, unhappiy too
rare, are described with evident pleasure. But the
reader will not fail to contrast even the best and
most fortunate OF British WORKERS. as NJ. Porter
describes their condition, their wages and their
modes of life. with the men and women who can he
found in similar occupations in American towns
Nor will the reader overlook TIE question whether
these exceptional eases of prosperity will long
withstand the Olightng influence OF that unre-
strained competition which has brought such
disaster to most of the industries OF the United
Kingdom.