The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-10-07

complete construction and equipment OF a ship
be forgotten that American citizens can now
buy ships anywhere aud own them TO any ex-
tent but the proposed bin repeats our registra-
tion laws, which exclude foreign-built vessels
from American register.
IL gives To the foreign-built ship owned by q
citizen OF the United States all OF the rights and
privileges and protection accorded an Ameri-
can-built ship. IL 10 absolute free trade in
ocean carriages, to be bought anywhere, and
r-imtted 10 this country free Of custom house
charge or duty. IL is also absolute free trade
! in the materials entering into "A ship con-
structod in the United States whether material
DO iron, steel, castings, forgings bolts, boiler
plates, power, rope or cordage and these
articles can DO imported from any country
OF tho world exempt from duties. All
duties now imposed upon these articles
| imported here are released IL the articles
| are TO be used in the construction OF ships
| Why free for this purpose and dutiable for all
othersP II free foreign materials for ship build
| ing, why not free for other industries? III free
| steel for ocean carrying, why not free steel
| rails for American railroads? III free ships for
| the American capitalists, why not free sugar
| for the American masses? The reason for this
| discrimination does not appear in the report OF
! the committee or the discussions in Congress.
| One thing is certain, this bill is dangerous in
| every respect il is considered and is 80 radical
| change from the national policy to which we
have adhered Once the foundation OF the Gov
| eminent, that il should receive the most pro-
| found attention Of all the people whose votes
| make and unmake majorities in Congress. lt
| is an entire reversal OF our navigation laws as
/
| in the direction of free trade. Leaving the
patriotic and national side Of the question, and
| viewing IL only from business standpoint,
can see in IL only destruction OF the ship build
ing interests of the country, representing mill
| ions OF capital, and most serious consequences
| TO the skilled and unskilled labor it employs,
| without any counteryailing DEMENT'S.
It's provisions do not limit the ships so pur.
| chased in other countries 10 the foreign carry
| ing trade, but opens up great Coastwise
| trade to foreign ships made OF foreign material,
| with foreign labor. IL is virtual Abandonment
| OF American ship building, so long as the labor
| of this country receives higher rewards than it's
| rivals on the Clyde or the Tyne. We can not
make iron ships here and compete with Great
| Britain while the labor Of the latter can be had
| from seventy to eighty per cent less than our
| own.
Even il we could build the ships, having all
the materials Tree and compete successfully
| with England (which deny, we would still in
| fiict great injury upon the manufacturers OF
| materials in this country which enter into ship
| building as well rs the labor they employ. These
| materials would come from abroad, and to that
| extent our market and our power to employ la
Dor curtailed. / admit that If all the conditions
| were equal, labor the same in price, material
4 costing the same, could adopt this bill and
| keep open our shipyaids; but they are not equal
and ought not TO be. 1t is our proud boast that
| in the reward to labor excel any other ma
| ton, and in this no backward step must be
| taken.
| II this bill should become law its author
| CMr Dunn of Arkansas does not conceal its
| effect upon the labor OF the country. He an
| nounces, in his speech published in the Con-
greSSiondt Record, the outcome, boldly, and with
| II frankness which am forced to commend. He
| says we have the ghost of 'pauper labor OF
| the balance of the world shaken before us, like
the ghost Of Banquo to Brighten and stampede us.
| We have been told that we must protect Ameri-
| can labor against the pauper labor of the rest
| of the world by restrictive legislation, prohibit
| i've and protective tariffs. If my voice can reach
| my countrymen, let me say TO them that the
| days of protection have passed. You can not
protect any longer. You are face to face.
| American laborers, with the laborers of the
| whole world,
/ hope the voice of the gentleman will reach
| his cOuntrymen, and penetrate every part OF
| the Republic will be glad 60 aid him in that
| direction. L want the country TO hear, the
| workingmen of the country to hear, that the
| distinguished gentleman from Arkansas, chair
| man OF an important committee OF the House
and Il leading Democrat, declares that labor Is
to be no longer protected; that the pauper la
| Dor" Of other countries, competing with our free
| labor will not brighton or stampede him from the
| execution of his and his partys purpose. You
| cannot protect any longer. he asserts. You are
| face to face, American laborers, with the labor
| ers OF the whole world, and must meet them on
| exactly equal terms, and the gentleman and
| the party which stands behind him threaten,
in this and another bill t. which 1 shall refer
to remove every protection, every safeguard, TO
our industrial interests, 30 that the laborers OF
this country must meet in free and open COM
petition the cheap labor Of the world no matter
what its condition. We must come down 10
their standard ,cept their wages, be content
their conditions. This is the doctrine of free
trade, this the voice and logic Of free ships and
free materials for ships-for this doctrine will
not stop here if this first move be successful.
The issue, therefore, is no longer concealed, tie
real effect is no longer in doubt.
My fellow-citizens, the country may be forced
to come TO this the policy of the party in con-
troll is leading that way / hope il VIII mover
come. Every patriotic instinct, every true ma
tional interest is against it. You have the
power in your own hands to prevent it; II 1t
.l.s,,lr 60 Int
selves your ballots can prevent it nothing else
| will.
Whatever else free trade and free shi may
mean, know they mean ch cap labor, and that
means the degradation of men whose only
means of sustcnance is toll and whose only
| capital is the labor Of their hands. The gentle
man from Arkansas, the author of the bill. is
| equally frank with the farmer. He says The
wheat producer of the Northwest is standing
face to face with the wheat producer of India
For this admission from such quarter we are
thankful, for it simplihes the discussion.
Again, he says: ~ few years ago India ship
ped 10000 bushels of wheat last year she put
into the market forty millions of bushels. Can
you protect the Northwest farmer against that
labor2 india can put wheat down in the mar
kets of consumption in Europe cheaper than we
can transport it from the fields of production TO
the markets OF consumption" That is TO say,
India can raise and market her wheat for what
IL costs the American farmer t. convey his pro-
duct To the market OF consumption, allowing
him nothing for the cost OF production. And yet
this is the very market which the Democratic
leaders are constantly inviting the American
farmer 10 enter. The remedy, says the gentle
man, is cheaper production, which means OF
very necessity, cheaper labor, and with that
problem we are confronted, ne is candid enough
to state, How does the Western farmer like tho
remedy? How es the Democratic farmer rel
ish it2 Cheaper labor and lower prices, to ena-
BILE him TO compete with labor paid less than
ten cents a day That is the inevitable out
come IL he would meet India wheat In the Eu-
ropean market, and it is TO meet that wheat-to
export ii beyond the sea-that the Democratic
leaders advocate free ships! He is generous
enough to admit that we can keep India wheat
out of tho United States with our protective tar
i'll that We happily know; that we have pro-
vded for that discovered long ago, and
have used il against the protests of the Demo-
cratic party but this bill would force the farmer
into the foreign market His policy and that Of
his party would diminish the consumption here
| by diminishing the consumers, by breaking
down our ship-yards, to be followed by the de-
struction OF other Industries, curtailing the
| power OF the laborers to buy, H. dismissing
| them from manufacturing industries and driv-
| ing them to the farm,
foreign market for our agricultural pro-
| ducts, Is the cry of the free trader and tho
| dominant element in the Democratic party.
What kind of n market2 What is it whom we
get there? What do find? We meet the
wheat OF India costing eight cents per bushel
tod l,tsfl hon nd