The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-05-26

In which all the sympathies Of the people
will be heartily with him.
|
| Our friend Of the Republican has labori'
ously collected from high tariff exchanges
a lot of English newspaper clippings which
claim that
" II President Cleveland should be able
TO carry out his plan for admission into
America free Of duty"
etc, etc, English goods would food our
markets, close up our works; &c, &c. But
the Republican does not quote the Pottery
Gazette of London which says emphatically
that
We sincerely trust, however, that Eng.
lish manufacturers and traders generally
will look probabilities fully and squarely
In the face. Immediately America re-
duces her tariff on manufactured goods she
will have an enormous export trade, which
she cannot now have on account Of the cost
of production, owing to high cost of ma
terial Lower fiscal rates will alter all this,
and then we shall find America keener
ompetitor, both In our own market, and
all markets than we have ever yet found
any country. Let not America think that
we expect to flood her with goods when
any change takes place. She will 90 this
for England and other markets.
The trouble with these quotations is that
they do not stand On truths The President
Is not a free trader; he never recommend
ed free trade; the Mills bill is not free
trade BILL 1t cuts the average import tax
from Al per cent to only 40 per cent; and
the Republican and all other high-tariff,
free whisky. Ushigh taxed. necessaries pa
pers deliberately aim to deceive their read
ers into the belief that the Mills bill Is a
free trade measure and that the President
recommends free trade. They simply do
not tell the truth.
But while the editor of the Republican is
quoting British authorities on free trade"
in America, will he republish this abstract
of lecture on England and America"
delivered in the trophy room of the Amer
lean Exhibition In London, last season,
before the Presidents message was writ,
ten Mr., Jeans is Tor then was) Secretary
of the Iron and Steel Institute of England.
The lecture was reported by the Scientific
american as follows, the ltdLics being our
own
The lecture was the first of a series pro
noted under the auspices of the London
Workingmen's Association. In the course
of his remarks the lecturer said that the
American resources were infinitely In
excess of those Of Great Britain, and unless
the working population of the latter coun.
try were to atone for their deficiencies in
this respect by greater industry and more
extended use of mechanical appliances, so
as to economic labor and produce cheapiy,
they would not be likely to hold their pc
sition in the race. There was not much
danger of American competition in manu-
featured goods fol long time to come.
Fully 80 per cent of the exports from
America took the form of raw materials
If American protection were continued at
its present range, England would not have
much fear as regards manufacturers; ont If
the tariG ,oere abolished, tile industrial pros.
poets Of England e0uld become Uery much
OtuChtT, w consequence " Htt tHoIWtOuS re-
sources Wdt america possesses for cheap pro-
auction. The lecturer concluded by refer
ring to the extent to which national pros
perity and industrial prospects were atfec
ted by military and naval expenditure, lie
mentioned as u striking fact that was at
variance with the general opinion of econ
omists and politicians, that the United
States had actually since 1861 expended
92l millions sterling {4G05 million dollars
on thei; army and navy, as against 636
millions sterling (3,l30 million dollars) in
England. But at the present time the
annual expenditures on this account In
Great Britain was E35, 100000 to 100000,
600 ($l75,000,000 to 200,0O0000) year
as against about G13,00o,000 1865 000000)
in America so that the English per capita
expenditure was about 20s, ($4S0) as
against A. I'd ($l.00) in the United States.
America had, however, the further advan-
tage ofshaving only paratively small
handful of men withdrawn from industrial
and productive occupations for military
purposes, whereas England has over 200.
900 of the flower of its manhood that were
not only producing nothing, but hanging
like dead weight around the neck of the
productive community,