The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-08-23
An AUSTRALIAN VIEW.
COmrade Heath Sends Warning to
Old Comrades Against Free Trade.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, June 1

MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA, June 10.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: never knew
person to pick up wasp knowing it was
wasp / never knew sailor to go to sea in
ship he knew would go down the first day
out; in fact, 1 never came across person so
simple as to go and sit right down in the fire.
But have seen something very similar to all
those things in the best and most progressive
country on the globe. / mean Gods country
America In my last NATIONAL TRIBUNE
read where a comrade (sorry for this, bank
President (glad Of this, away up in cold Min
nesota wants free trade. Now, first of all, be-
fore / fire another shot, let me say l am no
politician, and ! never want The NATIONAL
TRIBUNE to go into politics or anything that
is not strictly to the interest of the old soldier
and all / have ever said or ever will say
through The NATIONAL TRIBUNE is simply to
please or benefit my comrades, for they are all
the brothers ever had or ever will have; and
no one brother ever loved another more de-
votedly than do my old brother comrades OF
the war. As one proof let me here say that on
Capitol Hill / went and gave negro soldier
drink when he was all broken out with small
pox, and no one else would go near him; and to
this day consider it as brave an act as though
! had been first to jump across Goose Creek or
first to plant flag on a fort full Of wooden
guns, with $4,000 justas brave men right at my
side and back. What little / do say is meant
for my comrades who are not rich, but who,
like myself, have to support their families from
the fruits of the labor of their two hands.
Now, my banker comrade says if he, or rather
his country, had free trade he could throw up
his Sc pension, for he could, with the tariff re-
moved, buy his commodities enough cheaper
to more than make it up That is all right for
him now, for he has bank to go to to get the
money to buy with. But what about me,
blanket weaver, or loom maker, or manutac-
turer of any goods or machinery, who has to
labor to get the money to buy with?
Excuse me for leaving my post, but wish
to give an illustration. When | was lying
wounded in Saterlee General Hospital in West
Philadelphia, in May, 1865, one of the boys in
Ward F asked another to lend him five cents
to go down town with, and he answered him
by saying that if cities like Philadelphia were
selling for 10 cents each he could not buy the
slat out of WindoW-blind. Now, if Australia
sends wooden blankets to America to sell for
$l.75 pair (they were offered to me for that
last Saturday here in Melbourne), where is the
American blanket weaver going to get work to
earn the $175 to buy those blankets with, if
he is out of work.
Comrades, | have lived in and thoroughly
tested both protection and free-trade countries.
! speak from actual experience as a laboring
mechanic. Here in Australia we have two
Colonies on tho same coast, under the same or
equal circumstances-Now South Wales with
Sydney for its Capital, and the Colony of Vieto-
ria, with the city Of Melbourne for its Capital.
They are about 500 miles apart, or about 20
hours ride by the trains. Sydney has not alb
solutely free trade but as near it as is possible
to get and exist; and Melbourne or Victoria
has high protection. Sydney is nearly twice
as old as Melbourne, but you ask any one that
has been in both which is the most advanced
and most progressive, or read the two Govern
or labor-riot in Melbourne while Sydney has
had plenty of both. / am now paying SIS
house rent per month in Melbourne, and | can
get the same thing in Sydney for one-half that,
but / cannot live there, for / can get no work,
and great many have to depend on the soup
houses; there is nothing manufactured there.
Everything is shipped there from some other
place.
If Jonathan sends ham here he has to
pay three pence six cents per pound duty on
1t. If he sends pound of fruit he must pay
four cents pound duty on it; if he sends any
machinery or implements, it is 274 per cent
duty on it. Ny wife has to pay IA cents PEI
| yard for very poor prints, that are nearly hall
| lime and pipe clay; but wages are good and SO
We can get the money to hay with; but have
! found more than once, to my family's sorrow
| too, that when there is no work there is nc
money, and cheap goods are just like that
Washington pie in 1863. 1t was only five cents
for n big piece and the Treasury aud banks
contained lots of money. There was plenty
| everywhere, but my poor, miserable soldier
pocket was just like free trade-there was moth
ing in it; but if the pie had been a dollar in
stead Of five cents, and l had had dollar Il
get it with, how happy | would have been A
it was / simply stuffed my poor stomach witt
lust the looks of it; but you can't stuff any FREE
trade down me. If America ever gets fret
trade, then the grass will soon grow in th
paths that lead to the factories and shops, ant
every school district viii have use for soup
house.
It seems so strange to me that Americans
enlightened as they are, do not ask themselye
why all free-trade countries have so many labo
riots, soup-houses and oyer-crowded aims
houses? IF it is so much better than tn
country thprotection, why do they have t
keep large standing armies, the taxes to sup
port which cost more than the difference i
living with or without protective tariff?
Comrades, you have made out the deed o
win Of the country, as the fields at Gettysburg
Shiloh, Antietam, Mission Ridge and hundre
others will testify, to deliver to your children
Are you going to burden them with free trad
first? Are you going to open the flood gate
of pauper labor and prisons upon their indus
, tries and drown the chances of your own of
spring? Are you going to tear the shingles 0
the roof Of the house and burn the trees i
the orchard and the grain in the barn before 20
, hand it over? Is this the way yoa got it? VIII
this is much worse than we served the Johnnie
after they had tried every way possible to d.
stroy everything we had.
Comrades, care not what your politics ar
] care not which you wear, the blue or gra.
1t matters not much to rs, but for the sake
D your dear children and your children's chile
D ren don't, I beg of you, bring the great bu
!. den of free trade upon them.
a Ask any person who has ever been in Austr
lasia which is the most properous of the 81
colonies. You can find out all these things
you wish, before it is too late. Don't be suckt
] in by tricks or politics as we were about pc
sions and bOunties when we enlisted. He
. they pension every Government clerk, eve
+ the message boys and railway spike-driyers.
Comrades, l again appeal to you over my or
soldier name.--E. s. HEATH, Oath n. Y.