The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1888-08-30
JNCONSIS TENCYOFFREE
TRADE ATTORNEY,S.

The free trade attorneys have several
strings to their Aeolian harp, each set
to different time, according to the pre-
sumcd necessities of the situation. The
voters ear will be tickled with his favor
lite strain, and the music timed to his
cruicst step. always provided that his
toes point twards the free trade camp.
The farmer is told that he, of all men,
should stand for fee-trade; that pro-
tection but adds to the price of what he
buys, and that his trouble with the price
of what he has to sell comes from the
fact that his market is not far enough
fro n home. The mechanic is treated to
the song OF cheaper food and rainent
VIII IN tree-trade comes. The laborer
aft n few solemn strains over the hard
ness of his lot, is melted with martial notes
to tumble down u wall of protection to
hone industries a nd enter upon the bless
ings which free-trade has in store for it's
advocates.
But the manuta turer is likely to detect
some discord in songs which promise
hig Ter wages for labor and lower prices
for products. Another string is touched
and there comes to him the grand prom
Use of the worlds markets. He is told
that goods which Americans are unable
to buy would find ready purchasers be,
Won the seas, and that on the pinions OF
Zee trade increased wealth will be born
bac to him, if he will but join in the
worship of the image that the Golden
club has set up.
-ifffs5 s. blind afs not to see the incon
sistency in all this?
The farmers profit is now dimin
ished by expense of transportation to
centres of consumption, and many ar.
barred the production of certain potit-
ablcc crops by remoteness from markets.
His obvious interest is to have markets
nearer the farm, and when possible sell it,
his own country rather than in Europe.
He should remember that every man kept
at work and earning wages in some othe'
occupation than farming lessons com
petition ingrowing farm products, while
insuring demand and prices for the same.
The mechanics interest lies i'll having
every dollar of wealth produced in thi.
country kept at home and spent in build
ing better houses, more machinery, tinei
furniture-in short, adding to the facilities
ofproduction and ability of our people,
to parchase, the p, oducts of mechanical.
indu ,try. Let him reflect upon the dis
advantage at which he would be placed
if CO npelled to depend for wages upon
some calling in wi ich he is not skilled.
In his own tradel e is an expert, at any
other work he would be only a novice.
The laborer, dependent upon others for
his means of support, is the first to feel
the pinch of dull times. When building.
factories, making railroads, improving
streets, etc, ceases he is the first thrown
out of work, and the least able Of all to
endure enforced id;eness. AS his depart
ment of labor IS one requiring strength
rather than skill, it is the most OF ali eX-
posed to competition.
And the manufacturer, how is he to
get the promised hold upon the markets
of the world? These are already occu
pied by the manufacturers of other ma
tions; otherwise they would not be SC
persistent to get into the markets of thi.
country. How are they to be displaced:
Obviously in but one of two ways: The
American manufacturer to secure mar
kets now monopolized by Europeans
must either supply better goods at the
prices now paid, or nc must supply
equally good articles for less money. Ii
he makes the sacrifice, the cheapening
must fall either upon the material used
or the labor put upon the finished pro-
duct.
In face of the fact that $3.50, 900, 900
were last year paid to foreigners for pro-
ducts which could as we'll have been
manufactured in this country, the folly
of further concession in behalf of free for
eign trade must be apparent to all ex-
cept those who will not see.