Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-24
FREE TRADE.
A Correspondents View of the Tariff
Question.
Communicated

A Correspondents View of tho Tariff
Question.
Communicated
Free trade is good for England, and the
reasons, alleged for its existence are excel
lent; she, of course, desires wider markets,
| in fact wishes the world for market.
She raises the cry of selfshness against
those who oppose ker policy, and here, in
parenthesis, lei rs remark that the good
| Lord intended men to be selfish, to the ex-
tent of self-preservation, and that this
| tendency clearly works to the general per-
nsa'se',t good; it would seem that liberal
| minded people need not worry over this
part of the subject.
Free trade is not good for the United
State5s and never will be until our food
| supply is deficient. When that is short
then we must buy it with manufactured
articles at any demanded amount of sacri-
fee, Just as England does.
| Professor fhorold Rogers is the author
| Of the able essay on free trade in the
| Encyclopedia Britannica, and from that
| article the following extract is taken it is
the candid opinion of pronounced free
| trader
| Ghe restraint OF production and trade
Was a policy which ancient civilization
neger adopted. Perhaps the explanation
IS to be found in the prevalence of slavery
/ There Is radical difference between
ancient and modern civilization that in
| The former, slavery was deemed natural,
( lntbe latter 1t has been seels to be mis-
cbieVous and felt to be detestable. In
modem societies, therefore, the fee laborer
5,a,factoE in the Interpretation of economi-
cal forces /; in ancient ones h2 counted for
nothing, or next to nothing. To have pro-
| hblted tfee trade in the products of for
I eign Labor at Athens would have been to.
| give,a1gantage to one class of slave holders
in opposition or in contrast to another
olass of shareholders, an3sw was not to be
thought of.
"Io prohibit free trade between England
and France, or England and the United
States, is, IN appearance at least, to assist
the home labor of tAe country which
! adopts protection against the rivalry of free
labor in another ceuntry which might
unGerseA its rivals. 2yetection in ancient
times would have been, seen to BE- naked
selfshness; IN modsrp times, 1t may seem
20. be canine and oisinterested patriotism.
And il may be Obs8rEed that, for this and
other reasons, most slave holding countries.
have been indifferent to protective egula
| tions, or even uptrieDdly TO them.
I This fact is sufficiently illustrated by
b the contrast of opinion in the Northern and
Southern StatHs- of the American Union be-
fore the war aesecession."
Let Us ad0to the foregoing that equally
the slave foreign laborer works for a bare
support ard .frea comforts spd on the cues
tion of Treteciion they both count for
nothing 81. next to nothing in their re-
spective localities. and il our own South
erD SteAes the free negroes are in the same
J siTuatisn..
ENGLAND may be compelled some day to
levy en import duty en- wheat to protect
her farmers at home and in India When
! she does there may be need oil sreciProcity
: treaty. Until then, the Atlantic will not be
; wider than 4,500 miles for wheat ship
! k0und east, but when the ship returns to
New York il VIII be found that { alling the
Eduiy as freigh:) the ocesn is of varying
width, as to ibe goods she carries. To some
= goods it will se 20,0eA miles wide and tC
= others 10000 miles.
O That This freight and duty is plld oy tA'
: consumer il not Strictly accurate.
We ssaa green fruit to Chicago care 1uiiN
! counting rs cost al d freight, and weighinl
{ the eharces Of get ing it back; When
: arrive in Chicago it is sold without reiei
e e.nee 10 cost. and under the competition,
s the local fruit. 80
M Sacramento, August %, 1888
- s..o. ,,,eat r,,uef have sOur sauce.