Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-28
PLEA FOR COMMON SfNSE.
A Yulo Farmer on Free Trade from L
perience in England.

perience In England.
EDS. RECORD UNION In your weekly
issue of July 14th my attention is attracted
English hands, failing for lack of work,
tell the story" and as / was farmers son
in the prosperous time of protection in
England and suffered by the i'll effects of
free trade, can tell the story correctly.
From 1880, of my knowledge, to 1916,
no country could be more prosperous than
was England. My father paid Ell an
acre rent, and | have known the millers to
buy his wheat at 10 shillings So 5O) per
bushel. man out of employment at
good living wages, was unknown to me-
Sir Robert Peel was made the Prime Min
lister in 1841, and when he entered the
office he pledged to continue the protective
system, as the British Government held to
its expediency. But the failure of the po-
tato crop in Ireland in 1876 threatened the
country with terrible famine, and the
same year the grain harvest in England
failed, and people became clamorous for
bread. l used to see large posters up with
pictures of people holding their hands out
for loaf of bread, preferred by other
countries.
Free trade was met by bitter contention
from the Government, when an anti-corn
law league was formed to relieve the utter
want for bread, by abolishing or reducing
the duty, and Sir Robert Peel resigned his
office rather thai, comply. He was sue
ceeded by Lord John Russell. The ex-
pedient relief was given to the sufferers;
but the complete operation of free trade
was not secured until 1S49. That threw
wheat down to five shillings a bushel.
Tins a Opnara1 oOl1o h. fall oil o,,l
all commodities, and as result emigration
for Australia, New Zealand and America
became the leading topic.
Free trade worked the entire downfall of
producers and toilers. But remember that
England is only $50 by 300 miles in area, or
as near the size of Iowa as can be. In
1916 England had population of about
20000,000, while Iowa to-day has about
100000. If the density of the popula-
ton of the United States was equal to what
England was in 1916, or 290 to the square
mile, we should have population of six
hundred millions. Such a population
would unquestionably demand free trade
for needed subsistence. So it was the real
need of the British people, but real OPP
position of the Government, until Richard
Golden, who became a leader of the free
trade movement, concluded the political
agitation.
Under the above mentioned disaster,
caused by free trade, fed the country for
one. So judge ye whether / am not firm
protectionist. / know enough of the dis
aster of free trade to England to compel
me to say that | would not receive Yolo
county as gift, to farm, with free trade in
America.
Those farmers that advocate free trade
are exceptionally ignorant of consequences,
as free trade here means export of farm
produce and import of foreign manufac-
ture. and us farmers paying the export of
grain from 1000 to 10000 miles to market.
II is one Of the most absurd ideas for any
one but merchants to plead for free trade
in such sparsely settled country as Amer
lea, and with such an immense stock of
mineral wealth for manufacture almost IN
developed. st. Paul says that any man
who provides not for his own household is
worse than an infidel.
So with my sixty years experience, since
/ was put to the pillow, l would plead for a
population in Yolo county adequate for a
consumption of seven-eighths of all the
wheat raised, for home market, at two
cents per pound and keep the cent paid to a
foreign market, so that we can spend 500
at stores instead of $50, and buy 1900 feet
of lumber instead of 1000 feet, and keep
wages in proportion, and dozen -four
mills in Yolo county, as the fruit of pro-
lection and prosperity. d. ARCHER
Madison, \ olO county, July oath.