Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-12
WHAT FREE TRADE MEANS.
The Hon. E. p. walton to John Mattoci

The Hon. E. =. walton to John Mattocks.
Among the many eminent democrats
who have broken away from the demo
cratic party, during the present campaign,
and who will vote for Harrison and Nor
TOP on the issue OF protection Of American
industry, is Hon John Mattocks of Chit
cago. Mr.. Mattocks IL son of the late
Judge Mattocks, who was Il Judge of the
Supreme Court of Vermont fifty odd
years ago. Mr. Mattocks is a well known
and respected citizen of Chicago, and has
been lifelong, earnest and working dem
ocrat In recent interview, published in
the Chicago Inter-OCcdn, he made known
his refusal to follow Mr. Cleveland and
the free traders, and his purpose to vote
the republican ticket. The announcement
called forth the following capital letter
from Hon. f. p. Walton of Montpelier,
which Mr. Mattocks furnished for publ
cation to the Inicr ocean, from whose
columns we copy it.
MONTPELIER, Aug. 6, 1888.
Ny Dear Friend Mattocks, Judge Carrie
ton has handed me the Essex county,
n. Y, Republican, which contained a
copy of the account of an interview with
yourself by "A correspondent OF the inter.
ocean, ana you may safely RutSS ludu
was greatly delighted with it, "Prin-
ci pies, not men," should be the rule OF
every, patriotic man, and If 1t is not largely,
| the American system of emocratic-repub-
lican government will be failure.
Ghe results of Your observation in Essex
! county are the same aS my own, ana what
is true of Essex county is true of the en-
tire country, as found by a study of the
question in 1869. | send you the results
| III n speech of mine.
| England owes all she has and is to the
protective policy, by which she subjected
not merely all nations to herself, but also
all the colonies and dependencies. She
| forbade the admission of sheep into her
| American colonies, as she wished to clothe
her people with the British cloth manu-
! featured in England from British wool ;
and the colonial blacksmith could not
iron exported from England, BY the
way, | have two of those nails, made in
Montpelier in 1871, for the old Caldwell
hOuse at IS cents pound. You shall
| have one of them-when next you come u
| Montpeier)
The German Empire, France, Russia
and eu.rurkey at last, are following the
! eXAmpicSf England and why should not
! the Uuired States protect America, even
il it were only III self-defence The Eng
! lish doctrine of free trade means that we
| shall send to them raw material aud food,
But this Is not all that it means. Up to
1861, aud for the period following the dis
covery of gold in California, American
ships controlled the ocean The United
States was mistress of The seas; her clip
per ships the fastest and best upon the
ocean so superior, Indeed, to any others
that British, merchants sent to us for ships.
Now mark; The southern States follow
ing the lead of John e. Calhoun,
all adopted the British idea OF free
trade; England fostered and flatter-
ed and aided them up to the point of re-
bellion, and then our ships were swept
from the seas they became British ships,
and to- day Great Britain is as of old ms
tress of the seas. Nay more; British gold
is invested in all our railways, the great
freight lines; and so Tree trade means
not only that our food and raw materials
shall 90 to purchase British msnufac-
lures, but that British ships and railways
shall be paid for the transportation both
ways,
Cleveland has surrendered to the South
ern States and to the British. He must
go. Pardon this long letter, and believe
me ever yours, Il. Z. WALTON,