The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-04-25
FREE TRADE FAlLACIES.
In the Senate Mr.. Morrill, Replies to
the Presidents Free Trade
Message.
Cleveland's Proposition Would Bankrupt
Producer and Manufacturer North
/ and South.

oAttS.
In the face of the doctrines promulgated
In the message of the President, what en-
couragement for the future, he asked, had
those farmers guilty OF having made in
yestments in sheep husbandry and of hav-
ing labored for years to acquire the knowl-
edge and skill or good shepherds In the
management of their fockst What en-
couragement did the message offer 10 any
new, or even old, enterprises? Was there
any growing city or town, any nook or cor
ner In the country which could have any
hope of advancing prosperity upon the
radical changes of the tariff as urged by
the message of the President? What new
fields of labor would be opened or what
old ones show increased activity? Rather
which one among them oil would not be
slaughteredg With their occupations gone
where were the many thousands of dis
charged laborers to go2 The President
appears to deprecate the discussion of pro-
lection and free trade, and with wonder
ful simplicity forthwith proposed 10 rec
ommend absolute free trade in wool. he
would by his measure cut the jugular of
every sheep In the country and proceed to
argue with the owners that they would be
better oil without them, or that they lost
more than they gained by protection. De-
Quoting the protective duty imposed for
the benefit of American wool of 10 cents
per pound, the value of Texas WOOL in
New York and Boston markets would sud
denly drop to or cents per pound.
Neither Texas nor any other State would
continue to raise wool ut that price, and
wool growing even in the Lone Star State,
with an area greater than that OF Germany,
France, Spain, or Italy, would only be
known as one of the lost arts. The pro-
digious loss to landed estates from an aban-
donment of sheep husbandry was prob
lem of difficult solution. The Democratic
party when out of power loudly proclaimed
its policy, but having thereby got into power
1t prevaricated unbiushingly and prac-
ticaily reversed its platform from end to
end. 1t would now perpetuate war taxes
and make custom-h house revenues INSULT
cient. Had not Virginia, North Carolina,
Georgia, Tennessee, as well as New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut, and many other
States, valid cause of complaint against
the Democratic party for false pretenses?
The day star of hope appeared to have been
rising in the new South, lighting all her
borders with flaming furnaces and decorat-
ing her wasted places with manufacturing
towns and cities, but these bright evidences
of better days, If the anti-tariH raid should
be successful, would Immediately sink out
of sight and the fondest hopes OF the new
South would disappear forever.
He declared himself in favor of any
reasonable reduction of the public revenues
and deprecated the attempt to excite
panic in financial affairs because of an ex-
pected annual surplus of S55,OOO,OOO.
There was, he said, another interest liable
to be affected, of vital importance to the
country as great commercial nation, and
that was the maintenance OF the bimetal-
lie system of coinage and the preservation
of O currency OF both gold and silver.
Ware tha Of 1r1fiaC 70 ha rlopaH hv
any mistake merely trihe in favor of for
eign importations, an excess of imports
over exports would soon appear and turn
the balance of trade against this country.
This could not continue long before gold
would command premiums and find its
best market as a commodity to be shipped
abroad The standard dollar then sup
ported by gold would be practically based
on silver alone, and represent only the
commercial value of the metal. Obviously
the arrangement of business transactions
would be serious. The customs revenue
would all be received in silver or silver
certificates and practical reduction OF
tariff duties and of the wages Of laborlng
men would instantly follow 10 the extent
of the difference between the nominal and
the intrinsic value of silver coinage. Any
thing tending therefore to depreciate the
value of silver or the medium received for
SarlH QutleS or wages bQOulu DC ear
pestly avoided.
Senator Morrill,, in conclusion, said:
An examination of the new tariff bill.
which is supposed to have been prepared
by a Democratic syndicate in secret, all
solemnly saying to one another
Let not thy left hand know what thy right
hand doeth
will show that, were it to become law,
there is hardly any American manufacture
named in it that would not be more or less
crippled. and many that would be cut up,
root and branch, or would force the wages
of employees TO be cut down much nearer
to foreign standards. The rates of reduc-
tons proposed on manufactures of iron,
wool, silk, and cotton would. by largely
increasing importations of foreign mer-
chandise, be likely to produce an increase
of revenue rather than n reduction, as the
authors of the bill must know, and the real
purpose of the bill is, therefore, indicated
to be hostility to the protection of manu-
features, and not hostility to surplus rev.
enue.
While any free-trade blow at manufact-
ures in its rebound will prove not less det-
rimental to agriculture, as both never fail
to flourish or languish together, yet this
Democratic tariff bill directly, as we'll as
indirectly, makes loud and radical demands
upon farmers, and calls upon them 10 place
more numerous and costly sacrifices on the
altar of free trade than any tariff reformer
has ever before ventured to suggest From
the long list of articles upon which it is
proposed by the administration now in
power that all tariff duties shall be surren-
dered, / will select and call attention to
some portion OF the compulsory contribu-
ton to be made by American farmers, and
the list will be found perhaps sufficiently
extensive to console and reconcile our
neighbors of the Canadian Dominion for
their recent loss of reciprocity treaty.
"Wool of all kinds; wool on the skin;
wooden rags, shoddy, mungo, and waste;
fax; fax-s straw; flax hacked or dress line
jute, jute-but,s sum, sisal-grass, and 9TH
er vegetable fibers; hempH linseed or flax
seed; broomcorn; tallow; bristles; beans;
pease; split pease; vegetables in their natu-
raj state or in salt or brine; grease; garden
seeds; milk; beeswax; fruits; meats, gam,,
and poultry; seeds; hemp and rape seed,
and other oil seeds of like character
Here is profuse magnanimity-the free
surrender of all our border markets to
those who will not permit our people to fish
or cut bait within three miles OF their
oborea