The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-08-23
WHY ONE FREE TRADER
CHANGED HIS BASE,

The illustration in a recent issue 0
the New York Press of the pecuniaril.
disastrous results of theoretical farming
so forcibly illustrative of the like ten
dency of theoretical free trade view
was both interesting and instructive.
As there is nothing like experience L
convince one of the fallacy of theoreti
cal farming. as | happen to know to m.
cost, so there is nothing like actual ex
perience of the i'll effects of free trade
or tariff reform, whichever you please
to term it, to convince one OF the injur
iousness of the latter.
The following incident, to the truth o
which / am personally knowing, is i'm
portantly corrOborative of the promise
in question:
A manufacturer of firearms in prin,
cipal Connecticut city had been motor
iously conspicuous as Democrat anC
out and out free trader. 1t was suggest.
ed by a manufacturer of Republican
procnvities, doing business in the same
building, to a representative of the
Home Market Club who was soliciting
memberships that he call upon the man
ufaClurer in question. Knowing his
public reputation as an ultra free trader
| he demurred, Never mind his antece
dents, said the party who had suggested
his calling, you call upon him. The
agent did so, and much TO his surprise
and agreeable disappointment, he signed
without the least solicitation and with
the greatest alacrity.
Curious to know the reason, the agent
inquired the cause of the change in his
PROM, N nrnnnnnnaH freq fraHai
to an extreme protectIonist. Well,
will tell you, was the answer. A few
moths ago | engaged to make and de-
liver to a New York firm in a specified
time 10. 900 pistols, on delivery and sale
of which was TO have an order for an
other 10000; but, and herein lies the
secret of my "change of base, the con-
tract was conditional. / was to go on
and manufacture for month. and il In
the meantime certain foreign manu-
facturer should put in lower bid, the
contract should he vitIated. Sure
enough, before the end of the month a
Belgian manufacturer, on account OF
the low tariff, did underbid me, and at q
figure SO much below my prices that at
the greatly higher rates was paying
for wages 1t was impossible for me Ia
compete with him, and the result was
lost the contract.
1t was an exceptionally profitable
contract, and | should have made a
good thing of it, and my men would
have been propOrtionally benefited, fol
you know. SAID he, that in pistol
making it is nearly all labor, but it wa
no use, lower foreign wages is what
did it, and / lost the contract, and
the entire item of labor and profits wen
to the foreign manufacturer.
Put me down henceforrh and forever
as a protectionist of the most pro
nounced type. This was said with ar
JUNCTION and emphasis that there was NJ
possible mistaking the animus that gave
it expression, and the agent left. con-
WINGED in his own mind that in the cast
of free trade theory, practice is better
than precept IN proof of its fallacy.
Said several manufacturers, subse
quently, to the same agent, l have a sor
III Yale who is pronounced free trader
what shall ! do with him? Take hin
into business with you, that will cure
him, was the agents invariable reply.
Moral-What may seem true, and
logically 80, in theory may, and in The
case of free trade" does, prove false
and dlsastrousy so IN practically, 7
G, in Boston journal.