The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-06-08
OLD HICKORY A pRorecrloNIsr
Ddav Free Preu;

BaGw IRE Pren;
Despite the well remembered fact
that when John g. Calhoun, the South
Carolina Democratic leader, threatened
secession IL the event laws could not
be repealed or at least nullifed 80 far as
the "pinssant kingdom Of South Caro-
lima" was interested in the bold position
of Gen. Jackson, then the president Of
the u. b., there are Democrats who
claim that Jackson was a free trader.
To such we commend the following ex-
tract from q letter of Gen. Jackson TO
Robert Patterson:
MRS. jackson wears with pride o hat made
by American hands and made OF American
material. Its workmanship rejecting the
highest credit upon its authors, will be re-
earded a. an evidence Of the perfection which
our domestic manufacturers MAJ hereafter
acquire IL properly fostered and protected.
Upon the success of our manufactures as the
hand maid of agriculture and commerce.. de-
ponds in a great measure the Independence OF
our country, and ! assure you that none can
feel more sensibly tn a do the necessity Of
encouraging them"
There is In Gen. JacKson's own Ian
guage a positive declaration Of his pro-
tective sentiments and q plainly and
clearly stated purpose to execute the
death penalty upon Calhoun If he at
tempted to carry into effect his nullif-
cation schemes or interfere with the
proper and prompt collection ofthe rev.
enue laws.
English testimony ought to be as good
with free traders who are working in
the interest of British free traders, as
Gen. J~ackson's and here is some of it
from the pen of Mr.. Sheard, who is the
owner of large knitting mills at Little
Falls. N. Y. He says:
Anyone Of these literary fellows, shout
free trade overtake us, who have never been
In q mill in their lives, can run my mill with
any amount Of salary IL they succeed. I have
read their arguments. They tell me with free
raw material 1 can make cheaper goods and
by building more mills and hiring more men
and paying higher wages / can hold the home
trade and get into the market Of the world.
. Let me see IL this works as well as it
sounds. A large number Of our knitting mills
making shirts, drawers and hosiery use only
cotton. They certainly get their raw material
as cheap as anywhere and have the wide-awake,
intelligent American workman. Will some
with increased protectioni Will the free
trader tell me why they do not find a foreign
market2 1t is simply and only because our
high wag enhance the value of production
far beyond the foreign manufacturers cost,
with his low priced labor and can you blame
me Mr.. Editor II ] refuse to believe with free
wool with any better success selling wooden
goods abroad than my neighbor can his free
cotton goods. Give us the same low rates Of
wages and we can beat them In cbeapness Of
product. But who wants the low wages IN
America? Certainly not the working man,
not the farmer, not the manufacturer; nome
but the free trade theorist. Our own domestic
let us not like the dog crossing the stream
with meat in his mouth, drop the substance
into the water for the larger shadow in the
carefully. President Cleveland was governor
Of New York state while I was speaker Of the
House and 1 became well acquainted with
him and he is q theorist of the most primitive
stamp" In his closing paragraph Mr.. Sheard
says: Il am q protectonist because i believe
in ii. As a boy / worked in the wooden mills
- snesE from eYner rhaS whan 7 saw ny n an%v
SHNS N-~ EOAAN1
of protection has made this the most desirable
in all the world for the working man.
In no country does he earn so much money
and In no country does the product of his Ia
bors purchase for him so many of the necessi-
ties and luxuries of life. Better housed, bet
ter fed, better clothed and more money in the
savings bank, the American workman excels
all others"
This, Mr.. Editor. is the testimony of
a man who has had experience in Eng
land and America, who owns and oper-
ates a wooden mill and don't want the
wool growing farmers stripped of pro-
lection or laborers reduced to the Euro
pean level that he may compete with
British manufacturers in their own
market. The people should read the
reasons he gives for the hope that is in
him. There is no demagogue clap-trap
in his statements, which are more
worthy the attention of the people and
their advice safer to follow than any
thing or all things found in Cleveland's
British plea for free trade.