Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-08-23
POLITICAL COMMENT.
wise word, 10 yvorkinemen.

wise Words TO yvorkingmen.
General Harrison's addresses to the dele
cations that are visiting him from nearly
every county In Indiana are informal and I'M
pretentious, but most effective. Simplicity
and sincerity, which are characteristic traits
Of the man, shine through these speeches. At
the same time he reduces public questions to
their simplest terms, and deals with item
comprehensIvely, with lucldlty OF style and
sagacity Of judgement As an advocate at
the Indiana bar he has won a great reputa-
tion by his power Of Discerning the essential
and determining elements of a case under
argument In his shor. speeches to the
county delegations he avaIls himself of this
professional habit He reaches the centre OF
every subject which he discusses; and he does
this without affcctation OF manner OF any OF
those signs Of self-consciousness which are APP
parent whenever the president condescends to
Instruct the people in relation to thor polltlc-
al dulles and his own recognition OF the su'
preme Importance OF the executive office.
The speech addressed on Thursday to the
miners of Clay county Illustrated at obce
General Harrlson's grace OF manner and Vigor
OF thought. lie desired to impress upon this
delegation Of workingmen one or two weighty
considerations In favor OF the maintenance OF
the protective tariff from their own point OF
view. A laborei economic argument would
have been out OF place. and he RETAINED from
wearying them with statistical citation and
controversial matter. He contended himself
with glancing at two phases of the question
which they could readily understand. The
first was the fact that the condition OF the
American workman under the protective sys-
TEN was superior to that of European work.
men, and the proof as the swinging inward
of the gates Of Castle Garden. From every
country in Europe men who have barely kept
soul and body together through unremunera-
tive toll 'lnew the good land Of hope as well
as the swallow knows the land OF summer"
American laborers are not seeking a better
country than their own; and this fact suillces
10 prove that the masses here are not crushed,
impoverished and ground down TO The earth
by what democratic demagogues denounce as
"the robber tariff" This, indeed, was the
Testimony which Matthew Arnold gave In his
last "Word about Amerlca": that the work
| ing classes here lived better, had more Of the
| comforts and even luxuries, and had superior
chances Of getting on in the world, than the
labOring people OF any other nation. what
| intelligent motive, then, can they have for
revolutionizing the economic system of the
country
General Harrison's second and even more
| conclusive point was the necessity for protec.
| tion 10 order 10 secure steady employment and
| the best wages for workin%men. lie contend
| ed Justly that free trade, by transferring work
| from American to foreign mines and factories
| would deprive men of employ here and
| inevitably tend to repress wa9"s. The great
| advantage of q protect We tarl1 go Tar as work
| ingmen were concerned lay in securing the
| largest amount of work on American soil, so
| as 10 provide them with steady employment
| here at the best wages known anywhere. This
word ''emploYmenr' Ia the one on which Gen.
eral Harrison rightly lays full stress Even II
| 1t were possible TO increase the purchasing
| power Of wages BY policy of unlimited i'm
portations, the working clu5ses would no,
benefit by 1t if they were earning nothing.
The purchasing power OF wages IL as high In
England us 1t Is anywhere, but there Is great
army OF the unemployed in every town who
cannot find employment. and who IN sheer
despair are emigrating TO America. Genera
| Harrison presents this elemnlt OF continuous
employment by the diversifcatiOn rDd pros per
ity of home Industries rs the core OF the whole
working classes are directly Interested in It,
Tie free. trade democracy is bent upon giving
employment TO the working population Of Eu
rope at the expense OF American wOrkngmen
Protection stands for steady work and goOt
wages.
Contrast the sympathetic spirit In whicl
| General Harrison addresses the orking peo-
pie OF America with that DISPLAYED BY thu
free trade orators OF the house. Mr.. Hemp
hill, OF South Carolina, declared In the tariff
debate that uRuper labor In Europe only In
terested America IN q humanitarian sense
that pauper labor with which hundreds o
thousand of American workmen would have
to compete II the markets here were thrown
open TO tho world. Mr. Hare, of Texas
sueeriug at the argument that a tariff safe
guards labor exclaimed in the house: 'Wha
is the difference between earning 81 per da
or 10 cents per day, IL the result is the same
namely, sufficient TO eat to preserve life anC
sufficient to wear to protect the bodyP
Heaven help the working people Of this lam
, II the policy of the government is 10 be d
rected BY statesmen who talk in this heartles
strain about man's earning 10 cents a da
2 under free trade and being happy and con
Il tentrd!-Neag York TrGut8