West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-02-17
Communicated
WHAT is FREE TRADE?

without having well-defined idea
of the true import of the expression.
And the term is used with very diff
ferent significance, if said by the
one or the other political partizan.
If said by so-called Republican, it
means obloquy, and means any duty
on exports which is lower than that
which enables manufacturing favor
ties to become monopolists in the bu-
siness. And is protective duty
which fosters monopolies at the ex-
pense of consumers. II, on the other
hand, the term is employed by a
Democrat, it means a duty on for
eign imports for revenue only. And
il used in its genealogical sense,
free trade means liberty to sell, buy
or barter any where under the broad
canopy of heaven-without paying
port duties where sold or exchanged.
and is consonant with free port con-
signments of international COM
merce. There are three phases,
which give significance to the ex-
preston, depending altogether on
the standpoint of the speaker; so
likewise it depends on the user If
the sense is applied in friendly or
an unfriendly significance.
Free trade in the interest of the
people, considered practically, is
used in friendly sense, but if re-
garded from the high protection side
of the question, freetra is odious,
and is denounced by every blood
sucker who preys on labor. The
enemies of free-trade are the uncom-
promising few who parasite upon
earnings in direct proportion as the
one steals from the other, and is an
extortion with Congressional sane
ton for the benefit of the million
aire manufacturer, who usually buys
his privilege by pecuniary attentions
not far from where the laws are en-
acted. Of course to this rule we
have honorable exceptions. Abso-
lutte free-trade being the greatest
freedom upon commerce, it works an
equality among all governments
adopting it; hence, 1t might be best
for co-republics. especially, if largely
adopted. The induction of free
commerce in the management Of our
government concerns, would be quite
revolution of the system now, but
is it not the only way TO bring back
the general government to that in
ter communication between the diff
ferent classes of our people, which
was sacrificed by the late war in the
! interest of the few to the detriment of
the many? Political equality is a
sham now-ecOnomy Il deception
frugality an obsolete idea. Prodi-
gal waste and government extrava-
gance are leading characteristics of
our Congress, practiced by every
Congress since 1861. The Congress
has become more degenerate as re-
suit of the war, than would have
been affected by the success of the
Confederate arms, and that which
has tended most to produce this re-
suit, has been the great revenues
extorted from the people by tariffs
and internal taxes by the general
government, and, of the two, the lat
ter is least Objectionable. 1t is true
the late war contributed largely to
engender careless prodigality, but
white winged peace ought to have
long ago rekindled the sacred fires
of political equality. But savage
malice still forbids. The law of
self-preservation has long admon-
ished TO return to economy, and the
light of history pleads for perpetui-
tvs sake to retrieve the powers
usurped by the general government
from the States; but like every de-
cline which follows fast upon the
heels of luxurious waste, 1t can be
seen in the near future unless the
power Of Congress is restricted, and
Congress prevented from collecting
money from the people fol- the mere
vanity of spending it, which every
one knows to be the practice since
the late war. And now, even pro-
| Tossing Democrats vote millions
away on fancied needs, because it is
in the Treasury. A wise and pru-
dent Chief Executive may counsel
and advise a reduction Of the reve-
nues, but all in vain.
Witness the various pension acts,
the present attempt to enervate the
educational energies of the States
by school donations, whereby the
liberties of the people are to be un
dermined by meretrieyous act.
The general government must
either recede from it's usurpations or
go to pieces under its extravaganza;
history proves it to be so. And to
! inaugurate system of complete re-
ciprocal trade with all the world
will do more to check the collection
of tariff iniquity than even the re-
peal of the tariff itself. What, but
the avaricious greed ofthe Congress
fostered monopolists, that prevents
the passage of the Central American
reciprocal treaties by the U. S. Sen
ate nothing, emphatically nothing.
To ask how the government would
be supported under absolute free
trade, is not pertinent here. An
economical administration Of the