Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-08-24
HELP THE GOOD WORK,
Protection and q Decent Stand
ard Ot Living Versus British
free Trade,

Free Trade,
I ratIek Fond ia Ihy irish World
/ Protection t. mericau iaLof means
good wages and higher standard Of
living for the American workman.
The millennium, Is not attaiaubic ia
CLis world. but Of al countries The
one hat oilers the best opportunities
/ to the poor man is America, and the
most prosperous and progressive c
times The nation has known have
been under tue Protective policy
The adoption of British Free Trade,
Oh the other hand, would mean reduc-
ed wages aud lower standard Of
living. Common sense, history and
experience teach these things.
Nov, the sy stem under which we
have advanced ANA thriyed as 40 peo-
pie ever before advanced and thriyed
is to-day seriously meapced Eng
land seeks the overthrow of the Pro
tcctive Tariff, aul she hopes for, and
/ doubtless works for. the success of
/ Grover Cleveland, who, if reelected,
will effect this and inaugurate Il poll.
cy that will antagonizo the!American
system and subserve the selfish inter-
ests OF our ancient enemy. 1t Is not
necessary to inquire into motives;
the facts are all that practical men
will care to know.
Sophistry will he tried on the
wOrkingman. Able pens that eau
make the worst appear the better
reason" viii be enlisted Oh the ad-
verse side. A hundred and odd
years ago, when Washington and
his compatriots were fighting for in
dependence, Engiand's pamphleteers
endeavored to persuade the American
people that they would enjoy greater
freedom under her government than
they would under their own: Ameri
cans are now informed that they
would be better of under the British
policy of Free Trade than they now
are under the operations of the Amer
lean system, 1t is the old impudent
| lie under new form.
One of the false notions they have
given currency to is this: If OF the
adoption Of Free Trade wages fall
what matter if things ere cheap? But
the cost of living does not go down
with wages. Thirty years ago
wages fell, but -four ran up from So
per barrel to $l5 per barrel At that
time calico was selling at Is cents e
yard-imported from England; to-day
when the workingman is in position
to pay better price, he gets his cali.
co for cents yard-American man
ufacture. The times referred to were
the times of Free Trade and low
wages To-day in lands where
labor is paid 20 cents to 40 cents, the
cost OF living. on the American stand
ard, is fully as high as it is in this
country.
In no country can the people be
well-to-do where the accepted econom-
ic policy is to reduce wages TO tha
minimum. And wages ia every
country must inevitably be brought
down to the lowest when the labor Of
that country is forced to compete
with the illpaid wages Of other lands.
Now, the maxim of the Free Traders
is, buy in the cheapest market" "
The result, OF course, is obvious.
When labor is diversified and home
industries are Pre- tected work is plen
tiful and workers are well paid
Then two Jobs run after one work
man. But if foregeiners IN foreign
lands are given to do our work, be-
cause they offer 20 do it cheaper, to
that extent Workmen in our own land
are reduced to enforced idleness.
Then the spectacle is presented Of
two men running after one jo6, at
lower wages than before. Tho two
WOrkmen now compete not only with
each other but with the foreigner
over the sea also, whose miserable
wages under Free Trade must regu-
late theirs; anI the workman who
gets the Job at the cut,thr0at price
must not only support himself and
his family on that wage but (since
labor pays all expenses he must like
wise sustain the enforced idler-in
the poorh0use or somewhere else.
Now, a situation of affairs is
brought about when every American
citizen must be practical on the ques
tion raised. The man who believes
in Protection to American labor
cannot consistently vote for Cleveland
and Thurman, and the man who fav-
'ors Free Trade cannot logically sup
port the platform on which Harrison
! and Morton stand. There are sar-
prisingly foolish things at times done
| in this world; but to rae it does seem
impossible for the American people,
on an issue so sharply defined as this
Tariff question is, to deliberately vote
for their own ruin. "Wcre it posi-
BILE" writes Mr.. James G. Blaine from
abroad, "for every voter of the Re.
public to see for himself the condition
and recompense Of labor in Europe
the party of Free Trade in thes Unit
ed States would not receive the sup.
port Of one wage worker between the
two oceans, 1t may not be directly
III OE power to elevate the European
lahorer, but il will be q lasting stigma
upon cur craftsmanship if we permit
the American labOrer to be forced
down to the European level"