Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-10-20

boil down" your letters make them short.
Write only on one side Of the paper. Be az good
natured as You can be under the CirCum.
stances.
To the H'Orhmen'S AdyMdte:
The first of a series of Sunday after
noon lectures was held in Trades Coun-
ell Hall last Sunday,
The attraction was a lecture by }. Il.
Sargent, the millionaire hardware manu-
faCturrr, who spoke for two hours, CIV
ing history Of tariff laws and restrIc-
tons III various countries of the world
where they have been adopted, showing
how trade and commerce and friendly
international relations have been ham
pered thereby, and picturlng an edo
RADIO of happiness that awaits the hu-
man family when they shall be removed
He was listened to with the closest and
most patient attention, and sometimes
applauded; but that his arguments car
ried convection to the minds OF ms
hearers very much doubt His argu.
ment that lrce trade in England since
1916 had doubled the wages of skilled
labor was met 10y the question whether
the increase, progress and consolidation
Of trades union organizations did not
have more to do with their prosperity
than any revival of trade under free
trade regime He was also asked
whether large foreign commerce was
not result of the inability of the pro-
| ducers to consume the products OF their
labor at home, IN consequence OF
| the smallness of their wages; hence
foreign commerce to the manufacturers
was an absolute necessity? While he at
tempted to parry the effect of such ques-
lions upon the minds of his hearers, he
did not deny them. After the close Of
the meeting he was reminded by one OF
his auditors of an incident which is tt
be found in his notes of foreign trave
in the interior of China to the following
effect, viz: "Mr. Sargent and his party
had stopped for rest and retreshment IA
a public cafe. When the party Wa
ready to leave he handed to his host
sum of money larger than his bill calle'
for; but the host instantly discoveret
, what he supposed to be "A mistake of hi
patron, and returned what had beel
f overpaid him for his attentions and sci
| Vices, anu Noull hpt bt ItNNdiiNh ubp
to accept more than a strictly squar
y and honest equivalent 1t was suggeste
> to Mr. Sargent that if this foundatio
principle Of honesty Of the heathe
/, t'hinaman could find a Judgment in tn
a conscenCcs of American manufacturer
-. and business men, and if they refused
y accept Of the wealth produced by the
. employees mere than they were wilin
=, to pay an equivalent for the labor que
= ton would be solved, and the rosy hi
of the morning Of the millennium wou
!. soon be rejecting scintillations of HOY
q and light from the cloudy mounta
, tops. Sargent's reply was that huSine
:, in this country was carried on under Il
i aegis of United States law. But he WI
- - reminded that there were laws of etern
= justice, right and equity, which shou
IL take precedence. But he didn't thin
g we were living under that system
- laws Anyway the laws of the Unite
> States were sufficient for him. Thu
s. YOU see, Mr.. Editor, that Ephraim
Joined to his idols" and the poor toile
Is will. suppose, under the same law
a have to let him alone.
GEO. MANSFIELD.
= Westville, Oct Is.