New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-18
DISASTROUS FREE TRADE.
MR. PErTIFER TO EXPLAIN WHAT 1T DOES
FOR ENGLAND.
ARRIVAL OF A PROMINENT BRITISH PRorEc-
ZIONIST IN BosTON-HE WILL MAKE
SERIES OF SPEECHES IN THIS COUNTRY
EXPERIENCE OF wORKINGMEN IN
THE OLD COUNTRY.

ZIONIST IN BOSTON-llE WILL MhhH
SERIES OF SPEECHES IN THIS COUNTRY
EXPERIENCE OF woRKINGMEN IN
THE OLD COUNTRY.
lrY rKLEoEAPI TO TIE TRIBUNE
Boston, Sept I'LL. j. Pcttifer, OF London
electro plate worker and secretary OF the work
mems Association for the Defence OF British In
dustry was o passenger on the steamship Cata-
lonia, which arrived to-day His name has De-
come familiar by his letter on How Free lradc
Works. reprints OF which have been circulated
so widely in the interest of the protection cam
paign, and his present visit to America IS MADE
at the request of the Home Market Club, under
whose auspices he will address several public
meetings His first appearance the American
platform will be made at fremont Temple on
Wednesday evening at meeting at which
Nathaniel Mckay of New-Yorlz, will also speak,
and at which Professor Mohr, the caricaturist
and the Home Market Drum Corps will he present
On Thursday he will speak at Lowell; on Friday
at Worcester: and Saturday in Ncw-fork
His last speech in New-York State this month Will
he on September %, and on September 26, ~, ana
20. he will speak in Ncw-Jersey From SIX 10
nine days will be devoted to Connecticut, Rhode
Island and New-Hampshirc, and after the New
England trip possibly two or three moro to New
York This will be the extent OF Mr.. Pettifcrs
travelling In America on this VISIT for ne has 10
be in London again by the middle of October
Mr. Radcliffe, the secretary Of tho Home Mar
lyet Club, says that the object Of inviting Mr
Pettifer 10 visit this country just at this time is
to bring 10 the front workingnan, not a poll
tician; not a who can be claimed as nsrepre-
senting things TO help elect the candidate OF his
party, btt who knows the condition OF
the people in both countries and is really dis
interested speaker ON the subject Mr.. Pettifer
this afternoon said:
Il am notsEent over here by the association OF
which l am secretary. l came here simply DO
cause / was invited by tho Home Market Club
The association l represent Is composed OF over
5000 woryngmen, Of all shades OF political
opinion, who agree the one point that the work
ing class of England is being injured by Englands
frectradc policy. We don't say that the bond
holders and moneyed classes are injured by that
system. 1t is the working class that is Injured,
and we belong to that class, and, OF course, are
doing all we possibly can to get the system altered
We work with the Fair-Trade League, which Is
almost entirely composed of well-todo people, al
though we are not connected with it, and ours
is entirely worlSingmen's association. The great
plank of the Fair-Trade League is the federation
of the colonies. 1t goes in for what II calls
preferential duties in favor Of the colonies ana
protection against the rest OF the world IL is
stronger in numbers than we are, and Is very
strong among farmers, while our strength lies
mainly among the workingmen.
THE great majority Of the workngmen In
England are Liberals A majority of them are
ans protectionists are Liberals. Protecuon is
second to their Liberalism. they would sooner
sacrifice their protection principles than Knock ouI
the Liberal party But mcmbcr OF our asso-
citation pledges himself, wherever he resides, TO
vote for tho candidate who is protectionis'' 10
matter what his political party may be.' LII,
In xVh {
of the workingmenT
Taking il a Ii through this country the average
workingman is raised up a step higher than Is tne
average workingman in England. lie gets INTO
the ranks of what we call in England the lower
middle class. In regard TO the house he lves IN,
the food he eats the clothes he wears, ana the
various comforts that he has, the average work
| ng1nan in tho United States is in about the same
position as the foreman of q shop IN England,
America, if he liked to live in the same way as
does the average worllingman in England, could
live here nearly as chsaply as he could there here
/ Food would average little less than in Englnd
/ and his working clothes very little more"
What is the effect Of foreign competition upon
English workmen?'
| Jury by reducing wages and keeping the men OUT
OF employment. especially in the agricultural DIS
| tricts. Foreign competition has in the last ten
years thrown about 1000 900 acres of arabic land
| into PASTURE and that means, l should think, a
difference Of about G an acre in wages alone and
throwing perhaps 100000 men out OF work.
Then tie men came up 10 the towns TO look for
work and made it bad for us VIC give foreign
competition the credit for pretty much all the
distress there is in England at present, and we
reckon there are about 100000 wage-workers'
men, women and children, out of employment.'
"What was the effect of the Presidents mes
sage in England?'
What we call the Presidents frec-tradc mes
sage was looked at'by the fIeetraders of England
as q death-blow TO the Protectionist party all
over the country. They sad IL was no use tor US
TO try to get protection in England, when hiherl-
"a was going to turn frec-trader"
"How much would a frcc,trade policy in the
United States affect England?
:" II America had free-trade the first result
would be- should think, that all the surplus
iron and steel and manufactured articles in Eng
The next thing would be- should think, that
wages in this country would have to go down; IL
Won have frce-tradc between America and Eng
above n%S h sGs E nIs ESH eSf keep american
Then YOU don't agree with Mr. Mills that
our labor is the most efficient and therefore
cheaper than that of any other country"
L should like to ask Mr. Mills one question
taking the cotton industry, for instance. The
American and Englishman in the cotton Industry
use the same class Of machinery ut present
! should rather think the English machinery was
a little bit better than the American, but we viii
say it is just good Cotton machinery makes
inst so many revolutions an hour, and, us the man
has only &c. h. tend and feed the machine, how
will the American do that any better than the
Engshman and get more work out OF the machine ?
And the silk indusry--how is the American to
fine than the Macclesfeld man, when
both use the same kind Of machinery Then
! / very much doubt il the American workman Is
| any better than the English workman for found
| when | once WORKED in this country for three
wears that the greater part of the men in manu-
| featuring industries were either English or else
| of English parents But the American has not
| only the EnelishInan TO fear. If we are being
Injured in England by the composition OF the
Continent, America would be injured by the Com
tinent Just as much Anyhow don't think alr
Mills seriously meant that part of the argument
THEY DO NOT LIKE THE STARS AND STRIPES.
Richmond, Va. Sept. II (SpecaD. Some time last
night the Harrison and Morton campaign flag stretched
from the Republican headquarters across Broadst.
was cut down by some miscrcant and found on
the street this morning Tho indignation Of the Re-
puhlicans at the outrage Is great The City Justlcc
viii do all H. can 10 find oit who committed the deed