Daily Republican., 1888-02-07
Free Trade

Sir Edward Sullivan writss 10 the
London Post 3 letter whioh will be read
with interest In America. In 1t he ar
raiRns free trade for prod uoiDR In Great
Britain n condition Of labor which ia
very alarming. for as he Allegss: THAT
many industries have died out or re-
moved TO other countries; that In nearly
every industry English labor 10 under.
sold by foreign lAbor; that In most In.
dustries four days iB now oos sidered
weeks work; that Agricultural wages
ara dropping ID q point never before
,resohej; that In many counties the la
otrers are competing for work At 10s.
and gS q week; that in spite Of exoes.
sive cheapness, there are millions In the
c)untry who only tAtte fresh meat ono
week or onos fortnight. aud milk
never; that the pAuper class numbers
over 2. eco 900 In = population of "a ,000,.
coo; that the,e are II. 6C0 ,0CO Of the com
muuity receiving LEES than los. 81. per
week; that flesh and blood never Was so
cheap; the sweating syttem never 80
cruel; that land is rapidly going out OF
oultiyatiop; that every year, With rap.
Idly increasing population, we are
growing less food" The writer gots on
10 dwell on the mitohiefs which free
| bEhuC hbB w IuO " ulhCu htuk
dom as q whole, and especial ily that II
has ruined ireland. Turning then II
general principles, he declares "thAt
Internal prod uctIou and Internal con
sumption are the only proofs OF nAtiona
prosperity. That the cheapest countriei
are those most unfavorAble ID labor
Free trade M sans ohespEess to the rich
the idlers. those with hxed incomes
4 but longer hours, lower wages, harder
work to the workers. The workers are
20 TO TO the idlers, and therefore free
trade sacrifices the Interests OF the 10 tC
the interests OF the In no other oom
lmunity in the world has the govern.
ment ventured to impose the tyranny
OF unrestrieted foreign competition on
the workers, while foreign competition
oheapans every thing the working clAssei
produce, but cheapens nothing they
consume expect food. Higher priaei
for what they produce means higher
, wages, less grinding competition, I
, higher STANDARD OF life." Mr.. Sullivan
charges the advocates OF free trade d.
not tell tha British working peopl,
,"thAt under protection the Wages II
France, Belgium and Germany hRv
nearly doubled; that forty years ag
these countries had no manufacturing
industriesi that now they arc t3eminl
with them; that fifty years ago Amerlol
had 10 manufacturing industry WhA,
ever; that now she suppii,s the entlr
7 wants OF 30. 000, 600 OF people, beside
= exporting every where" This write
insists THAT five shiliinRs spent on tn
produce of British labor benefits tn
I working olAsses at home moe than fit
shilinRs spent on the produce Of foreie
Il labor" That 10 the Il nth which undei
: lies the American syttsm OF revenue
It Protective duties io,tsr American lsbo
q and defend American mar Tkets. MI
n Golden In 1874 made HIS famous Or,
dittior "You have no more right I
:, doubt that the sun will rise In the hes
vens tomorrow than you have to dout
that In less than ten years from thi
IL time. when England inaugurAtes th
IT glorious err OF commercial freedom
= every civilissd commercial mmunit
will be ires traders TO the backbone.
, More than four times ten years hay
: elapsed, and the experieIes OF Grei
Britain in free trade serves not for 3
= example TO be followed, but for 3 war;
ing to AHas.cr. at least, to pursue I.
different course.