New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-16
PROTECTION Talk FROM ENGLAND.

"Thc Morning POST OF London has been
publishing a remarkable series of letters from
Sir Edward Sullivan, an English Protcctionist,
who refuses 10 worship the free-tIadc gods.
This able writer says many things that can bc
repeated TO advantage in the United States,
where the capital of labor is National trust
under protection. lie uses this expression,
capital of labor. to denote the skill practical
knowledge industry strength and health OF
.be working classes II represents in England
ali annual income of S2.lO0,OOO, 600; and
since the average workingman may be safely
credited with a reserve of fifteen years of
labor, this stands for a capital of S31,9 1885,
600. 600 While 100000 Englishmen live
on the increase OF what is ordinarily known as
capital. 10000, 900 are dependent on the CAPT
tai OF labor represented by their daily wages ;
and Sir Edward Sullivan contends that NJ IS
The first duty Of every Government TO protect
and promote employment and thereby TO render
these enormous resources of labor productive.
This is fundamental doctrine Of protection
as it has been preached and practiscd in the
United States. While English economists
have driven working people out Of heir coun-
try by ncglecting to assist them in securing
rcmuncrative employment American protcc-
tionists have enabled workers to live and
prosper.
Sir Edward Sullivan gives practical Illus
trations Of the effects Of free trade in deprivng
English workers of employment which they
need in order to get any return from the only
capital they have-thc capital Of labor. A
London firm acting on the frcc-tIade principle
Of buying in the cheapest market saved $4,000
by having S25O.OOO worth of labels made on
the Continent. This was handsome saving
in the running expenses Of their business, but
to the working community it was a dead loss,
the paper makers, type founders, ink manu-
facturers, printers and representatives of other
industries being deprived of S25O,OoO worth
of employment. Sir Edward Sullivan cannot
be convinced that it is a good thing for English
workers to have 100000 paid to foreign
workers nor when he finds a German firm
Offering seventy articles Of hardware at prices
below the English scale, can he be induced to
believe that the bread ought to be taken out Of
the mouths Of the artisans of Sheffield and
I,rmin CHAM and flung to foreigners He
argues with great force that while it is I'M
p0rtant for merchants TO buy in the cheapest
market and for consumers TO pay the lowest
prices it is absolutely necessary for workers TO
have employment at home. One-sided free
trade, he says. has made England so cheap a
country to buy in that its workers cannot earn
money enough to live in it. "Thc competition
of foreign labor" he exclaims. "actually
threatens to kill English labor and to permit
it TO do so Is madness. Foreign workers COM
pete as to who shall supply the English market
cheapest. But English workers do not CON-
pete, the price is too low"
These arguments deserve critical attention i'll
America. where the effort is now making to
deprive labor of the protection afforded by the
tariff, and to bring foreign workers directly
into competition with american workers
When English artisans complain that foreign
ers are getting work which they themselves
need in order TO keep body and soul together
the free trade economists complaccntly assure
them that they ought to be satisfied with a
reduction of wages of 20 per cent. and that
they ought to be more temperate and thrifty
and work longer hours. The same contempt
uous advice will be given to American working
people if they are ever exposed under free
trade to the full force Of foreign competition
If they are deprived Of employment. any cheap
ening Of the markets that may be effected will
not compensate them for loss of work. Labor
is their only rcsource-thcir sole stock in trade ,
and If the home market be closed against them
in favor of foreign workers. the capital Of
their labor is squandercd.