Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1888-02-08
FRYE ON PROTECTION.
An Able Speech by Senator Frye,
Of Maine, in the United
States Senate.
How One of Mr.. Cleveland's Free
Trade Friends Was Made .
Protectionist.
Democratic Incapacity the Cause Of
the Large Surplus Now in
the Treasury.

of protection and free trade which the
President makes. In the course ofit he
showed how Mr.. Charles p. Kimball, Of
Chicago, Cleveland's Consul at Stuttgart,
Germany has been converted by European
pauper labor to the doctrine OF protection.
Mr.. Frye said: AT Stuttgart, an important
manufacturing point, thsre II ~ immense
corset factory, and the wages actually paid
werc not ono third Of those in q like con-
cern in the United States. The entire
inyoiced at one-half its market price
The Hon. Charles p. Kimbull, formerly
Democratic candidate for Governor of
Maine, received the appointment from MIR.
Cleveland to the censulship ut this city.
Three months after his arrival he wrote me
i came here free trader; l am now high
protect.onis. With present wages in AM
erica, the attempt to compete with these
Germans is absurd. Why, the wages are
mere bagatelle. Our party should be
looking to an increase rather than o de-
crease in duties. quote this letter from
memory, but the substance is correctly
given. MIR. Kimball paid a hrst-class
coachman marks AS ceuts) a day, and he
boarded himself. From careful inquiry
addressed to our consuls, 10 gentlemen i'm
vestigating the labor problem, to employers
and employed, / am entirely satisfied that
the average annual earnings Of able bodied
men in Germany will not exceed $115, and
of women $50, while the agricultural lab
orers and the women employed in out door
work earn still less" The following report
of the Maine Senator'S speech will repay
perusal:
Mr.. Frye called up the motion to refer to
the Committee on Finance the Presidents
annual message and proceed to discuss the
message in which he said the President had
clearly thrown down the gauntlet of free
trade. There was an attempt, he admitted,
at disguise, but so feeble that it ought not
to deceive any one. The message had
been received with unbounded joy in Great
Britain. And why not! England had
been seeking the American market for years
with persi ,tency which never tagged,
courage which never failed. faith never
hopeless, although for o quarter Of a Gen.
tury she had seen her aggressons met by
strong defenses. But now the President
Of the United States declared that these de-
fenses were to be erased. The British
press had at once proceeded TO self-con-
gratulations and to strip of mercilessly the
Pres dents disguise. These congratula-
tions, he said, would have continued II
voice of warning had not been heard. The
warning was that such English expression of
opinion had to he curbed, or the full frui-
tiOn OF English hopes never would be en-
joyed. He quoted from the Pail Mall Ga
zette to that effect, and said that immedi-
ately there had been q transformation. Ihe
free trade papers of Great Britain had
dropped, at once, their self congratulations,
and had proceeded to congratulate the
United States, and to prophesy unbounded
prosperity for this country. Great Britain
had seemed suddenly TO recognize the fact
that this country was her daughter,
affection. He declared emphatically that
England had never in one single in-
stance evinced any sympathy for this
country, and that she never had per-
mitted an opportunity TO injure this coun-
try to pass unimproved. He declared that
the counsel, the advice, the friendship of
Great Britain to any nation in commercial
matters had invariably and inevitably re-
suited in injury to the nation which had
accepted it. Ireland was an instance OF
that. And yet, said he, Great Britain hoped.
and the Democratic party expected, the
Irish votes next fall for MIR. Cleveland as
the Democratic candidate for the Presi-
dency. One of the leading Free trade
speakers in England had declared years
ago that the greatest triumph OF Great
Britain would be the subjugation of the
markets of the United States. In the
promise of the Presidents message they
could see that jugation nigh at land.
Great Britain to- day had her market omen
to the world, while other countries had
their markets partially closed to her. She
found now, within her own borders, the
fercest kind of competition; aud her in
dustries were falling off. Her silk in
dustry, for instance, had been absolutely
| destroyed. Fifteen years ago there were
$4,000 persons employed in the silk in
dustry in London, and to day there were
! only 5000. Her cotton manufactures
were crippled. Germany and Belgium we're
| seizing her iron and steel industries, and
were already controlling one-half of her
| foreign trade in that line. Her sgricul-
tural lands we're decreasing in value, and
from one third to one half Of her agricul-
| tural lnborers were out of employment,
while those who had employment only
earned from q shilling to oae and six
| pence day.
But England heard the President of the
United States declare in his annual mes
sage that the tariff tthe only obstacle to
English possession OF the American mar
ket' was vicious, illogical, inequitable, and
| ened American ears with their cries OF
Hear, hcar?" They saw him adopt as the
slogan OF the Democratic party. for the
Presidential battle Of 1885, the old funda-
mental doctrine OF free trade, that duty ID
tax paid by the consumer" What won.
der that they hailed Mr.. Cleveland as theil
champion2 The saw him promise to open
| to them participation in the American mar
ket, and they know that that participation
would start their haliing looms and feed
! their hungry, unemployed men and women
What wonder that the approval of the
Presidents message went ringing over the
world?
| But the attitude of the Democratic party
Of this country was of more importance
practically than the attitude of Great
Britain. Would the Democratic party oi
the United States, he asked, indorse theil
new chief? He was strongly inclined te
think that il would. He knew that men,
bers Of that patty had been masqueradine
for years as reformers, favoring tariff fol
revenue only, with incidental protection,
| or tariff for revenue exclusively" and
that in manufacturing districts Of New
Jersey and else where they masqueraded al
mild-mannered protectionists.
In the South they had had more bold
ness and less diversity Of industry, bat,
even. there, within the last year or two,
blinded probably BY the smoke Of
| uSWAy pusAs AuAhuSSCs W OosukDOu ~
the hum of looms, there was to bs
found, here and there, friend Of pro.
lection. The Senator from Missouri
Vest had declared the other day that hs
indorsed every line. word, and letter in ths
Presidents message. The Senator from
Indiana tyoorheesl had, in an elaborately
prepared speech, in perfect coolness, with
no excitement whatever, declared that tht
doctrines enunciated by the President in hi.
recent message had been the doctrine Of tht
Democratic party for eighty seven years
and that he indorsed them.
The Senator from Tennessee Harris
had also, 10 speech made elsewhere, dc.
clarcd that his voice or his vote voul<
never DO Tor the protection or encourage
ment Of any American industry. So Tia
he tFiyel was inclined to think the Demo,
cratic party Of the country really bstisvet
that the tariff vas vicaous, illogical, M
inequitabls and that : duty vas = ~ pAil
~ ~ oohsu1psE. And Nhy ehouM nj NJ