Morning journal and courier., 1888-10-20
NO SYMPATHY FOR coRNERKRs.
THE wORKINGmEN,s TALLY.

A Large IurnOut at tne F91O N1nA-
 Address by H. J. Pettifer-Mr. Mohr
 Draws Charcoal Sketches.
 While the Republican rally was in progress at the Hyperion, H. J. Pettifer, secretary of the Wokringmen's Association for Defense of English Industries, London, Eng, spoke to large crowd of working people in the Polo rink. Despite the pouring rain over five hundred people were present, many of whom came to this overflow meeting not being able to find seats at the Hyperion.
 James White acted as president. It is safe to say that many who went in as Demo- crats came out Republicans after listening to 6 workingman of free trade England tell of
 the low wages and misery to which that sys- tenn had brought that country.
 MT. Pettifer on being introduced was giv-
 en right royal welcome. He said that one
 year ago he had been sent here to report to
 the organization of which he is secretary
 the Workmen's Association for Defense of
 English Industries-the condition of the
 working classes in this country as compared
 with the working classes of free trade Eng land. "And can tell you, fellow working men," he said, "don't you have free trade
 We have in England the Golden Club, com posed of free traders, who are sending here literature in order to get you to have free trade Free trade is the grandest theory in the world, but the matter is it won't work. It never did and never will. The Golden Club has been saying, wait only little while and other countries will be for free trade
 They said this only short time ago, having their eyes turned to this country.
 We, in England, thought the Presidents
 message meant free trade. I came here, but
 didn't find any free trader; they were all for
 tariff reform. I was told that there had been
 free traders, but someway or other when you
 approached one he was invariably in favor of
 tariff reform. If you scratch tariff reform
 CTS back you will find beneath the surface
 free trader every time.
 ''Now the difference between England and
 America is that the workingmen here have
 steady work, while in England hardly any of
 the manufacturers run their establishments
 steadily.
 "The only way to compare the wages of the
 workingmen of the two countries is to go in-
 to the homes of the workingmen here and
 look at the comforts and luxuries that they
 have. say it and I am in position to know, that the workingmen in this country are abont the same as the s1Ferintendents of the manufacturing establishments in Eng land. The Golden club admits that there is something the matter with free trade, and they try to lay the blame on the workingmen. Suppose even that protection does not raise wages, free trade will certainly bring wages down. This is easy to prove. Suppose you can buy an imported article cheaper than one made at home. Wouldn't the manufacturer here have to come down in his profit ,and if he had to cut down his profit wouldn't he cut his workingnen's wages down. The manufacturer here would have to reduce wages to the English standard. "Every candidate for an office is bound to be the workingman's friend. He says: q l shan't cut your wages down, only the profits Ir kha% fv, ! this country it will be a thing that nobody else has ever been able to do. If an employ CTS profit is cut down one dollar he takes seventy five cents of it out of his working mems pocket, while only twenty-five out of his pocket.
 These free traders are now telling you that you can compete with every nation and get the better of them all because you as work inRmen are more skilled than workingmen in any other country. Well, should say to you, don't you try putting yourselves on g level with workingmen in other countries. English workingmen are constantly told that if all the countries were free trade they could get the best of all the others for they are cleverer.
 ''If you want to be the greatest exporting country on the face of the earth you can set- tie it in November. If you want to adopt this system you must export little cheaper than any of the countries on the continent, and to do this you must reduce the wages of the workingmen lower than those of the oth- CT countries. But don't think you will de- eide to do this at the election in Novem- Der.
 The speaker forcibly advised Americans to be sure to control the home market and not ! lose control of it.
 "I hear that good many of my country men here are in favor of free trsde. If they ] want free trade they needn't trouble you any I longer. They can go back to the free trade l country whence they came. But I don't ] think they want to do that, as they have prospered under protection.
 "Now, my friends, want to warn you. If you vote to have free trade, we (England) can swamp you with our surplus of manufactured I goods. In order to undersell us you must come down in your profits and wages until you ruin us, but not until you have ruined yourselves"
 The speaker said that the reason he did not l advocate free trade, as anyone would suppose he would, coming as he does from England, I was because he saw that England was not prosperous under that system. He came to warn the workingmen of America against the system that would bring down their wages and eventually ruin themselves. He ! was loudly applauded throughout. MT. Mohr after Mir. Pettifer had concluded, drew character sketches with charcoal and kept the audience in good humor. Landri- gan's band was present and rendered several selections.