Evening journal., 1888-05-24
THE CURSE or FREE TRADE

OuF AAnes WFlttcn A. Ds AJlO.
1t is related that in consequence Of
popular dissatisfaction with the acts Of
the party in power, a majority of Con-
gress was elected who were favorable
to FREQ trade, although IL had never
been the intention Of the people to
abandon the doctrine OF protection.
This new Congress, ignoring the un-
deniable truth that protection has
made our country what it was" and
"had invariably reduced the cost and
improved the quality of manufactured
articles by superior machinery and
work manship while maintaining the
I dignity Of labor, blundered on the
tariff question as it had previously
blundered on the shipping question,
land helped forward by British agents,
their samples, their pamphlets and
their gold" passed bill reducing the
cost Of imported goods below the
cost OF home production. The result
was tho stoppage Of foundries. ma
chine-shops, yards and factories, scat.
tering the working people and injuring
/ all branches OF business. The railroad,
steamship, manufacturing and other
corporations could not pay dividends,
ne they had not one-third the
usual income, and had 10 dismiss thou
sands of their employees. Bnnhs and
bankers could find but little safe paper
to discount, and made no profits, as
their deposits were withdrawn. Per-
sons who had lived upon handsome
incomes were forced to reduce ex-
pensee, and discharge clerks and Ger
wants. Money sought investment at
per cent. per annum, on good se.
curities, while ordinary bushes,
paper found no buyers at .
per cent. per month. Fear and
panic were visible everywhere. The
comfortable homes of workmen, Sc
cured after years of toll, were sacri.
feed by the sheriff. The auction
houses were filled with pictures
pianos and luxuries sent for sale al
any price TO meet the necessities Of the
hour. Real estate declined, stores
closed, and in every village, town and
city were seen vacant houses, with the
ominous sign ITO let" upon them, ths
former happy inmates having aban,
doned their homes. Building opera,
tions were suspended throwing out OF
employment thousands OF mechanics
The alms.houses were full. BeneVo
lent societies were overwhelmed witt
applicants, and vice ard crime were
rampant, as idleness invariably begets
crime.
Merchandise could have been inn
ported at a lower cost than had otter
been paid before for American goods
but there was no money with which L
buy, and no active Industries TO Justify
consumption. In vain did free traders
give assurance that lower prices wouIt
stimulate business and ensure al
export trade for our products. Thi
could only be true when half Of tn
; workmen, to avoid starvation, haC
been driven to tilling the soil, thereby
cheapening bread, and the other hal
degraded TO mere brainless machines
without ambition or independence
) earning sparse living by incessant toll
In one year Of free uade in tn,
United States, what a plunge from
afiiuence to poverty, from financia
strength to bankruptcy, from liberia
8 benevolence to rigid economy, from
comfort 70 misery. One year Of idle
ness for American toiling millions aftel
3 their season Of prosperity and happiness
) of enterprise snd manly independence
= Who can count the coss-who even ap
preciate or enumerate the sufferiDgs
9 struggles, sorrow, privation, despair
Z and death Of that eventful period
], the saddest year ever witnessed in tn,
Union: The elimination Of this yea
4 Of misery was riot and anarchy, witt
z hungry men and women and childrel
: marching through the streets demand
ing bread.
This state OF affairs was speedil,
. followed by a general demand for In
repeal OF the obnoxious laws. a resto
ration OF the tariff, and resumption O
work. Meetings were held in ever
city denouncing free trade as the rui
= OF the nation. The working people O
America had learned from. prsctics
experience that protection,meent pros
perity and liberal wages, and that IRE
y trade produced poverty and starvation
d At the next election the party who's
" national platform embodied in unmil
= taxable characters protection to Amer
= can industries and labor swept th
L country from Lake 10 gulf and from se
10 sea- a few years OF industris
r activity under the restored tariff n
B srss~ed the losses Of the darkest yes
In AnszsesH history.