The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-10
FREE TRADE IN ENGLAND,


The Democratic Issue Gets Hard Knocks
From Men Who Know.
Chicago Inter OceaN,
After forty years Of experience OF the
BLESSINGS OF free trade in England a
large and always increasing part Of the
people is busy in questioning the value
OF "the blessings" There are many who
so 80 far US to deny that there are bless
ings in the train Of free trade policy.
Among tho later meeting held in ad.
VocaCy OF u return to ut least a modified
system OF protection was that held In
the Corn Exchange Of the old university
town OF Oxford. Mr.. Underhill spoke
as to "the blessings" which free trade
bud conferred upon the British farmer.
He said: "Very many farmers have been
ruined outright by it, because 1t brought
foreign wheat into England cheaper
thanit could be grown at home. Others
have been forced to emigratC, aud the
money and labor whiGhthey took abroad
for the enrichment of other countries
was Just 10 much value lost to England.
Others had abandoned their farms aud
gone to towns, thus depressing the price
OF labor in an already oyerstocked mar
ket," Mr.. Underhill is u farmer him
sell, and knows whereof he talks; he
might have added that the value OF Eng
lisli farm lands has decreased by more
than tlirty.three per cont in the lust
ten years and the acreage under plows
in q like degree. 1t Is plain that free
trade las not benefited the English
farmer.
Mr., pettinger is u workingman, and
ho spoke for his class. Hesaid: "Work'
men get double tho wages in America
that are paid here, but still some things
are dearur in England than in America,
Food Is dearer. In America rent Ia
higher, but there is more money TO pay
rent with. For all such things as art
dearer in America the workmen have
more money to buy them with, "When
l was in America" said Mr.. Pettinger,
~ heard a workman grumble because
there was a duty on pianos; he said that
1t caused him to pay moro for the one
which he had bought for his wife. But
the wife reminded him that, while
pianos were cheaper in England than in
America, yet the working peoples
houses were empty Of them. English
wages are insufficient to the purchase OF
musical instruments which are common
in American homes" The workmen
saw the point, and 1t was resolved that
"the blessings" which free trade con-
ferred upon the British workman were
neither great nor many.
Next day they had u meeting in the
Town Hall Of the same city, and Mr..
HILBERT, OF the Manchester Chamber oil
Commerce, spoke us a manufacturer. He
said: "Free trade is all very well as a
theory, and as long as machinery was
crude and imperfect in foreign countries
and excellent in England 1t worked well
enough. But as sOon us other nations
found out that they had better make
their cotton goods and knives and rails
and plows at home, aud use as much Us
possible OF their homegrown grain and
meat to feed their own people, then free
trade ceased to be a blessing to England,
It Is a recognized fact that the wealth Of
q nation lies in its labor. il an English
railway company has two offers for iron
to build a bridge with, one from an En-.
glish firm at Gl0 and one from a Belgian
firm at GO, the company would accept
the lower offer, but England would be
poorer and Belgian richer by just the
amount OF English money sent into Bel
gium." So that Mr.. Hilbert did not
think much Of "tho blessings which
now accrue to the British manufacturer
from free trade.
The Inter Ocean submits this purely
English testimony 10 the consideration
OF It's readers, and c%ongratulates them
that while a few Americans have be-
come mentally enslaved by the a1gu'
ments Of the English Golden Club, q
few Englishmen, ut the least estimate
are becoming converts TO the American
school Of political economy.