The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-03-08
WHY HE Is A FREE TRADER.
There seems to be No Protection for
Native Americans ia the mes.
lean Tariff.
IFarRO Northwestern Farmer.

Fargo NOTthwestern Farmer.
Crops in this region have failed for
years, and stories OF our poverty that
have reached the east cannot be far
wrong. Still our people have sand and
still maintain confidence in The country.
There 10 u fine chance for the free trade
propsganda in the republican majority
ont here. 3 ID. Robinson, q young
= an whose. father bad written him an
uJUraiding letter because the son had
! voted the democratic ticket, obtained
some good advice and sent in reply q
Litter that has been published In the
North estern Farmer and Breeder.
Here 1t is:
"My Dear Father: am sorry You
feel 80 cut up at my voting the demo-
cratic ticket. You say you think have
been badly Influenced, and that / should
vote according 10 my own judgment.
l will try 10 tell you why voted as
1 did.
The most of the talk out here wss
about Tariff, and I can't see any good
any more in q high tariff on things
poor people want to buy, so [ Just
voted for the low tariff party. have
TO work pretty hard for every dollar
get, and ! want things that l use to be
cheap, and am sure tariff does't make
labor any higher. You know how Il
came that lost my job 10 the mills ct
Pittsburg they jus, fired me and put
all Italian In my place, aud at the same
tune bounced 10 Wheeler and put O
newly arrived Scotchiuan 10 helping
the engineer al Sl.75 less per week
than 10 had been getting. You used
to tell us that high tariff was to protect
rs against the foreign lsborers. It.
didn't seem 10 work in JOS case or
mine. held II down for three months
10 Beaver Falls, but II Is just about tho
same thing there; those mills are full
Of Foreigners. only made &3I In
twenty. six days, and seldom got iu
over five days Ia q week. paid S4.26
board. so yon can see about how
came out. Protection didn't seem to
do me any good there, so liz out for
the "Wiid West" The first place
struck here was big iarm owned by
an old fellow named Staples. i walked
from the station to bis place with two
Swedes, one, Just over, could not
speak a word OF English Staples
seemed to be q nice sort Of man,
asked me where was from aud offered
to give me dinner, but he hired both
the Swedes, and let me "move on"
The next place that 1 tried tor work
was at the Elgin farm. The boss, q
fellow named Todd, told me he had
nothing but Poles on his place. I
heard about him afterward, that he
was regular crank and when be
wanted hand be wonld drive all over
Tho country huntinp a Pole
"WeIl. then went TO the Park farm,
about 800 acres; they gave me my
dinner, but couldn't get job. There
were twenty.eight men al the table;
| all bnt four were Scandinavians. am
told that all the big farmers out here
would rather hire Norwegians or
Swedes than Americans, and some Of
the his farmers send over and bring
gangs o. them. They say that foreign
ers work tor lower wages and are
easier suited with regerd TO board and
other accommodations. Now, II the
tariff 10 to help the like of me, there
should be duty of $500 head on
foreign laborers. One Swede where
am working now seems 10 oe q pretty
decent sort of chap. He came over
with his uncle year ago last spring.
/ uuSio uh5 . IuthuCsOto hHu
loaned this young man $50 and told
him to buy clothes with it to bring
over with him. lie says he has enough
to do him for five years. He showed
me q woolen shirt he said cost him
over there 81. .25 in our money. paid
% SO the other day for one tried to
trade tor his. Now. Pap, how In
thunder am helped by the tariff [
have to pay more for that shirt, aud all
the way from Pittsburg to Dakota /
have TO buck against these foreigners
that, IL not exactly panpers, can do as
this young Swede, bring in enough
clothes TO do for five years. II they
protect one American manufacturer,
they ought TO protect all of them; bat
az soon as these fellows who hire
lsborers find out that was mauutac-
tured In this country, they tell me to
take q walk, and run In foreign
article. s. now You know why have
gone back on the old party, as you say.
II am of my base, let me know.
| "Your affectIonste son,
"S. d. ROBINSON"