Iron County register., 1890-02-13
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
WHY HE IS A FREE TRADER.
There Seems to be No Protection for
Native Americans in the Amer.
lean Tariff.

Crops in this region have failed for
have reached the East, cannot be far
wrong. Still our people have sand and
still maintain confidence in the country.
There is fine chance for free trade
propaganda in the Republican ma ajority
out here. S. d. Robinson, young
man whose father had written him an
upbraiding letter because the son had
voted the Democratic ticket, obtained
some good advice and sent in reply a
letter that has been published in the
Northeastern Farmer and Breeder.
Here it is:
My Dear Father: | am sorry you feel
SO cn: up at my voting the Democratic
ticket You say you think have been
badly influenced, and that should vote
according to my own judgement. /
will try to tell why l voted as 1 did.
The most of the talk out here was
about tariff, and l can't see any good
any more in a high tariff on things poor
people want to buy, so just voted for
the low tariff party. l have to work
pretty hard for every dollar get, and
1 want things that use to be cheap,
and l am sure tariff doesn't make labor
any higher. You know how it came
that | lost my job in the mills at Pitts
burg; they just fired me and put an
Italian in my place, and at the same
time bounced 10 Wheeler and put a
newly arrived Scotchman to helping the
engineer at Sl.75 less per week than
10 had been getting. You used to tell
us that tariff was to protect us against
the foreign laborers. It didn't seem to
work in JOS case or mine. 1 held it
down for three months in Beaver Falls,
but it is just about the same there;
these mills are full of foreigners. l
made only S31 in twenty-six days, and
seldom got in over five days in a week.
l paid 81. % board. so you can see
about how | came out, Protection
didn't seem to 10 me any good there.
and so | lit out for the wild West"
The first place 1 struck here was a big
farm owned by an old fellow named
Staples. [ walked from the station
to his place with two Swedes; one,
just over, could not speak word of
English. Staples seemed like a nice
sort of man, asked me where l was
from and offered to give me dinner,
but he hired both the Swedes, and let
me 'move on" The next place |
tried for work was at the Elgin farm.
The boss, q fellow named Todd, told
me he had nothing but Poles on
his place. [ heard about him after
ward, that he was a regular crank and
when he wanted a hand he would drive
all over the country hunting Il Pole.
''Well, then | went to the Park farm,
about $500 acres; they gave me my
dinner, but couldn't get a job. There
We're twenty-eight men at the table; all
but four were Scandinavians. l am told
that all the big farmers out here would
rather hire Norwegians or Swedes than
Americans, and some of the big farm
ers send over and bring gangs of them.
Thev say the foreigners work for lower
wages and are easier suited with regard
to board and other accommodations.
Now, if the tariff is to help the like Of
me, there should be duty of $500 a
head on foreign laborers. One Swede
where l am working now seems like a
pretty decent sort of chap. He came
over with bis uncle year ago last
spring. His uncle hassa farm in Min
nesota and loaned this young man $50
and told him 10 buy clothes with it to
bring over with him. He says he has
enough to do him for five years. He
showed me a woolen shirt he said cost
him over there S1.25 in our money. |
paid 81. so the other day for one l tried
to trade for his. Now, Pap, how in
thunder am I helped by the TARIFF l
have to pay mose for that shirt, and all
the way from Pittsburg to Dakota
have to buck against these foreigners
that. if not exactly paupers, can do as
this young Swede. bring in enough
clothes to do for five years. If they
protect one American manufacturer
they ought to protect all of them; but
as, soon as these fellows who hire Ia
borecs find out that was manufactured
in this country, they tell me to take q
walk aud run in the foreign article. So
now yon know why I've gone back on
the old party, as YOU say. If [ am Oft
my base. let me know.
"'Your affectionate son,
IS ID. ROBINSON