Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-02

frmatory of the above, | find in the
Courier, published at Manchester, Eng
land, the birthplace of English free trade.
the following as to the condition of Eng
fish workingmen at this time: Free
trade destroys employment and lowers
wages, and cur working people are finding
it out; they do not exactly see that hand
ing over their work to be done by foreign
workers will land them In an earthly par
adise; the conviction must dawn upon them
that If there is no work here for them to
do they must leave the country or find
shelter in the poor-hOuse
In another issue the same paper says:
''The protection the country so sadly
needs is protection for British labor
against the lowest forms of foreign labor,
either in products or here in the flesh
| WOrkingmen have been led by the nose
| (for political purposes) to believe that pro-
lection Is to the advantage of the rich and
bad for the poor; let them see that it is a
question OF work or no work and they will
soon regain their reason and common
sense. At present they fight their masters
under the leadership of socialists; they run
the risk of shutting up the shop rather
than their employers should thrive and
prosper, etc. y
No better proof can be furnished that
the interests Of employer and employe are
identical that the following report in the
house of representatives of Mr. Niedring-
hua's, of St. Louis Granite-ware works,
during the discussion of
THE NJ KINLEY BILL:
! Mr.. Chairman, as we are about to vote
upon the bill, wish to draw attention to
a statement made by my colleague from
Missouri (Mr Bland) on Saturday last,
wherein he proposes that under the rules
my vote as representative may be challeng-
ed, being directly interested in protection
Now let me state that am not interested
in this bill personally. could to-day lock
up my factory in the United States, go TO
Germany, where | could hire three men
for one here. who would work 20 per cent
more time: could there manufacture my
goods, impor' and pay the duties under
the Mckinley bill, and make Is per cent
more than | can make by manufacturing
in the United States. (Applause.) This
only yerifes my statement made at the
outset of this discussion, 20 the effect that
the manufacturers do not ask for protec-
ton exception labor, and that only on the
strength of protection a scale Of wages at
least three times higher than that Of Ger
| llHNN Gull ne ltdlntdlletl.
In a letter to the same paper the Man
chester Courier, Mr. John Walker. an
Englishman, exposes the fallacy of Eng
fish free trade in its effects on English
labor. He says: Let me draw your at
tention for moment to the great contrast
between the condition of the English and
the continental poor. Do not the later APP
pear to be not only UNNECESSARILY cleaner
and healthier, but cleverer and shrewder :?
! The same gentleman gives the following
exposure of the English free trade effects
upon theresult of English egotism which
has built up other nations while it has
| lowered the standard cf England He
shows how the English prophecies have
failed giving list of the countries that
have adopted protection which, ii every
case, has essened England's grip in
FOREIGN makets: Canada. the United
States of America, Mexico and all the South
America States, Germany France, Italy,
Spain, Portugal. Denmark, Australia lex
cept New South Wales), Russia (Which
we must row incude) and some countries
of minor importance
! VOTE FOR PROTECTION,
and the population under this regulation
is about 40, 100000! Switzerland, Nor
way. Sweden, and New South Wales levy
a system of moderate import duties osten-
slbly for revenue purposes, and the popu-
! latiOn of these countries is In the aggre-
! gate about 100000. Say 435. 900 900
of people ranged against $4,000, 900 of
Britons who are supposed TO thrive and
grow fat under the syste1a which admits
absolutely free of import duty all raw
materials. food stuffs, and almost, but not
all manufactured articles, placed an i'm
port duty upon tea, coffee, chicory, cocoa,
! tobacco, dried fruits. silver and gold
plates, beer, spirits, lace, and a few minor
| articles If it is not egotism that makes
US think that the 38,000,000 are right,
and the 435. 00Q, 900 are wrong, In the
name of Golden | abjure you to tell me
what it is. 1t is assuredly egotism and
the same egotism which has displaced
England from her proud and prominent
position of bygone times.
The English chartists saw the humbug-
gerry of the free traders They said
UNLESS universal suffrage and the other
FIVE points of the charter, are passed into
law there can be no relief to your dis.
tress. Cheap bread and increased wages
through free trade are mere lies, decisions
and shams to lure you away from insisting
on your only remedy--universa suffrage.
Your masters oppose it because they want
to keep you in abject slavery.
They will submit to anything sooner than
close their mills. their foundries, their
| factories, and their shops. Spurn
and scout the cant of the anti-corn-Iaw
hypocrites. Their object is to prolong
your serfdom, and beckon you away from
your allegiance to the charter.
The instinct Of the worzingmen fore
Il. II L. /
cts Disraeli, it will be remembered.
the workingmen of England will come to
you on Bonded knees and beg of you to
undo your present legislation. Such was
Disraeli's, the protectionist, prophecy,
Experience proves it to have been a cor
rect one!
Other protectionists foresaw the conse-
uuences that must follow should the free
traders be successful Well did they say
The interests interfered with were Of
considerable Importance. They were pros,
porous: why could not people leave them
alone? Why should parcel of restless
innovating busy-bodies. calling themselve;
scientific inquirers. come and disturb
them?
ENGLAND WAS DOING VERY WELL
on the whole, and why worry things a:
they were by morbid training after
things as they should be, or make the
t present uncomfortable in the doubtful
/ hope of making the future happy! Be
! sides, England must indubitaby go to the
t dogs if the people spent their money OF
| the produce of foreign labor, etc
2 This is perhaps a somewhat extende,
ranIr To the nnaStinns asked because q