Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1890-10-03
For Congress.
high Wages and Cheap Goods.


The experience Of Judge Dennis of
the Baltimore bench in Europe.
confirms what has been repeatedly stated
in these coluaus, tina. protection does
not necessarily increase the price Of goods
He says he has found that all kinds OF
goods, except outside WOODEN clothing, g"
are cheHper in America than in Europe,
and that better wages arc paid here than
10 Europe. lie was ssionishcd TO find
he. cotton goods, and sven hosiery and
under-elo,hes, Wero cheaper 10 the
United States than In Europe. IIus
re have tho testimony, not Of bigoted
snd pfejudced Republican, but Of 81
mon-puro Democrat, to the efficacy Of
protection. Even the exception Of out
side wooden clothing, cited by the Judge,
cannot count in the argument Of the free
traders. be ,ausc hiI Honor. like most
persons Of his station, wears imported
goods, and these necessarily come h Oh
cr when the duty and cost of transporta-
lion are added, though they may be a
'rne cheaper on the other side.
The masses Of the people with whom
Ihe government mainly concerns itself
do not wear imported goods. They can
not afford to pay the price for them, and
they find the domestic article much
cheaper and just as serviceablc. Pro-
lection is primarily intended to equalize
com petition from the other side and eDa-
BILE American manufacturers to make a
reasonable profit on their products while
paying living wages, in the American
sense, to their employees; but home COM
petition has so reduced the price Of
Americ made goods that clothing can
be bought cheaper in this country than
Jn any other on the face Of the globe,
with, perhaps, the single exception Of
Australia. Judgs Dennis testimony is
aisinterested, because he himself II,
doubtless, in touch with his party with
reference to the tariff He i. a gentle
man Of keen observation and in all prob
ability made the mOst Of it during his
rojourn in Europe.
Thus are the delusire theories evolved
by ex-presilent Cleveland exploded one
by one. and the arguments that he drew
from his Imagination and furnished to
lis idolatr2ns- followers Sxept aaayAlike-
the mists Of the morning. There was
aothing that Mr. Cleveland hareed on
with greater gusto than this matter of
clothing. 1t was susceptible of easy
generalization, and he either deceived
himself a&d his party or he trusted to
the lack Of reflection among the masses
The Gle }tion in 1898 shoSrd thsss he bad
raado a great blunder. This question of
how protection affected the price of
clothing proved to be an interesting Que
70 the people and they made practical |
study of it. They discovered az Judge
Dennis has done. thai they could bsy
elothing cheaper in he ynited Sc,;es
than anywhere else;- il fact, that il o,her f..
countries were to sell clothing any cheap /
er those engaged in the business would |
SecOme bankrupt IS syttae Argument.
Of the free traders are similar to Tie
above. their worth eau be readily gagged.
Protection is TIE policy which lnsures
the greatest geod to greatest number,
with tho esss isJsry to the individual
few. II is the proper policy for an en-
hghtsned lnd popalar government.