The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1890-12-26
WHAT FREE TRADE u.s.
THE OPENING OF OUR MARKET 70
THE PRODUCTS OF THE WORLD

'Ve rVOOOOIo VI I0e WONlO
u Means, 1s'o. the Degradation Of Amsv
loan Lsbor-Low Wages and MisersbI
uomes-starvatio, aud Ruin Every.
where.
Hon. William Mckinley in his great
speech in the house May Z, sa;G among
other things:
Free-trade, or, as you are pleased to
call it, revenue tariff. means the open.
ing up Of this market. which is admitted
to be best in the world, to tho free entry
Of the products of the world. It means
more-it means that the labor Of this
country is to be RENTED to its earlier con.
dition, and that the condition of our peo-
pie is to be leveled down to the condi.
ton Of rival countries; because under II
every element Of cost, every item Of pro-
duction, including wages, must be
brought down to the level Of the lowest
paid labor of the world No other result
can follow. and no other result is antici
pated or expected by those who intelli-
gently advocate revenue tariff. We
cannot maintain ourselves against un-
equal conditions without the tariff. and
no man of affairs believes We can.
Under the system Of unrestricted trade
which you gentlemen recommend we
will have to reduce every element Of
cost down to or below that of our COM
mercial rivals or surrender to them our
own market. No one will dispute that
statement, and to go into the domestic
market Of our rivals would mean that
production here must be so reduced that
with transportation added we could I'M
dersell them in their own market, and to
meet them in neutral markets and d.
vide the trade with them would mean
that we could proftably sell side by side
with them at their minimum price.
First, then, to retain our own market
under the Democratic system Of raising
revenue by removing all Protection
would require our producers to sell at a.
low price and upon as favorable terms
- our foreign competitors. How could
that be done? In one way only, by prt
ducing rs cheaply as those who would
seek our markets. What would that en-.
tail? An entire revolution in the meth
DDS and condition and conduct Of bust
ness here. leveling down through ev-
cry channel to the lowest line of our
competitors; our habits of living would
have to be changed, our wage cut down
90 per cent. or upward, our comfortable
homes exchanged for novels, our indie
pendence yielded up. our citizenship de-
moraliZed.
These are conditions inseparable to
Free trade: these would be necessary if
we could command our own market
among our own people, and if we would
invade the worlds markets harsher con.
ditions and greater sacrifices would be
demanded of the masses. Talk about
we would then have it in its
fullness. We would revel in unrestrain-
ed trade. Everything would indeed be
cheap, but how costly when measured
by the degradation which would ensue!
When merchandise is the cheapest men
are the poorest, and the most distressing
experiences in the history of our country
-ay, in all human history-have been
when everything was the lowest and
cheapest measured by gold, for every
hing was the highest and the dearest
measured by labor.
We want no return to cheap times in
our own country. We have no wish to
adopt the conditions of other nations
Experience mas demonstrated that for
Is and ours and for the present and the
future the protective system meets our
wants, our conditions, promotes the ma
tional design, and will work out our des-
5iny better than any other.
With me this position is a deep con-
fiction, not a theory. believe in it
md thus warmly advocate it because en-
7eloped in it are my country's highest
development and greatest prosperity:
,ut of it come the greatest gains to the
people, the greatest comforts to the
masses, the widest encouragement for
manly aspirations, with the largest re-
wards, Identifying and elevating our cit
zenship, upon which the safety and pu-
ity and permanency of our political
ystem depend.
Daniel Webster and Protection.
r Ill. Y..1,.