Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-01-10
Gladstone and Blaine.

c0ulu indeed be more perfectly t'lu-tFEA
than the English champion TO set forth the
advantages Of the British system Of trade.
/ Americans are perfectly willing 70 trust to
Mr Blaine as the abIest possi5 le
advocats Of the American system.
Tt is impossible, within the limits Of adi-
to-iaI discussion. to do more than refer to .
a few Of the chief points made by the
I champions on either side Mr Gladstone .
/ writes with the advantage Of an experience .
/ that reaches back in Great Britain to q .
time before the repeal Of the corn laws. /
| lie can say with truth Of all the economic /
changes Of 80 years in England, -'iIl Of
which [ saw and part Of which (and By no |
means an unimportant partJ I was"
| Speaking thus from the point Of view OF
half century Of English experience, he
says Of the rate Of wages:
| That the American rate OF wages il high /
! er than ours ! corcede. Some, at least. OF
| the causes Of this most gratifying fact /
| shall eudeavor 20 acknowledge Ny emu
/ meration may be sufficient or may be other
wise. Whether it be exhaustive or not, !
! the facts will Of themselves tend to lay up
4 on protect ionism the burden Of establish
/ ing bv something more than mere con
/ conitancv. a casual relation between com
/ mercial restraint and wages relatively hlgl-
/ Rut what If. besides doing this, | show
! Cand Il is easTJ that wages which may
/ have been partially and relatively hlgh
under protection have b come both gencr-
I aUv and absolutely higher, and greatly
higher, under free tradei
! That protection may co-ezist with hlgh
] ,,- fho+ II f7n-- NOT OF itself ueuLTallL i.
l LII NM il
~ z-'----'--- --@- as a matter Of course, make Q
rich country into a poor onc-all this may
be true, but is nothing to the point. Ihe
true question is whether protection offers
US the way to the maximum OF attainabie
wages. This can only be done By raising
10 the utmost attainable height the fund
ont Of which wages and profits alike are
drawn If its tendency is not 10 increase.
I but ~ diminish. that fund, then protection
/ is a bar to high wages. not their cause, and
| H. therefore the enemy, not the friend, ot
| the classes on whose wages their livelihood
| depends This IS first outline Of the
propositions which shall endeavor to IN
fold and to bring home.
The British champion does indeed show
conclusiyely that wages have risen in Eng
land, relatively and absolutely, since the
adoption Of tie free trade policy. To this
particular argument Mr.. Blaine replies.as
follows:
| Mr. Glad dstOne makes another contention
/ IN which. from the American point OF view,
/ he leaves out of sight controlling iactor /
| and hence refers an effect 10 o wrong causc. /
| REGARDING the advance oi wages IN Eng /
! land. he slvg. wares which have been /
partially and relatively higher under pro !
| lection hase become both generally and |
/ absolutely higher, and greatly higher, |
under free trade" / do not doubt the fact, |
| bat 7 venture to sugge that such advance |
! In wages 81 there has been in England Is |
| referabie 20 another and pal able cause
namely. The higher wages IN the United |
| States, which Bavc constantly tempted /
| British mecaallca tO emigrate, and Whlcii |
would aFe tempted many more II The In- !
! ducaueut 0i au advance iu wage 20 home |
/ had not been inlerposed Especially have !
wages been high and tempting I'D the /
United States since l5'l, when the country /
! became firmly protective by the enactment /
Of the Morrill, tariff It viii DE found, I I
think. tLat The advance Of wages in Eng |
| land CORE ponds Preclteiy ln iiUe, tEouRu |
not in degree, with the adraLce ~ me |
United stGte4. aud the advance in bDtl |
cases wa directly due % the firm esia5- /
| ishmeut gt protection in this country q 2 /
uati0nai policy But IL must not be iol |
! cotton that American wages arc -tlI nom |
| 20 per cent. 70 100 per cent higher than !
British wages ii o policy Of iree trace !
gade sha1ld b5 adopted ID tho UNITED I
States, the reduction - wages WheH would /
follow bere would promptly lead ~ o ~
dGcti0u ia England G.n operatives pi I
81 M4uchester. Leeds and Sheffield reoogh1e I
tLia fact clearly ~ do the proprietor /
who pay t.e advanced Waces and u'#c /
clearly tam d. certain Fa@HcaI ei"A'-
mi 4 wao tAilE iAe world ~ conan ei.s
and manufacture CON ~ uGcrfiugiy dircct- |
cd bg q theory evolved iu % closet without
sufficient data, and applied TO az ihe@act
acience.
Bat the British champion Is not satisfied |
vitb urging that the policy Of protection 4
economically bad, and that prosperous ~
the United States arc under protection,
they would have bee more prosperous
under free trade; be assails protection as
morally bad, alleging
Surely that system cannot be good which |
makes an individual, or set Of lndiUqu |
| ats live on the resources oi the community |
| and cauecs him relatively 70 diminish that !
store, which duty 10 his fellow citIzens aAa
| 10 their equal rights should teach him ~ |
| his contributions 20 augment. inc hahlt
| Gr mind thus cugendereg s not such a5 ~
| together beGta "a free country Or hnruOuizea
| with au independent character. And tAe
more the system OF protection Is discussed
| aud contested, the more those whom y
fagafs are driven 10 struggle for It's nam
| teuance, the farther they must insecslblF
deqiate from the law Of equal rights, and,
| perhaps even from the tone Of genuine
| personal Independence.
In reply 70 this aud TO Mr. Gladstone
argument 90 general, Ar. Blaine appoals 70
racts. lie shows that three times within
the last 80 years the United States have
tried revenue tariff aud every time
disasters came which were promptly re.
drss,ed upon the re-cnactmcnt Of high
| pttccu.e tariff lie shows that the United
States have made greater strides in wealth,
under the American economic system, than
any other in the world. lie shows that the
encouragement Of home manufactures IN
certain particular lines Of iuduaty-like
steel rnils-laa greatly cheapeurd the pre-
ducts Of industry.
Again. the American champion usca q
4 peculiarly effective argument, in reply to
Nr. Gladslonog ritoralion Of the old eco
,omie doctrine shat things ought a~ay5 %
Be produced where their production 10 The
cheapest, when be aya
Mr Gladstone pregnant auggc ton real
ly exhibits Jho tlougut taGt lies deep in tDr
British mind that tie mechanic alta aua
he mauglae. urug p4oeesse8 should DO ieit
% Great Britain and tae production OF ray
material should bs left 20 America. u y
the old colonial idea oi the laaL century
Wh. Ls.c.tall'hmaHt oi manufacture on
tli8 .de ~ the ocean Has regarded with
great iealDny by EItiah statesmen and
British merchants.
AH olea.vo touch Of tho aygHuehfpm
: ad bomHcu lhu lo!Iowiug
Does &r Gladstone estimate Of tAe in,
g morality 81 protection apply only to pro
lection ou land, or ia supremacy 0n tha sea
80 important 90 Butish Iutcrc.ts that ID d.
Z better tJ throw morals 20 tae wind nod rc-
sort 70 whatever degrees Of protection may
ho ucce#ary 10 secure She lead 90 EugIuh
hip2 Tho doctrine Of improving harDors
80 ihc Enifed 5taleo by the &Gtinn4 gov.
erumeut waa for many yea- severely con
tetcd, tur -'Ilclr0u Traction party main
miH.ug that 10 must be confined to harnors
Da fne hnanHa.t on points whore foreign