Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1890-04-04
The Gladstone and Blaine Duel

century by the venerable and distinguish
ed statesman, w. i. Gladstone, and reply
by the Hon. Jas. G. Blaine, defending the
policy OF protection. 1t seems that Mr..
Gladstone entered the field of discussion
upon this subject ut the instance of q MIR.
N. McItay, of New York, who, during our
last Presidential campaign, visited Great
Britain in time TO be able in the heat OF bat
tie TO report to our people that the laborcrs
OF the Isles were sorely oppressed as q CON
quence of free trade Mr.. Gladstone pro-
ceeds 10 show that in order 10 make il ap.
pear that his laboring countrymen are work.
ing at starvation wages, Mr. Mckay selected
a few isolated cases and they are grossly
exaggerated in his report, his statements
being mainly false as to them while even
if true would he no criterion by which to
judge the condition OF what he terms free
trade toilers" III the country at large. Mr..
Gladstone very justly takes the position that
| the question is not whether wages are high
er in the one country or the other, but un'
der which regime have the laborers of his
country been better paid ? and goes on to
show that their wages are now from 90 to 100
per cent. higher than under protection, while
the cost OF thelr living is less. He says
that high wages by protection and low
wages 10y Tree trade is an old song with
which he is familiar. He says further
Mckay and protection, now made vocal in
| him, ierrify the American workman by
threatening him with the wages of his Brit
| ish comrade, precisely as the British land
| lord coaYed our rural laborers when we
used To get our best wheat from Dantzig,
| by exhibiting the starvation wages OF the
Polish Peasant. He argues that protection
Is az injurious interference with natural
laws, anu presents the common sense view
Of the case in this way "lf region A can
produce corn cheaper than region b, and
the latter can pr oduce cloth cheaper than
can region A, both will be injured by legis-
lation which attaches penalty or fine upon
either one OF them for trading with the
other"
Such policy, he arg ues, entorces pro-
duction at too great cos /, which increased
cost is charge upon the consumer, and
thus while u few are protected in such ex
travagance for the avowed purpose OF keep
ing capital and labor at home, it is AT the
cost OF the country at large. The careful
and studious reader will discover that by
u logical course OF reasoning he reaches the
following conclusions: First, that protec.
ton creates monopoly; second, that it is
class legislation, by which the few are en-
abled To rob the country ut large; third,
that wages in general cannot be increased
by il, because it reduces the fund out OF
which labor must be paid; and fourth, that
as u matter OF fact the employees OF the mo.
nopollsts are not better paid, taking every
thing into consideration, than other labor
ers, because, ii it were so, the latter would
become competitors for the more lucrative
employment and thus the compensation
would be capitalized.
In support OF this last conclusion, he says,
"Whilc securing TO the capitalist.producer
u monopoly IN the protected trades, she
(America) allows all the world 10 do its
best, by Tree immigration, TO prevent or
qualify any corresponding monopoly in the
class OF w0rkmen." One more quotation
from MIR. Gladstone ut is beyond human
wit and power Ia secure Ia the cotton grow
er or to the grower o wheat and corn in
the United States the tenth part of u cent
per bale or bushei beyond what the price in
the markets of export will allow him If,
under these circumstances, he is required
TO pay to the iron master ui Pennsylvania
or 10 the manufacturer ut Lowell an extra
price on his implements or on his clothing,
Tor which he can receive NJ compensation
whatever such extra price ia, at first sight,
much like robbery perpetrated by law"
| wish To ask the careful attention u, your
readers-iirst, that Mr.. Blaine lodges the
main question at issue; second, that there
is no such issue rs protection and free trade
pending between the two great national
the first proposition; Mr.. Mckay, MIR.
Blaine and all the advocates of protection
have at all times, taken care not 10 contrast
the condition OF what they Call the Tree
trade tOilers" of Great Britain with that Of
the protected toilers Of Continental Europe,
but with those Of the Unite States with the
view oI making the impression that IL is
alone To, the ere lat Of protection that our
lab0rcrs are paid better than those Of En-
I - la, hs iI.,lA
proves that gc5 have ruitl much higher
in England under free trade than under
! protection. Mr. Bane is forced 10 acknowl'
edge, almost at the ontsat, tn II" at might b.
difficult 10 prove that free trade is mol the
wisest financial policy Tor Great Britain
| He seems to have reached this conclusion
| logically by contrasting the size AMI locali-
| w Of the British Isles with the United States,
| which Mr.. Gladstone says Is "nb SO much
country as a world within itself, but IL
readers will diligently follow him they will
| find that when IL answers his purpose his
vision reaches out beyond what he calls
the Island in the Northern Ocean, and rests
upon u vast Empire embracing such di
versity Of latitude, climate and soil that IL
has been truly said, "the sun never sets upon
| her possessions" rs he says, she has her net
WORK of colonies reaching around the globe;
again he says, "she found under her own flag
on the shores Of every ocean a host Of con
sumers whom no man might number-she
had Canada, Australia and India with open
ports and free markets for al sner fabrics"
Why then, 1t may be asked, was it polite
| Tor her, more than any other country, to
open her ports for free trade with countries
outside of her own dominions? Now Eng
land being country in which If any in.
dustry needs protection it is agriculture, for
the same reason that if any IN the United
States needs protection il is manufactures,
il Mr.. Blaine caunot prove il would be bet
ter for Great Britain as whole to protect
her agriculturists, how can he prove it the
best policy tor the United States as a nation
to protect her manufactures? Mr.. Blaine says
that "During the last thirty years Of her pro
tective system Great Britain increased her
material wealth beyond all parallel in the
commercial history Of the world" The same
may be said OF the United States for the last
thirty years under our protective system,
but where is this wealth Is 1t 80 distributed
as To secure prosperity to the masses of our
population or do we find 1t concentrated in
the hands Of a few hundred bankers, bond
holders, railroad kings, mill-owners and
other nionopolists This is question
must leave your readers To answer for them
selves according to their information or
preconceived notions upon the subject.
My conviction is that the sentiment OF
Goldsmith applies in this case
"Iil fares the land 10 Fastening ills a prey
When wealth accumulates and men decay
| would not have it understood by these
criticisms that | advocate free trade, on the
contrary am in lull accord with the Demo
cratic party on that question. Every un.
. biased reader who has carefully examined
ex President Cleve.and's message 10 Con
gress, the Democratic platforms he stood
upon when a candidate in 1884 and in 1888
aud also the bill known as the Mills bill
, knows the position of the Democratic party
To be this: First, admit free such raw mate
rails as are necessary to give such stimu'
lus and facility To manufacturers as will Gu
able them by cheap production to compete
, with foreigners in the markets OF the world.
SECOND. 70 admit free only such articles Of