Sharp County record., 1890-08-14
TIE mFAlR TRADERS"

THE "FAlR TRADEho'
. Small Faction of English Tories VINO ru
nigh Literature For American rfo'e0
uonlsts. :. IT,
There has recently sprung up in En-
Gland a small faction Of Tory poliu-
eions who cal themselves talr
Tradersn These men are protection
lists, but they do not take that name IN
an atmosphere where protection Is an
nn+.worn superstition, discarded alike
bv the Tory Lord Salisbury and the
Liberal Gladstone.
The Fair Traders" have only come
D. the surface within the past rev
wears and are totally without influence
upon the policy of England. However
thew have started little paper ana are
dotermined to make themselves heard.
This little paper is never heard OF Oh
this side of the water, except when 1t is
approvngly quoted by our protectlo,nis'
organ, the american Economist, "
show forsooth, that England is going
to adopt the great protectionist system.
1t may be said in passing that 1T IS a
most singular thing to see the Econo,
mist expressing pleasure over what IL
fancies to be the growth of protection
in England. The Economist ought 10
know that more than half OF our e2-
norts 90 to England, and that the adop-
tion of protection there would be very
harmful to us-especially to our farm.
ers who produce about three-fourths Oh
our exports.
The fair traders" consider the pres
ent policy of England in trading with
other nations without any custom-house
restrictions to be un 'ust and unfair.
The goods of all countries are admitted
free into England, except few revenue
articles; but nearly every thing manu-
featured and exported by England has
to meet heavy duties upon passing into
other nations, This the flair traders
saw is unfair, and they propose to make
it fair, and hence their name. .
But how do they propose to make II
fair? Let us take an illustration from
our treasury reports for the fiscal yeaI
ended June 80, 1889. During that yeal
we bought in England, in round mum
bers, S2l 900, 900 worth of tin-plate, and
our Government made the American
BUYERS pay the further sum OF s7,34o, ool
as duty on it, Now we paid for our TN
pate, not in money, but in American
PRODUCTS of some kind. Let us say fol
convenience that we paid it in flour
The position of the English 'fair trader
then would be this: "We have SEN
Americans S21, 900, 900 worth of t!n-plate
but the American buyers were compelled
by Their Government to pay 81, 600, 600 tol
the privilege of trading with us-anc
that is unfair. But we will get ever
with them; when they send over Ss1,
900, 900 worth Of flour to pay for tina
tin-plate, we will make the Englisl
bread-eaters pay 81, 900, 900 extra for th'
privilege of buying bread. That vii
make things even. Let US have fai
trade"
The absolute ignorance and stupidit,
of such a proposition makes it almos
impossible to believe that there is an
one man on the earth who is capable o
SHch f2HRYe u ff AmsFtihanA the eTH
people to- can their fruit and vegetable
in our tin-plate; therefore we will max
it difficult for English workers to bu
American flour" The man who talk
that way is ready for board of exper
physicians to examine into his menta
condition.
But it is talk of that kind that de
lights tho american Economist" TO
1t is nothing other than the grea
american SYSTEM" otherwise know
as protection"
The absurd position Of the Englis
"fair trader is precisely the same a
that Of the American protectionist; an
fellow-feeling Of stupidity make
them Wondrous kind to each other.