The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-07-08
THE BASIS OF FREE TRADE.

Founded on an Idea Of Advantage end /
Gain - Nothing Above the ssvsee-Ne |
Ambitious Motives or Elevated visyws.
Free trade is based essentially on the |
idea, expressed or implied, that in trad
ing with other nations we can cheat |
them in the trade-that In exchanging
with foreigners we can secure an adj
vantage over them, that in return for
the products of ones days work Of ours
we can get the product Of . day and .
half of theirs
This is delusive hope. With freedom
of trade, equalization would soon take
place All the wealth we can have is
what we produce, or its equivalent. In
obtaining the equivalent let us obtain 1t
of our own people. Thus, to the extent
that we are consumers OF the things
they make we shall give them employ
ment; and, in return, to the extent that
they are consumers of the things we
make will they give us employment,
thereby insuring an equilibrium In our
industries, developing at home skillful
artisans in every branch OF industry and
dotting the country over with manu-
featuring establishments.
| Free trade would Danish those estab-
lishments and would exchange skilled
mechanics for cheap doorknobs or cheap
cutlery. 1t would reject the knowledge
of useful arts in order to save for the
moment a few cents yard on wooden
cloth or cotton ties or a few cents
pound on tin plates. Protection secures
the arts and protects the artists. 1t
transforms ignorance into knowledge,
Indifference into zeal, inertia into ac-
tivity, impotence into power.
Free trade is based essentially on the
idea Of landed aristocracy-on the idea
that the land Of the country is the
property, not Of independent farmers
owning and working their own land,
but of allodial lords owning practically
the community in which they live. 1t
has its foundation in that form Of social
development Of which slavery was a
type, which takes no thought OF the
man who works with his hands. 1t inn
plies that, as in Europe, there shall
eventually be in this country no pro
prietary farmers, but that few great
proprietors who disdain work shall
monopolize the land. It implies that
when few barons shall hold in large
tracts the land of the country they, al
lords Of the soil, can ordain that what
they call ''their' country shall forever
remain in the primitive occupation o.
agriculture.
These baronial owners can say to al
corners: I'VE own all this land; thi'
, country is ours; you can starve unless
you accept work on our terms. We d.
, not wish you to have variety Of occu
pations. We do not wish you to aspire
What have you to do with aspiration
, We can buy all the manufactured good
we want from the cheap labor Of Europ'
or Asia. you open stores or set VI
. workshops you must compete with tn
cheapness of Europe and the squalor o
: the Hindoos and Chinese; you are en-
l titled to no protection as against them
: They have as good right to sell thei
4 wares here as you have" But in tn
Q sane breath the landed proprietor wi
add, ''Of course you people are e1
p pected to shoulder your guns and wit
r your lives defend and protect us an
). our property in case those same Eurt
v peans or Chinese invade the countr
r, and endanger our ownership of tn
q property"