Arizona republican., 1891-02-28
THE TEST OF GREATNESS.
lFalIacy of the Free Traders Arguments
 tsS Pauper Labor.

IalIacy of the Free Traders Arguments ter Pauper Labor.
 From the Chicago Inter-0cean.
 Mr. McKinley's address to the Ohio League of Republican Clubs forms Q complete answer to Mir. Cleveland's E speech to the Democrats assembled in November last, in Ohio, on the occasion of the anniversary of Mir. Thurman's s birth. MT. Cleveland proclaimed the gospel of cheapness. Poor Marie An toinette, Queen of France, proclaimed it more than a century ago, and lost her crown and head for doing so. "Why," quoth she, "do the people complain of hunger, when nice little sweet cakes can be bought for ? sous apiece?" The people who hadn't 2 sous to buy dry bread with were numerou us, and shortly they answered the Queen in the rough manner of very hungry people. It does not matter how low priced thing may be, it is dear to him who has little or no money to buy it with. It does not matter how high priced thing may be, 1t is cheap to him who has abundance of money. Mir. Cleye- land, like all free traders, made, and always makes, the mistake of con fouIding low prices with cheapness. And we believe that Mir. Mckinley, and the protectionist writers and speakers generally, would Go we'll to explain the phrase cheapness as relative to purchas- ing power.
 The free traders tell us, though it is not true, that the price of such clothing us workmen commonly wear is very much cheaper" in England than in America, meaning that it is lower priced really 1t is net very much lower priced, but, unless 1t be so much lower in price as to compensate for the lower purchasing power oil the English laboref, 1t is dcarer there than here. And 1t is net so much lower priced as to make such compensation. The indis putable fact of the people of America buying vastly more woolen clothing, vastly more meat, vastly more wheat per capita than the people of any other country is conclusive proof that that they are able to buy more, that they have more money to spend; and the concurrent fact that vastly more American people purchase che freehold of their homes, and have money in savings banks, or in other banks, is equally conclusive proof that they have more money to save after they have spent more money than the people of any other country. These two facts prove that things which men eat or wear are cheaper in America than in any other country of the world; that is to say, smaller amount of labor will yield money wherewith to buy a larger quantity of such things in America than in any ether country of the world.
 This ia the Republican, and protection ist poli,y--to make labor able to buy much in return for little expenditure of itself. This is the true standard of cheap ness, -.'
 This the Democratic and free trade policy-.-to establish uniformly low prices. This is & false standard of cheap. ness, for when every buyer is unre- strained in his pursuit of the cheapest market it is the labor market that falls first. All history proves this. There is nc exception to the rule.
 Mir. Mckinley did we'll In showing that "cheaper prices" were not benef- cial, but detrimental, to the country if accompanied by 'cheaper labor, agri- cultural depression and general distress" IS they have been in every free trade era, in every free country, but it might have been better had he said 'lower prices" For low prices are not neces- .arily cheap prices; they may be very dear prices. But, accepting "cheap" in it's ordinary sense, Mir. McKinley's speech was unanswerakle.