Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-10-02


the ssme time the progress Of events ap
pears 10 be Ia that direction.
The Office Of Protection.
Nine cents week is the nuulficen
sum which the reports 1f the fnterna
tionai Labor Congress al Brussels sho"
the Roamanian peasant 10 receive In eX
change for hi. industry II il probable
that Ia Oriental countries many people
work for even smaller pay thar
this. What would BE- he result to the
labortng men Of this country H. undel
the Free Trade regime advocated b.
Democratic statesmen they were forced
70 come into ompetitiOn with labor paid
upon such a basis But there Ia no dan
ger OF that" shouts the theorist who
producing nothing himself IA perfectly
willing to offer up the labor
OF his country as a sacrifice to his own
short sighted grssplng. There IS, Il IL
true, no such danger while the good
sense OF the American people sustain- a
protective policy, hut once let this bar
rier be swept away and American labor
will De forced 10 compete with the
cheapest labor OF the world that enters
our markets with any article now pro
duced at home. Not long ago one Of
the leading statesmen OF China boosted
that his countrymen would one day do
the manufacturing for the world They
could work cheaper and live cheaper
than the people Of other countries.
IA n result they could turn out man
ufactured goods cheaper than they could
be produced In any other part OF the
world. How could your country com
pete with us?' he asked
1--WE couldn't and shouldn't compete
with you, was the response We should
levy such duties upon the articles
manufactured by your people "a would
protect American labor from the unequal
competition you speak Of " That answer
was an excellent statement OF the Amer
lean policy We have in this coutry the
finest market in the world We have, Ia
the forty two states of the Union
IN empire OF empires, blessed
with every possible variety
Of Industry, and almost every
kind Of natural resource. Between thrS'
states absolute free trade exists our
people are thus enabled 10 control their
own great market and each section con
tribute to the general prosperity what
ever il ia best shie to. "a II resu {
American labor l. better paid, better
clothed, better housed. better fed, more
intelligent and conteuted than the labor
OF any other country ON the face OF the
globe, Such being the case why should
change be- desired why should a
competition be- invited which would in
evitsbly force American labor onto The
same plane with the poorly paid
poorly fed and poorly clothed
labor Of foreign lands The ques-
ton IL one to which no free trader
has ever been able To give q satisfactory
answer. "Ihe Ma kets Of the World
have been held up as the prize in ex.
change for which American labor WAS 70
give it, hirthright But what advantage
would American products be able to
secure In those markets that they
do not now possess. and what
advantage cou'd they secure except
In competition with foreign lands The
Markets OF the world" would be 4 poor
exchange indeed Tor the great American
msrket-the beet N thu world-to the
people of this county, even were they to
come to us as something entirely new
and formerly beyond Our reach
The reciprocity treaties which have
been negotiated by our government,
through Secretary Blsine. have secured
to the American people a vast enlarge
nent OF their market without any result
ing injury to our own industries The
products admitted to our country
through these treaties are not such
as compete with our own These
treaties, therefore, are wholly and vastly
beneficial to our country, and have al
ready given a wonderful impetus TO our
national prosperity. Along these lines
many more achievements are sure to
follow that will wonderfully advance
our material interests. Reciprocity
aud protection 20 hand in hsud.
one is the natural and logical out
growth Of the other. and both are es-
sential TO the highest national prosper.
ity, Protection prevents American la
Dor from being forced into competition
with the underpsid labor of other lands
reciprocity enlsrges the American mar
ket by securing the admission of
our products into countries whose
products, admitted to our country in
exehsnge for this privilege, are OF q
class that do not compete with those Of
our own country, Such an arrange
meut is mutually beneficial to the nations
entering into It. 1t Ia strange. indeed
in wear of general prosperity directly
trsceable 10 the wise protective
policy of our government, thst men
should be found endeavoring to
persuade the American people that such
a policy Is all wrong There is sus
pioion that many of these men are more
concerned about the prosperity of other
countries than they are OF their own
especially so since In their ranks are to
be found all the victims of Anglomauis
The history Of this country. IL it establish
es the wisdom of any gres, policy OF gov
ernment. certainly establishes In q VERY
clear snd definite manner, the wisdom o!
protec;isn. Under that policy the
United States has prospered beyond any
country on the face Of the globe. and its
people will be very slow TO reject it at
the solicitation OF any body Of theorists
sand political experimenters
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