The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-12-23

pose our nation made its own sugar and
linen and tin and wine and kept its
Sl00, 600. 900 dug out Of the mountains
and sold its tobacco and cotton for
gold p
"'Why, it would make our nation
awful rich, wouldn't it p said Charley.
Yes, my boy / said, 1T would
Again, Charley, suppose our coun-
try had kept 800, 100000 of gold and
sold over $500, 100000 worth of cotton
and wheat and tobacco for money for
thirty years, how much wealth would
we have In this country p
"'Why,' said Charly, figuring on a
piece of paper, we would have over
SAC, 600, 000, 900. But why didn't we keep
it? Why didn't we manufacture our
things? Amt we nevergoing to manu-
facture themp
Yes said, we are trying to now.
Now, Charley l continued, suppose
they are paying 90 cents per day to poor
laboreis in Europe for making knives
and silk cloth and tin. and the freight
from Europe is only 10 cents hundred,
and our workmen were making 81 a day
here, what would our workmen do II
we had free trader
"Why, they would have to work for
the same wages that they do in Europe
plus the freights. OF course, anyone
can see that, can't they, father? and
Charley looked up at the father of the
Mills bill.
"'But, Charley, if we put on pro-
tective tariff ofabout 80 per cent. against
these European things made by cheap
labor, how would that affect our labor
ing men? -
wages, of course; that's plain as day
"'Then, Charley, what do we gain by
putting on protective tariff against Eu-
ropean manufacturers
"'Why, then we have TO make them
here. We pay big wages and keep our
money home; any fool can see that,
cant they, pa
Here, Charley said Congressman
Mills, taking of his glasses and wiping
them with an American bandana, let
me ask you question now.
"Don't you see all the pauper labor
ers of Europe coming over here, Char
ley? Now, my son, how can we keep
them back :?
Why, papa, we could take off this
tariff, couldn't we, and then our wages
tories would stop and their factories
to come here, would they? They
wouldn't want to come here, papa, if our
wages weren't higher than theirs, would
theyP
"Mr. Mills didn't answer, but went
into the smoking car to think.
"Whlle he was gone | asked Charley
what he thought would be the effect of
putting tariff Of 20 cents against the
wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley and pota-
toes raised in Canada, in a country
twelve times as large as Dakota.
1t will keep the stuff back, won't
it, said Charley, and raise the price
here? p
And how will that affect the price
of land, CbarleyY
"'Why, better prices for wheat would
make that go up, too, and | heard a
farmer telling papa this morning that
the land all over Iowa and Dakota and
Illinois was going up fast. Is it?
Eyes Charley, it is, l said. The
farmer is getting on top again. Thou
sands of manufacturers are making SUI
gar, silk, chicory, linen, tin, glass and
pottery. They are moving over from
Europe and soon our manufacturers will
eat up all our surplus wheat, and then
what, Charley?'
w ell, guess tney III nave 10 pay
good price for it in gold, too, by ginger!
and that will make the farmer rich,
won't it? And so we will have lots of
gold and lots of. manufacturers, every
body will be prosperous, wages will be
high. competition Will make manufact-
ured articles cheap and we will be
great country, won't we?'
'YQu bet we will. Charleyv said,
and When you get to be a man, if
you are as sound on these questions as
you are now, we will make you speaker
of the House.
'"Mr. Mills now came in and said: i
must take Charley back to Corsicana.
Those Northern schoolboys talk and
think too much.'"