The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-24
SEATTLE. MONDAY. AUG. "a.


IHE FRIENDS OF FREE TRADE
Canada and Great Britain are always in
cordial political sympathy with the Demo-
cratic party. During our civil war England
pretended not TO see the Confederates
fitting ont pirates in English ports TO prey
on American commerce; she behaved as
Nelson did at Copenhagen when told that
the signal to withdraw from action had
been displayed by his superior officer; she
held her field glass to her blind eye.
Canada was an asylum for Confederate
frebugs and bank robbers who. when
caught with spells in their hands on
Canadian territory, were released by a
Canadian judge. The Canadian and
British Tories sympathized with the pro-
slavery Democratic party of free trade be-
fore the war; they enjoyed its desperate
effort to destroy the Union during the war,
and today both Canada and Great Britain
are praying for d Democratic victory in
1892 because the Democratic party is the
party of free trade and it is for their
pecuniary advantage to break down the
Mckinley tariff which severely pinches
them both.
Canada maintains high tariff: believes
in protection of its home industries; but
does not enjoy having the United States
protect home industries. Canada wants
protection on her side of the line and free
trade on this side, and confidently expects
to get it if the Democrats carry the next
national election. On the 18th ult. Mr..
Cardwell, in the Dominion House of Com
mons, said of the benefits of Democratic
victory in 1892 to Canada:
We will have the enactment OF q bin some
what on the lines OF the Mills bill. The duty on
Canadian products will be struck Off If we
could have the Mills bill enacted tomorrow so
far a. our trade relations with tho United States
are concerned. we will have secured everything
that any man can desire, everything that IL
necessary TO conduce to the advancement and
prosperity of this country-and we will have Sc
cured that witout sarrenderfn1 one iotd Of control
oper our own torif, and without having set up q
wall to the extent of one inch against the
mother country.
This Ii true. II the Democrats win In
1892 and establish q tariff for revenue only
Canada and England would secure just
what they want in the way Of legislation.
American farmers and manufacturers
would be subjected to sharp competition,
have Canadian farms and factories living
under the shelter Of the Canadian protect
i've tariff. There Is not the slightest doubt
that importers of New York city will con-
tribute very large sum to the
campaign fund Of the Ohio Democ-
racy to buy up the floating vote and
beat Major Mckinley, and that money
will really be British gold contributed by
English traders to help win Democratic
victory. We need to raise abou. 81, 0OO, 900
a day by duties, and We levy them to pro-
tect American industries and make for
eigners pay for getting into our market.
The Democratic party, in lieu Of this
protective policy, while pretending to adj
vocate tariff for revenue only, virtually
favors Stree trade" whose leading adyo-
cate, Mills of Texas, also urges an income
tax. Mills & Co. would have the United
States adopt free trade in all articles COM
ing into competition with home products
and manufactures, If 1t should repeal the
Mckinley protective law, and levy tariff
for revenue only on tea, coffee and hun
dred other articles which the protective
tariff now admits free Of duty, because
they cannot be produced in this country
and their importation cannot injure
American industry. If tariff for revenue
means anything it means tariff duties
levied for the simple purpose of raising
revenue; 1t means absolute free trade on
all articles except those which are nom
competitive.
There is no difference between q tariff
for revenue only and absolute free trade,
since they both eliminate the protective
idea entirely. Mills and Henry George
would both destroy the protective tariff
Mills urges q tax on incomes and George a
the revenue for the government. This is
the only difference between the tariff for
revenue and the absolute free trade plan;
the former imposes q tariff only on nom
competing articles and the latter abolishes
tariff duties altogether. The repeal of the
Mckinley tariff. for which the Democracy
would substitute free trade under the pre-
tense of a tariff for revenue, would mean
the addition of more than two cents to the
price of sugar, and the closing up of
the WOODEN and worsted factories. the ho-
siery mills, the plush and velvet factories
and the tin-plste works that have been
started within the last few months: ii
would mean the abandonment of the priv
ileges and concessions that have been Sc
cured for American trade with Spanish.
America through the reciprocity clause of
the tariff act The farmer of America
viii never vote for this repeal. He knows
that under protection today be gets decid-
eddy higher prices for his products than he
did under the last tariff tor revenue, and
he pays a less price for what he consumes.
II the farmer viii not vote against protec-
ton. neither will the mechanic or Ameri-
can manufacturer.
The English newspapers groan over the
loss>of English trade, the consequent gain
of the American manufacturer, the de-
crease of American imports and the in
crease Of American expectation. The re-
duetion Of imports for the nine months
ending June 80. 1891, was SIS 947, $40,
which sum measures transfer OF indus
tries from the Old World 20 the New, and