Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-05-19
APPARENT CHEAPNESS.

Guardian says:
The question Of foreign matches should no
mentioned. 1hoy comstfrom sweden Norway,
Holland aud belgium, and they are principally
used by the working cla.bc- ON account Of their
0ppdrsHt m a mas Among the poor they have
o very extensive sale McssrA Bryant & May
reckon that 10 no foreign matches we're used In
London cnpovmcnt MIGHT be given 10 900
mora English hands "rhls ere foreign com.
petition" In face of which "tho pore working
man don't get no chuu4t, Is encouraged bY no
one 20 much o.. the poor worldnpm N himself
This short paragraph shows us, bet
ter than any long or detailed argument
could show, the whole purpose and end
OF the free trade system. IL II cheap
ncss-not that healthy cheapncss which
is the result Of greater skill, improved
processes. or moderate competition, but
tho chcapncss which means dcsolate
homes and laborcrs out Of work, and
which. In order to lower the price OF
matches TO an insignificant degree,
takes away employment from 1000
mon, and thus reduces the wages Of
those employed by far greater
amount No wonder the Guardian says
this chcapncss is only apparent Real
chcapncss is not shown by "a comparison
Of the market prices ruling in one coun-
try with those In another at any par
ticular time. II England would thor
oughly protect her match industry, we
predict that In n few years home made
matches would be selling more chcnply
IN that country than foreign matches
nrc selling now. Has II not been con-
clusively proved by our own experience?
We need only mention sheet iron,
which, thoroughly protected, Is ilfty per
cent cheaper to-day than IL was in 1878,
while tin plate, which is 0s per cent
sheet iron and with which we have
been entirely supplied by Wclshmen,
has not fallen in any like degree. Is
not, then, the protectionist justified in
thinking that foreign tin plate, al
though apparently cheap, has been in
reality dearly bought?
The mere fact that one country Is
able, at a certain time, to sell an article
more chcaply than another does not
! show that IL is better cited 10 produce
that article; for economic battles be.
| tween different countries are only too
! often won by the mistaken method OF
reducing wages In order 10 lower the
cost Of production. OF course the poor
| English worltingman will ebuy the
cheapest article lac can find, but this
| docs not make him responsible for
| own poverty us the Guardian inti-
mates II is the system which is at
| fault II England had an economic
/ policy which enabled her to control
| her own markets, the English working
man could pay n higher price for the
| things he buys and yet have more
money left than he does now.
The protcctionist does not decry
| rhenpncss or advocate cNtravagant and
cxtortionatc prices, as FREQ traders
| claims; but he believes that the cheap
ness which is the result Of low wages is
| n mistaken and apparent one, and that
real chcapncss can only be attained 10y
| thorough control Of our own markets
| by home producers, and healthy com.
| petition between them.
The Present state and Position OF Tariff
"ilrformcrs."
All Of our readers, no doubt, remcm-
| her in their youthful days the small
boy, who with violence in his mind and
| ubiurgutiun in his voice, threatened
physical discomfortand injury toa play
mate, and how, after u short and futile
effort he compromised the matter and
contcntcd himself by making faces at
his playmatcs sister.
The revenue Performers seem to he
in about. this position just now, IL we
can Judge from the following, only
they have declined the combat they
seemed 50 anxious to engage In:
NO MORE TARIFF HILLS AT PRESENT.
Especial Dispatch to the n Y. Evening Post
WAsutSGrlN March al-Tlcrc Is no pros.
poet Of the reporting Of any further tariff hills
from the committee ~ ways and means this scs-
sion NJ least with the intention OF calling them
up for action, Representative Wilson Is quoted
Ms strongly opposing any conl and iron bills, and
his following on the committee are generally OPP
posed 10 any further advance along the lines laid
down by the chairman.
The performer" came out of the school
house, 50 To speak, some seven teen
months ago, and throwing away his
iucsct, he cavortcd around telling all
the little girls what hc was going 10 do
20 Bin Mckinley when hc caught him
A little while ago he made up his mind
to let Iiill alone, but said II he could
catch Bills old wool hat he would punch
the stuiling out of It, The Post tells the
rest of the story.
| 80 THE LONDON ! llnch nus ueclueu 10
abandon the British Walter press and
adopt the American Hoe printing ma
chine. This means that, hereafter, the
Times will print editorials depicting
the coming industrial ruin OF the United
States under the protective system
(which will be enthusiastically indorsed
by the Performers" on this side of the
ocean, ON presses that symbolic the
triumph Of American genius and skill
under that system. Isn't the idea OF II
enough to bring tears to the eyes of the
calamityite? To think that the superi.
or,ty of an American article should be
acknowledged by that rabid foe tc
Americnnism-tho London Timesl Ever
the Englishmen are going back on him
And now II we should really succeed IN
making tin platc-but the very though
, is too much. We will spare the mug
wump's feelings.
, ENoLANp's great prosperity, ovei
; which the American Cobdenite becomes
p so enthusiastic, is well illustrated by
the following statistics but recently
gathered: In Great Britain there ar,
, 7OO, OOj criminals, 90, 900 juvenile, Tn,
. annual cost of liquors is $3.50, 900, 900
} and there are 500, 900 drunkards. Sui
cidcs last year numbered 2,297, AM
2,l57 were found dead; 10000 children
, died from violence or neglect; 1887, 90
! persons were in receipt of pauper relic