The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-04-21
TIM DUvy ON WOOL.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: April 7, you edi-
torialy claim that the wool tariff is great benefit
to our farmers.
How can it benefit them unless they thereby get
higher prices for their wool than they Otherwise
could? And if the tariff increases the price the
farmer receives on this one articie-wool-that ne
sells it also increases the prices of thousand pro-
teced things that he buys.
To give out in iar:ff-increascd prices thousand
fold ss much as he receives seems profitable only
20 such farmers, whose credulity makes them as
ready victims to the wilcs OF bunco-steerers as TO
protection robberes
DO no. all The tariff. protected Nations of Europe
pay lower average wages thnn their free-traae
neighbor, EnGlaud7 Yet they can neither under
sell her nor flood her markets with their cheap
goods.
Should wc not have absolute freedom to do any
good thing wc desire?
And if trade is good thing, should we not nave
absolute freedom to tradein short, free trader
trust you have the courage 10 squarely meet
aud answer these questions in your next ISSUE and
the kindness TO send me a marked copy of your
reply,
Yours truly, D. w. GRoH, Brethedsville, Md.
We are glad to have our readers put just
such questions at us. We are ready at all
times to give abundant reason for the faith
that is in us, and defend any position we
assume. Now as TO our correspondents
questions:
First. 1t is undeniabIe that the farmers do
get higher prices for their wool than they
would if there were no duties. The men
who made the bitterest attacks upon the
wool duties during the recent debate in the
House Of Representatives,, freely admitted
that these did enhance tie price of domestic
wool in the home market It would have
been folly for them to do otherwise, because
any man can read The daily market reports
aud see there that the prices Of the same
grades of wool are from eight to II cents
a pound higher in New York, Boston, and
Philadelphia than in London.
Secondly. Ii is not for a moment true that
the tariff increases "the prices that the
farmer has to pay on 1000 articles that he
buys" 1t is doubtful if it increases the
price On so many az dozen. We think our
correspondent can show no instance of such
an increase Of price on q single article. He
will probably cite Us TO ready-made cloth
ing This is one item that has been much
harped on by free-:raders Owing to pecu-
liar conditions which we have frequently
explained in these columns, clothing is I'M
usually cheap in England. This is due to
the frightful sweating system, the enormi-
ties Of which have been so terrible as to call
for investigation by The British House Of
Lords. The committee of that body have
shown worse condition of things than the
people couId have imagined. BY manufac-
| turing in immense quantities it has been
possible to subdivide the labor and give
each man Or woman a special thing to do,
which he or she could learn in a few days.
| This allowed of the employmentofth the lowest
| and most ignorant, at wages which would
/ hardly keep soul aud body together. The
/ thousands of exIed Russian Jews, eager for
any work which would put crust Of bread
/ into the mouths of their wives and children,
were put at this work, and their condition
was only less bad than that Of the starving
Deasaniry in their native land. The raek-
ing sums in which this clothing was manu-
featured were pronounced by the investi-
| gators a disgrace to even a semi-civilized
community. We do not believe that the
American people want cheap clothes pro-
duced by such an infamous system, and if
there were no other reason for a tariff, one
should be imposed in the interests Of de-
cency and morality.
Third. When our correspondent speaks OF
free-trade and protection countries of Europe
he talks without knowledge. England has
only been free-trade country about 40 years
For 800 years previous she had been the
most rigorous protection country IN the
: world, aud by this policy had built herself
up into wealth and power. We shall favor
free trade in the United States as soon as
we have gotten to the point that England
reached when she declared for free trade
She had then gained almost monopoly o
the manufacturing of the world, and it wa:
for her selfish interest to preach free trade
so rs to cozen other Nations into destroying
their factories for her benefit. AS to thu
protection countries of Europe, with tht
exception of France, they have all been fres
trade until within 25 years. AS long as they
f had free trade they were exceedingly poor
Since they have adopted a protective policy
D their increase in wealth has been remark
q able. France has been steadily protective
, and as a result her people are better off as
e whole than any other in Europe. TakeI
4 right through, the French workingman i
f better paid than the English, and is in
e much better condition.
Fourth. Our friend propounds certain
8 questions in conclusion. We will answer il
e conclusion by asking others:
G Must not all citizens of any Government
e pay taxes?