The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-20
Two Countries Compared.

who do not see this country plungnc
llcadlong 10 destruction on account OF
the Mckinley tariff while their own be-
comes daily more prosperous because
its trade is fettcred by no such bar
barous restraints.
This is to shy that there are some
persons in England who will not permit
the theory OF their economic policy to
blind them to some facts. They per-
ccivc the facts and use them for pur-
poses Of comparison.
Observe this striking comparison
made by the London correspondent OF
the Boston Commercial Bulletin as pub
lished in that newspaper on the 18th
inst:
The year 1891 has been chiefly characterized
by dullncss, and therefore WIS just the opposite
OF what 1t has been for the United States. 1t
dense cloud called the Barring Crisis, which pre-
vented the sun OF prosperity from shining
brightly, and II passed away into history with
Just n wee itoflght coming up on the horizon.
And that little bit OF light was the hopeful tone
OF the American corner
In America there is unbounded prosperity,
here there Is IN unusual depression. Your far
mers hive big crops and get big prices; we have
no crops md the big prices you get come out OF
our pockets: The prosperity OF American fur:
mers and the Mckinley bill cause an unusual
buoyancy OF trade In the Great Republic: in the
United Kingdom the farmer Is poor, the cost OF
living OF the working classes is increasing. and
not the staunchcst free trader denies that the
Mckinley bill has hurt British industries 10 Il
very great extent in consequence whereof wages
are in very bad state.
British railroads, many Of which arc spccula.
tive stocks, also went down, as could only be ex-
pectcd with the decline OF trade The latter Is
not exactly, what you can call bad; 1t Is worse
thnn 1t was two years ngo, but then We Ind OK
ccptionally good years. and we cannot always
expect 10 be on top. But several individual in.
dustres, such as wool and tin plate, have suffer
cd more than you know OF; and the bad crops
and dearth OF bread have developed the saving
propensities OF the people, and the result is ut
once felt even though shipbuding, in meas.
IRE barometer OF trade, is exceptionally good.
Unbounded prosperity in the United
States, unusual depression in Great
Britain; big crops and big prices in tho
United States, no crops in Great Brit
ain, and consumers obliged to hand over
handsomely to US: the prosperity OF
the American farmer "and the McKin-
ley bilp' making trade unusually buoy
ant in the United States, the British
farmer poor and "the cost OF living OF
the working classes increasing"
To this comparative exhibit as made
by the London correspondent may be
added, what we know to be true, that
British manufacturing industries have
suffered such depression as to reduce
the number OF employees, the number
OF working days and the rates OF
wages. Because OF the Mckinley tariff
this is the cause assigned-British in
dustries are hurt and "wagcs are in q
very bad state"
Great Britain's loss is our gain. We
resolved to turn our attention still moro
tosupplying our own wants, and at once
Great Britain feels the blow struck for
fuller American independence. Great
Britain has been living on :"the markets
OF the world" AS soon as one OF her
best markets puts up the bars 4 little
higher her strong arm shows signs OF
paralysis.
This is dcplorable situation for a
great nation to place itself in It may
be the best Great Britain can do. For
tunately we can do better, and our peo-
plc fare better by radically different
policy. We do not 60 so far as to saw
that Great Britain would DO better off
under a policy OF protcction-though
there are thousands OF Britons who do
say So We say that in her experience
wc see no more reason than the rest of
the world, including her own depend
encics, sees to try tho free trade treat
ment.
II matters in this country were as
thoy are in Great Britain our ready free
traders would be prompt to blanc it on
protection. Ask them to account for it
in Great Britain, and whatever else
they may discover they will never find
that free trade has anything to do
with it.
Our free traders are absolutely sure
that if it were not for protecton-if all
the wool OF all the world we're free to
come into this country without paying
its way at the custom house = the
American wool grower would be getting
more for his wool. But there is wool
in Great Britain suffering moro than
than you [Americans] know Of" and
tin plate, OF which we have been hear
ing something lately, is like unto it.
The moro conditions in Great Britain
and in tho United States may be com.
pared the more evident it will be to
every fair mind that We have every rea-
son TO be satisfied with tho British pol
icy Tor tho British and the American
policy for Americans.
Yet the people OF this country are
about to be asked spain nv one nj Tin