Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-10-06
Protection and Free Trade
THE BARLEY EXAMINER REVIEWS THE
PRESENT FREE TRADE SITUATION
OF ENGLAND.

Bailey (Yorkshire) Examiner. Sept.
II: At the present moment, with dis
aster after disaster reported in the com
mercial world; with such firms as that
of the Salts finding it necessary to wind
up their huge business; with the de-
PRESTON i'm tie Bradford trade; with the
ruin of the tinplate industry in South
Wales, the doom of the Lancashire
cotton trade foretOld, and the complete
overthrow of the Nottingham lace busl-
ness, brought about by the operation OF
hostile tariffs in foreign cOuntries-with
all these signs of the decay of British
trade there is no wonder that the more
thoughtful of English workingmen are
beginning to ponder the question as to
whether. after all, free trade Is the
greatest blessing to this country. which
from their infancy they have been led
10 believe.
Signs are not wanting that the time
is rapidly approaching when. instead OF
the advocate of protection being put
upon his defense. 1t viii be the advocate
of such one-sided free trade as England
at present enjoys (save the markD
who will find it necessary 10 explain his
reasons for maintaining the faith that IS
in him.
No other trading community on the
face of the earth pursues the pohcy
which England for forty years adhered
TO. 1t is perfectly true that forty
twenly-years ago England prospered
and WAS prospecting; that her trade III
creased by leaps and bounds; that
wages were higher and fortunes rapidly
made. And free traders took the flat
teripg JUNCTION to their souls that all the
improvement was due to the adoption
of the Cobdenite shibdoleth, forgetting
that England was the pioneer In manu-
featuring, in the creation OF railways,
IN the adoption Of the electric telegraph.
and that her commercial maritime ileet
gave her advantages winch no o;hcr
nation on the face of the earth ENJOY ed.
But by taking advantage OF English
discoveries, employing English tore
en-. getting English machinery to use
as patterns and excluding En- cllsn goods
from their markets by high tariffs,
France. Germany, and America nave
brought themselves ia line with US, aud
while the business Of free trade England
today increases but a snal.' pace the
foreign trade Of tor,ign countries is
leaplug forward and bidding fair to
quickly tqual our own
Whatever NAV be said to the c0ntrS-
~, wages arc fixed subject, OF course,
To- reasonable conditions of barter by
the ineXorable laws of supply and dc
mand As soon MS orders for goods
fall on competition begins to cut down
prices. aud when this has done its
worst and orders still become fewer
and fewer, miles axe shut down, men
are thrown out OF employment, the
competition for work becomes keener
and keener, and men with wives and
families To support willingly take sitn
atoms 10 keep their families from
starvation Mt less and less rate of
wages This is the process now going
on in England
Frarce, Germany Spain and Amer
ca have all practically closed their
market against US and while nus
keeping their own trade to themselves
they are competing with us in Eastern
and other markets, and SO not only
inluring our trade by their refuSal to
accept our goods, but driving us out OF
other markets.
Let us give yet another instance Of
the harm which the Mckinley tariff Is
working in this neghborhood ana of
the blow which is beng struck by it At
The prosperity of our workpeCple.
Henry Lister Il Co. are or rather have
been up to short time ago large em
ployers of labor in Huddersheld and
HorburY.
They found work for / POO operatives
on the manufacture of seal and silk
pluskes, astrakhams. rugs, shawls, aud
worsteds. The Mckinley net knocked
oil 90 per cent Of their trade and nov
they have decided To close their Eng
fish mills and SIT up mt jamestown,
America. Mr. Henry r. Lister, one OF
the firm, has been interviewed upon
The subject Of their removal and hi,
words are significant.
They tud it impossible 10 continue
with any degree OF success the mauu-
facture Of their goods IN tree trade
England, bur IN protectionlsJ America
tbty have good reason 10 believe they
viii succeed in building up a business
vh.cn viii require tho employment 81
coo hand> Let our readers consider
what thls mesns IN England aud moJr
r>pccIally To Yorkshire operatives.
Il means tIiS-tha 200 OF our uptt-
aiiyes ara To hettrawn ont Of empteA-
m,n,. are 10 be cast adrtl to Ind wo,N
where and how aud 1T What wages they
en-: il means the withdrawal 1t thou
sands Of pounds in eapita from Tins
country and ITS transfer to the United
; atis. tbere 10 be used, NOT Tor the
ba.,ul Of England and ot Engl,nmeu.
but il their very great detrimaul, 1
uu only Aill Messrs Lister X Son, from
tbr.r new jamestown works. produced
-, L, which haye hitherto pe,u pg
ducad b{ Eugli>h lab for TIE Amen
u market, nut thcs VIII be llGewis,