Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-10-27
THE SOUTH AND FREE TRADE.


tanned. It's demands were always
opposed, at the start, by the northern
wing of the generally from
motives of expediency-''it would hurt
tie party''-but later on they were
always successful. The southern half
has been close corporation and it
gained its ends by always moving as an
unit
Thus, it demanded the Fugitive Slave
Law, an act as abhorrent to the sense
of justice of the bulk of the northern
rank and file as it was ta the Free
Sellers. They had thei1. way. Then
they demanded that the Territories
should be given over to Slavery-but
this was too severe a dose and the
Little Glant-Douglas, of Illinois, arose
and blocked their way.
Then they demanded secession and
splitting up of the Union. Here again
all the patriotic element of the northern
wing opposed them and they resorted
to Rebellion
VI tilCN IlttNC TItC
Trade. The reason for it is simple
enough. An agricultural country with
few manufactures and despislng those
they did have, scorning Labor, binding
it when they could with shackles, and
contemnlng it--cursing it when its
mighty arm had lain them PROSTATE in
the dust this generation succeeds to the
hatreds, the political theories-the sell
fish and sectional doctrines of 1861.
They desired TO remain a purely agri
cultural country and they saw in the
rapid growth of manufactures an over
throw Of their system. They wanted
no diversity of interests. They
dreamed that Cotton was King, andthat
all the earth should acknowledge him.
Thus their profit would lie in the un-
restricted exchange of their cotton,
sugar, rice and tobacco for commodities
manufactured by the cheapest labor on
earth.
\ cheap commodity means a cheap
man back of it-a slave of toll uncheered
by any hope of the future.
Thus the South when at last, in the
Chicago convention it found itself
master of the situation rudely thrust
aside, the usual Democratic straddle,
imperiously ordered the adoption of
it's Free Trade plank and the con-
vention obediently fell into line.
The states of New York, Pennsylva-
MIA, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin, the
great leaders in manufactures, opposed
the Free Trade declaration in vain.
No business man in these states really
desires Free Trade-if he supports the
party favoring it he depends upon Con-
gress to modify it's features. But what
a vain delusion.
The three great sources of original
wealth in the United States, and there
are but three, Agriculture. Manufactures
and Mining, if we consider that wool
and petroleum fall under the first and
latter class, must stand or fall together.
Whatever blow is aimed at one affects
the other and affects them all
If the Democratic party succeed i'll
this election a period of poverty, de-
preston and bankruptcy will follow as
certain as the night follows the day.
Let no man dream, as he casts his vote
that it will be otherwise. We have
tried the experiment. We had the
Walker tariff-"a tariff for revenue"
from 1916 to 1861. The discovery of
gold in 10, the Crimean war in 80
STAYED off for a time the inevitable
result of Free Trade upon the prosper
ity of the country. Yet its finances
dropped to so low an ebb that President
Buchanan, in his last days of official
life was unable to borrow money, eX
cept at y per cent. interest, to pay his
own official salary. This in time of
peace The rebel leaders counted upon
this financial distress as their strongest
ally, and fancied it would be impossible
for the Government to raise funds to
oppose their rebellion. The treasury
was practically bankrupt. Only by the
patriotic eNertiOns of some New York
bankers was the Government enabled
to raise the money to paw interest on
Its bonds falling due Jan. |, 1861. This
is correct statement of the operation
of Free Trade or Il tariff for revenue
only No man correctly Informed of
the history of this country can deny it.
But what IL change took place on the
accession of the Republican Party to
power. One of the first acts in 1861 was
the adoption of the Morrill, Tariff,
avowedly for the purpose of raising a
revenue and the protection of manufac
lures. New life sprang into the VEINS
of the public body. The nation awak-
ened as from lethargy. While the
most destructive war of modern times
was in progress new industries arose in
every direction in the North
\ protective tariff called armies into
being, maintained them, clothed them,
fed them, paid them. And for a gene
ration we have seen the rapid strides
this nation has made until now in
wealth, in manufactures, III greatness
in the happiness prosperity and content
of its people it surpasses all nations of
modern times, and overtops the Roman
Empire when it ruled the earth.
1t is true New South is slowly arising
like a bright, morning star upon the
waste places, the desolation and the
despair of the Old South, fair and