Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-11-03


question hut what they have learned
from the books of men who have plaus-
IDLY fornu ated impracticable nom
sense"
From 1883, the year of peace, to 1889
when the constitution was adopted, this
country experienced seven years of free
trade. here was no import duty or pro-
tectve tariff, hence. Our markets
were gluIted. prices fell, competition
ON the part of our manufactures was at
an end They were beggared and
bankrupted The merchants, whose
importations had ruined them, were in
volyed in the calamity And the farmers
who had felicitated themselves ON the
grand advantage of buying foreign
merchandise cheaper sank likewise in
the vortex of general destruction.
The same would be repeated today, if
the democratic policy of free trade
were carried out. OF this p, riod. Wash
ington said: after all the sacrifices
of war. the government of this country
had become thing of contempt in the
eyes of ali nations. A ruined credit, a
bankrupt treasury. dsordered finance,
II crazy CT institution, distracted com.
merce, a disintegrating people. Such
being he condition OF the country, it is
40 wonder that the first act passed
after he organization under the consti-
tuition was a protective tariff act, passed
July 4, 1889
Free traders dwell upon the decade
from 1850 to 1860, alleging that it was
the most progressive and prosperous of
any t, n years in our country stxslence,
particularly for our agriculturists.
Car, ful examination expos, their fall
sity, and prove them to be without
foundation in fact.
During the free traders elysum. we
had Que of the worst panics, 1857, ever
known in this country All kinds of
mechanics sought work At 80 or 40
cents day 10 get food. The country
was prostrated financially, from S57
to 1861, caused by another embrace of
British free trade, which brought pow
trt,, bankruptcy and widespread dis
tress. All the banks of all the states
suspended specie payments. and the
bank of Eoglqnd, for the want of remit
tahc.s from the United States, was
compelled TO suspend. The total failure
from 1857 to 1861 was 1888 910.O 600
During TINS period $500. 600, 600 OF gold
was mned, nearly all went to England
10 pay for imports. All the hard times
wi hout exception, suffered by tie
American poop from 1889 10 1861 was
under "a revenue tariff All the pres.
petty enjoyed by the American people,
absolutely all Of it, without any excep-
ton whatever, from the beginning OF
the Union until now, has been under
the rule of tariff protection. Every
time we have tried the free trade hum
bug we have had financial CONFUSION
and received terrible fall Then we
recuperate under a protective tariff.
Three times since 1872 we have attemp-
ted the financial impossibiitr Of buying
the cheap labor goods of Europe and
retaining the high wages sys EN- of the
United States, and each time we have
miserably failed, and we shall mlser-
ably fail as often as we repeat the ex-
pertinent. The free trader is never a
logican; he never argues from eviden-
ces Of the past, he simply assumes.
Undisputed historical events, with their
proofs as evidence in the past aud exis-
ting eyeuts are discarded, or when
offered are rejected. The prosperity,
happiness and wealth III the United
States a. without parallel in history,
under the last thirty yeas Of protection,
are sneered a.
Free trade with all nations would
produce equality II wages between the
lqhorprs OF ali nations Are orr labor