The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-03
ABOUT BINDING TWINE.
To the Editor of the Eagle.

through the Kindness OF JODn /. heilS,
| agent for William Deering 6, Co.. was
permitted to read circular letter writ
ten by the belfast Rope company"
Belfast, Ireland, and addressed to the
| buyers of binding Irvine in America,
offering to pay the duty of 10 cents per
100 pounds, transportation, charges and
| other Incidental expenses, and deliver
the product OF their factory in New
York at one-half cent per pound less
than the American manufacturers fur
nish it. They also give US the important
information that three of their repre-
sentatives are at present in the United
States with the view of obtaining suf-
ticient information to enable the COM
pany in Ireland to decide whether they
should build their new factory in Ireland
or here.
With all the frankness, or
bluntness, which in an
eminent degree is characteristic of
the people who inhabit the north of Ire
land, where Belfast is situated. this man
ufacturing company remarks: IF the
duty upon binder Irvine is taken off it
would no doubt be more advantageous
for us to erect our factory here, lin Ire
land) since the wages and general ex-
penses are much lower than IN your
country"
The writer of the above paragraph is
business man, a cosmopolitan, unswayed
by insular prejudices; one who is willing
10 give employment to thousands in
America provided we continue tile bene-
hcent system of protection, and equally
willing to give the same number of people
employment in Ireland if we are su ffic-
iently insane to take the duty off binder
Irvine. One of two things must neces-
sariiy happen if the duty be removed,
either a closing of all the factories III
America, or the people employed in
spinning must work for the same starva-
ton wages which is now being paid to
the unfortunate victims of British free
trade in unhappy Ireland.
Does the success of the farming COM
munity require that our wage earners
must by brought down to the level of
Irish Serfs! Is it patriotism to enact laws
for the benefit of foreign nations? Most
assuredly not; 1t was the oppositite policy
which enabled us to keep America a
chosen heritage for the oppressed of all
nations.
These so-called reformers who assure
us that the condition of the English
farmer who is blessed with free trade is
infinitely worse than ours. From the re-
port Of the royal commission empower
ed by parliament to ascertain the cause
of agricultural depression in England we
read that farms which few years ago
were in the highest state of cultivation
orr
steads, once the pride of the country
side, are now falling III almost every
county into ruins" The members Of
this commission with a unanimity I'M
hoped for, by reason of their past train
ing in the Golden school declared that
the disastrous condition of things in once
merry England" is the inevitable re-
suit of free trade.
Free born Americans can compete
with the wage earners of Ireland, but
to do so they will be under the painful
necessity of living ON barley bread and
oatmeal mush and be thankful for a
taste OF bacon once or at most twice a
week. Free trade or ''tarIff for revenue
only if adopted would make another
Ireland of America, whilst the policy Of
protection, supplemented by reciprocity
will give employment to not only all
our own people but will furnish employ
ment to as it has done in the past 10
nearly half million of foreign
ers per annum at wages from
fifty to seventy-five per cent
more than they received in the different
countries from whence they come. in
the immortal words of President Harri-
son: The gates of Castle Garden swing
inward. They do not swing outward to
any American laborer seeking a better
country than this. These men who
have tolled at wages i'll other lands that
barely sustained life, and have open no
avenue of promise to them or their
children, know the good land of hope as
we'll as the swallow knows the land
of summer"
The president in the above extract
gives truthfully the sentiments enter
tanned by millions of immigrants who
come here not only from Europe but
from British America. whose lives in
the land of their birth have been dark !
ened by the pestilent shadow of a
throne in conjunction with the darker
shadow of free trade. 1t is /
only labor intelligently applied in
con junction with capital that produces |
wealth; therefore, If we consign to idle |
ness any Class of wage earners in this /
by purchasing the products of /
foreign factories, we are committing a /
crime against the American workman, /
be he artisan or farmer, by contracting
the circulating mediup, and diminish
ing in the same degree the sum total of |
humane happiness in this land to which
our first allegiance is due, whether we
be native or adopted citizens.
Will this factory and hundreds of
others, be built in America or in Europe:
Our vote next November will decide the
question. Yours respectfully,
ONE OF THE MACS,
April 80 1892. Glen Mary Farm,