The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-05
FREE TRADE IN NEW SOUTH
WALES

FREE TRADE IN NEW SOUTH
WALES.
Republic IN papers are putting out so
information that the task of correct
ing their errors, If taken on, would
be SO large as to leave little time for
more important matters. Henry Ward
Beecher once said that, If one were
to pursue and hunt down all the SLAM
ders emitted by idle and vicious Cos
sips, life would be a perpetual flea
hunt. The comparison fits this case
But, now and then, one Of them draws
from its editors Imagination a state
ment, which he calmly palms off on
his unsuspecting readers for facts, that
relates to questions so grave as to
warrant hunting it down and mailing
1t. contemporary recently, while in
a fit Of McKinleyism, commented on
the disasters that had attended the
restoration and expansion of free trade
in New South Wales under the pre-
miership of Mr.. G. H Reid The
picture was quite as somber as any
drawn to depict the condition here I'M
der what it amuses his kind to call
Democratic free trade" Everything
had gone to the demnition bowwows;
mills idle, workmen starving, farmers
ruined and so on
Candid men will concede that the
premier is a better authority as to
conditions and effects in his own
country than is the editor Of a Nc
Kinleyite organ seventeen thousand
itors to admit it, and Mr.. Mckinley
would probably deem it a sufficient an
swer to make that the premier is an
Englishman who is merely making an
assault on our American institutions.
intent on breaking down the barriers
that protect, shield, foster and so on,
ad lib. Nevertheless we prefer to take
the statements in the blue book put
out by Mr.. Reid, showing the condi-
lions in his province and furnishing
the means Of a comparison of policies
by statistics of trade in it and the
adjoining province of Victoria, where
McKinleyism has been the constant
policy. It will be recalled by our
readers that, following the financial
CONFUSION in Australia In 1892, the
protectionists In New South Wales
pursued the same tactics used by the
McKinleyites here and charged the
disaster to the free trade policy Of
the administration. So successfully
did they play on this string that a ma
jority Of their adherents were returned
to their parliament, and the policy Of
protection was at once installed A
short trial satisfied the voters there,
as it did here in 1890, that it was no
remedy, but, on the contrary, aggra-
waited the evils of the condition. The
result was the return of the free trad
ers last year and the accession of Mr..
Reid to the leadership. Parliament
rooted out protection completely and
instituted radical free trade policy,
laying duties only on wines, liquors,
tobacco and opium. 1t discarded even
the favorite English tax on tea and
coffee. Internal taxes on liquors and
tobacco counterbalanced the imposts.
Mr.. Reid had no fears Of that buga-
boo of all Republicans and some DEM
ocrats direct taxation. He made good
the loss of customs by tax on land
and another on income No louder
wall ever went up from the infants of
our land, no Republican editor ever
shrieked so loudly and dismal1y, as did
the protectionists of New South Wales
when the premier proposed his policy.
The farmers were to be driven out Of
wheat growing by the foreign pauper-
grown wheat. The manufacturers
were to be ruined by the food of cheap
foreign goods. The artisans were to
be crowded to the farms, thus creating
overproduction to add to the ruinous
competition. Any one curious to know
what was said has but to read a file
of any of our Republican papers in
1884. The policy has been In opera
ton six months. The area sown to
wheat is larger than ever, and farmers
nave COME over 1rOIu NlclOr1d TO en-
gage In it. Manufacturing is carried
on on q larger and more prosperous
scale than ever. The hours Of labor
are eight, and not even In our coun-
try are wages so high. Money is cheap
and plentiful, and gold is the standard.
Comparing the trade OF the two col
onies under such opposite trade poll
cies. we find that the imports into New
South Wales. that were 6,S91, $50
pounds in 1861. have grown to Ii, 301 ,s41
in 1894, while those of Victoria, that
were 1882, 452 in 1861, were but 12,47O,-
500 in 1894. The exports Of the former
province were 1854. $40 pounds In
1861 and 20 .s73 In 1894. while Vic
toria has increased hers only from Ia