The herald., 1896-02-02
labor. which is all that they have TO sell.
Now. COM iler what they hara to caiu hv

labor, which is all that they have TO sell.
Now. consider what they have to gain by
free trade. The farm laborers, who are
more numerous than either of the other
ciesses, would, of course, be in much
greater demand. because of the immense
increase OF European demand for farm
products. The men engaged in transport
tat,o world be in like demand, because
the railroads and steamboats, would be
crowded with fern products coming east
and with manufactures going west. The
case OF these two classes, constituting a
great majority OF all the laborers, is very
clear. Free trade would raise their wages
quickly and largely.
How about the others? They must be
divided again into classes. Not more than
100000 are engaged in any business
which can possibly oe benefited by any
tariff. About 100000 are at work in
/ lines of business which would he vastly
more prosperous il there were no tariff at
al and the materials for their work were
admitted free. All of tbese, therefore,
would tind work more abundant and wages
| higher if the tariff were repealed alto
geher As to the 100000 remaining, it
IS admit cd by protectionists that not more
than one-fOurth of what they make could
be supplied from abroad. under free trade.
Therefore, out of about % 200 900 people
now earning their own living in this coun-
try, not as many as 100000 could possibly
| be injured by total repeal of the tariff,
while 2l,750,0 900 would bs far better off.
Now, suppose that this vast majority
gained only 10 per cent by free
trade, that would mean demand for over
1900, 900 new laborers at higher wages;
and thus the 100000 would find instant
employment at better wages than they get
/ now. Considering that we absorb every
year 100000 new immigrants, we surely
need not fear lack of employment for
100000 Americans. But. in fact, fewer
worlllnen would be thrown out of employ
ment in the year following the repeal of
the tariff than have been thrown out in any
, one year of the last ten, while immediate
employment would be found for them in
easier work at higher wages.
All classes of wage-earners, therefore,
have nothing to gain by free coinage and
everything to gain Dy free trade.
Still there remains the greatest benefit
of all. The total repeal of the tariff means
the abolition of all taxes upon the poor. 1t
means that the savings of all careful labor
ing men would be instantly doubled. 1t
means that their earnings would be in
creased, while their expenses would be di-
minished. 1t means an era of prosperity
for farmers, mechanics and laborers, such
as has never yet been imagined possible by
most of themselves. For absolute free
trade would make all indirect taxation i'm
possible and absurd. And indirect taxa
ton is the only possible means by which
the rich can make the poor bear the bur-
den of taxation, besides being the means
| by which few of them are able to plumber
the masses for their own immediate profit.
Make money as cheap and plentiful as
you please, and still under tariff taxes
those who have all the money now will
have all the money then. Abolish the tariff.
and those who have less than one-third of
the wealth of this country will soon have
two-thrds of it. And it is wealth which
commands money, not money which COM
mands wealth.
Whether free coinage would help the
mass of our people or not, it is at least
certain that it never can confer upon them
ene-tenth of the blessings which they would
derive from free trade.