The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-06-19
HEARILHSS M'EINLEYISE
A PR0TE0TI0NIsps DISREGARD OF
TEE PEOPLES WELFARE

TEE PEOPLES WELFARE
- fling over a Faucisd Return by /
GREAT Britain "a a Protective /
Iaria, Whereby American Farm /
ers Would suffer Severely.
Mr.. George Gunton, o protectionisa
who protends 10 favor q high tariff in
the interest o. the working classes,
exults, IN q recent magazine article,
over some signs which be fancies in-
dictate that Great Britain vii abandon
her free trade principles Mr.. Gunton
i an Englishman who always ridiculos
and denounces the advocates of q low
tariff es British free traders" and as
the English enemies Of American in-
dustries Having found somebody
IN England 10 say q good word for
protective tariffs he quickly changes
his tune, and brings forward the Eng
hsh pro.@9tion arguments as q reason
Why this country should return to Nc
Kinloyism.
The basis for tho claim that Great
Britain wishes to restore protective
tariffs Is the expressed willingness OF
Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, British Sec
rotary Of State for the Colonies, to
consider a plan for the establishment
OF free trade between oil the possessions
Of the British Empire. This would in
volve the imposition Of duties on some
articles imported from other coun-
tries, and is therefore welcomed by
PROFESSIONALS as q concession to their
views.
as a matter Of fact the proposal for
q customs union between Great Brit
ain, Canada, Australia, South Africa,
the West Indies, New Zealand, etc,
would really be IN extension Of the
free trade principle. Duties are i'm
posed on British goods by nearly ell
those countries. The abolition Of
these duties would give England I'M
restricted trade with ct least $50, 000,-
600 people, whereas she now can trade
freely with but very small number.
So that instead of limiting trade, q
customs union for the British Empire
would greatly increase the era in
which it was free.
But even though Great Britain had
decided to restore the oppressive tar
if system which robbed her people
and strangled her industries until it
was swept away fifty years ago, would
that be reason why Americans should
be pleased? The heartless Mckinley
tie disregard Of the peoples welfare
is shown by Mr.. Gunton when he says
chow will this new scheme, if adopt
ed, affect tho United States? I'm.
mediate influence will be to exclude
American farm products from the
British market. AS England is the
only important purchaser of agricul-
tural products, this would practically
destroy the foreign market Of Ameri-
can farmers"
This is exactly true. If high pro-
lection ideas we're adopted by Great
Britain many hundreds of thousands
Of American farmers would be ruined.
Not only would there be the loss oil
our principal market for our surplus
farm products, but the large quaint.
ties of grain, meats, etc., remaining
unsold in this country would force
down prices far lower than they arc
now. This would mean that practi
cally all the farmers in the United
States would be compelled to sell theil
products at loss.
MIR. Gunton is one OF the calamity
howlers who are yawping about the
blessings of protection to the farmers
and are trying to fool them into voting
for McKinleyism and more taxes. II
between now and November, thu farm
ers will sit down and figure out tht
probable result of protection adopted
by every country against American
farm products and manufactured
goods, there will beno danger of Re
publican victory. Ii, in spite o
Democratic warnings, the people
should vote for o policy OF trade-pro
hibition between Nations, they would
deserve all the loss and SUFFERING
which they will surely experience.
WHDDEN GRAHAM.