The Saint Paul globe., 1897-12-06
\ STRANGE NOTE OF WARNING.

n SlhANOh Or " AhNlNUs
Count GoIuchowski was, prior to the
recent overthrow of the Badeni minis
try, the Austrian minister for foreign
affairs. On the 22d of last month, in
his annual address to the Austro-Hun-
garian diet, he urged Europe to unite
in an economic war -sainst the trans
0ce;3nfc Countries which are sending
their surplus products to Europe. "The
destructive competition" he said, with
transoceanic countries, which has part
ly to be carried on at present, and is
partly to be expected in the immediate
future, requires prompt and thorough
counteracting measures. If the vital
interests of European peoples are not
to be gravely compromised, they must
fight shoulder to shoulder against the
common danger, and arm themselves
for the struggle with all the means at
their disposal" The speech has at
tracted wide attention in Europe and
in this country and has been the sub
ject of general comment in the press.
In Europe the London correspondent
of the New York Evening Post says,
"it is interpreted into a battle cry of
a commercial war of pan-Europe
against pan-America," and the casus
belli is the importation of and compe-
tition with European farmers Of Amer
lean wheat and meats.
We have read with interest the varied
comment Of the press of this country,
our fellows of the protectionist faith
especially, to see how they take this
proposed rub reciprocal, but generally
they have treated it with a calm COM
placency, reposing in their simple faith
that Europe has to have our meats and
grains. The Sun, however, sees disas-
ter in Goluchowskis plan for only the
countries that enter into it, because,
as it guilelessly says, from those
countries to which we could send moth
ing we should be unable to buy any
thing; and all the work done in this
hemisphere for so many years by the
agents of the manufacturers Of CONT
mental Europe would be thrown away"
There is a thoughtless admission here
of the contention of free traders, terse-
ly expressed by Mr.. Morton when sec
retary of agriculture: eff we shut i'm
ports out, we will shut exports in,' an
automatic statement that called down
upon him the ridicule Of the faithful.
The Sun, we expect, will be promptly
churched for it's surrender of that bas-
ton of protection, It's denial of ortho-
dox doctrine.
But nowhere have we seen an appre
citation of the real significance Of this
call to arms of the Austrian minister
What does it mean? 1t means that the
farmers of this hemisphere can produce
so much more cheaply than can the
farmers of Europe that they can send
1t across continents and oceans, paying
freight on it, and then underseII the
European farmer. The "pauper labor
cry shifts from the United States to
Europe. 1t is the pauper labor of the
United States, Of the Argentine and
of Australia against which Europe
must put up her economic defenses.
Tariff barriers must be erected, stout
and high, if the European farmer is not
to be degraded to the level Of the trans
oceanic farmers Of America and Aus
tralia, and his labor is not to be re-
duced to the level of the pauper. This
is indeed a startling transposition. We
have been familiar with that kind of
talk for years, but it came from our
side and was directed against Europe.
1t was our industries that were to be
rescued by tariff walls from the inva-
sion Of pauper products, and it was
the dignity Of our workingmen which
was to be preserved. And now we have
the cry sent back across the ocean with
us made the horrible example, the fear
some bugaboo.
But what a searchlight this Austrian
turns on the very foundation of that
policy which some people can term
American" without blushing. The
whole fabric rests on the assumption
that American labor cannot compete
with foreign cheap labor, and therefore
the products of that labor must be en-
HANGED in cost by an impost in order
that domestic prices can be kept at