Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-08-27
PROTECTION VS.. FREE TRADE

city, who recently returned from bust
ness visit in Chicago and other points
presents very pleasing contrast in the
condition of the times as compared with
the conditions observed by him upon a
previous visit to that city when the in
dustries Of the country were languish-
ing under the baneful effects of the
Wilson tariff law
EDITOR CHRONICLE
Having recently returned from trip
to Chicago with shipment Of sheep for
that market, was much impressed with
the marked and happy change found.
not only in the market price of sheep,
but in the wonderful Improvement OF
the times generally, which cannot we'll
refrain from alluding to through the
medium Of your valuable paper, with
your kind permission.
-Four years ago, upon similar visit to
| Chicago, sold my sheep for 1925 per
hundred pounds, live weight, and they
were in excellen: condition. This year,
as gratifying result of the operation of
the Dingley law, l was enabled to re-
ceive, and did receive S5. 10 per hundred
live weight, for the same class Of sheep.
On my former visit was Impressed by
the large number Of men out of employ
ment; many beating their way on
trains, soup houses in almost every town
along the route, men begging for the
price of meal, claiming they could get
nothing to do in the way of earning a
| livelihood. In marked contrast with
these direful conditions, | met but one
man on my late visit who was begging
for aid, and it is but just to say, that he
had both of his legs amputated. did
not see or hear of single soup house,
nor was confronted with any evidence
of the hard times so apparent on my
former visit. had an excellent oppor-
tunity to hear of hard times if such
times really existed, as l stopped at
points along the route TO feed my sheep
where / conversed freely with all classes
upon the subject. At tho stockyards in
Omaha, where l remained two days, !
came in contact with hundreds of far
mers who were there with fat stock. all
of whom were jubilant over the happy
change in the condition of the times,
and the material advance in the mark ct
price of their farm products. At the
stockyards in Chicago, where also re-
mained two days, a similar feeling was
manifest all rejoicing in the happy re-
turn Of the old time republican prosper
ity. While in Chicago, | spent the
most Of my time at the stockyards,
which are located near the packing
houses where many thousands of men
are employed at good wages, even boys
IL to IA years of age receiving fl ON 81 90
to $l.25 per day for their services, which
is more than can be secured by the men
Of any other nation on earth for like
services. During all Of this time did
not hear single word of complaint
about hard times or Of any difficulty
whatever in obtaining employment. l
found that, under existing conditions,
every man who is disposed TO work can
now obtain employment. | heard num-
erOus references made while among
these people to the advance in prices,
as compared with former years, as es.
pecially indicated in the present price
of cattle and sheep, the former having
advanced about 100 per cent, and the
latter very much more than that, while
wheat, corn, oats and all other farm
products have also been materially ad-
vanced, and Il general expression Of sat
istaction, as result OF the return Of
prosperity was notable everywhere.
Now, Mr.. Editor, as feel that | am to
some extent responsible for theinaugu
ration of the four year period of hard
times from 1892 TO 1896, which l firmly
believe has cost the people of the nation
more money than all the wars in its his
tory, and more misery and destitution
than has eyer previously fallen to her lot,
the contemplation of the mortlfying fact,
as you may readily understand, is by no
means a source Of pleasure to me now,
when | come to count the cost of the
trial of the mistaken policy adopted by
the people in 1892. i find by a study of
the statistics, that the industry in which
am engaged has sustained loss of
four hundred million dollars, nearly
double the cost of the war with Spain,
now happily and trumphantly conclud-
ed, and this is but one of the scores of in
dustries that have suffered under the
blight that fell upon them as result OF
the adoption Of the mistaken policy re.
ferred to. With the plain and unmis-
taxable lessons of the past, demonstrate
ing as they do most positively, that the
policy Of free trade Is antagonistic to our
best interests, and that protection to our
industries is the sure and infallible
guarantee for national prosperity, /
can but admit my former mistake in
giving my support 10 policy that has
in its operation, fallen SO far short of
the expectations of its advocates, and
while | was, during the greater part of
my life, firm believer in the policy of
free trade, / could not stand out against
| a positive demonstration of it's fallacy,
and of its disastrous effects upon the
country when put in practice, and was
therefore forced to drop the policy as
one of the mistaken political ideas that
was beautiful in theory but baneful in
practice.
While the operation of free trade can
not be otherwise than damaging to the
masses, it is now apparent that it is es-
pecially so to the laboring men, as no
one will undertake to deny the fact that
work was plentiful and easily obtained
before the people declared at the polls
for the adoption of the free trade policy,
or what practically amounts to the same
Now, found it impossible on the other
hand, to escape the fact that, just as soon
as this policy was abandoned, and pro-
lection followed under the provisions
of the Dingley law, the laboring men
found ready employment, business, re-
vived, prices advanced, factories resum-
ed operation and the country again be.
came prosperous. Now, Mr.. Editor,
was this not enough to warrant change
in my political convictions? With me
there was no escape from it, and it is
my fixed impression that there ara
thousands of others viewing the situa-
ton from my standpoint, who have
reached a similar conclusion and the
man who thinks it possible to turn the
tide of public opinion back to the free
trade policy in this country during the
present generation, is laboring under an
erroneous impression, due to his ignor-
ance of the trend of public political SEN
tinnnnt na ma haliaua it is rand no today