Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-10-01

cause the standard OF life is higher in
this country than 1t Is elsewhere. The
laboring man eats more and better
things. He wears more and better
things. He lives In larger and better
houses. He spends more to maintain
his position in society, for he Is q
factor in the most important affairs
Of the community In which he lives.
This Ia the price he pays for the man
hood he enjoys, for the power he exer-
cises. and for the responsibilities OF
citizenship; and II free trade robs
him Of the opportunity to make these
expenditures, it at the same time robs
him of the opportunities which alone
make life tolerable and honorable.
In a further effort to incite the pref
udtce Of the wageworker, the demo-
that while we protect the manufec-
tnrer. we do not protect the laborer,
and that, whereas the former meets
only the competition Of his own coun-
try. the latter must meet the competi-
ton of the world. This Is the most
astonishing statement I have ever
read. It is the very climax Of error.
While the republican party has put up
on many manufactured commodities
an import duty, 1t has absolutely pro-
hibited the importation of labor, and
with respect to one nationality, has
imperatively forbidden the admission
of laborers. One of the most stringent
statutes ever passed by congress Is
that which prevents American employ
ers from bringing men of other coun-
tries into the United States under con-
tract for employment. Barring the
Chinese wholly, we admit the laborers
OF other lands. We have assumed
that when human icing comes free
into the United States and breathes
our air and becomes q part Of our In
situations, he will be competitor up
on the plane of American life, and not
upon the plane Of the country from
which he comes, and our experience
demonstrates that the first thing that
an immigrant learns is to demand
high wages for his work. From the
the Chinaman did not assimilate the
conditions Of his new country, and
therefore. solely for the purpose Of
eliminating unfair competition in Ia
Dor, he is excluded from our shores.
do not believe that our immigration
laws are perfect. There remains still
much to be done in order to limit the
men and women who come hither to
those Of whom 1t can be said they will
become good citizens; but the sugges-
ton that we have not been as careful
to protect the labor as we have to
protect manufactured commodities is
SO unwnrranted that 1t Is overthrow
by the most casual reflection. II there
is any logical deduction from the dem
ocratic position, 1t is one which will
hardly commend the party to the
wageworkers of this country. II
means. II 1t means anything. that 1t
win be the democrats policy not only
to create free competition In our mar
kets for manufactured products. but
free competition in labor as weH, and
that means the repeal of the statute
forbidding the introduction OF contract
labor and the removal OF the prohiot-
tion against the Chinese. When these
things are done. the democratic party
will have free trade, and have 1t wl.,i
a vengeance, and the people will have
free ruin, and have It In plenty. I
marvel at the audacity Of q democratic
1lrN6R<A RAVlVcAh6 ACnAS4tCC ft AQk ~ AA1
relief or the promotion Of the we,iare
Of the laboring man. It had Inc presi-
dent when 1t elected Cleveland In
1892, and a year after his Inauguration
1t had both branches Of congress. It
thus had the government complete.
and what did 1t do for the betterment
of the wageworker? To reply graph
icaily and feelingly you have but to
summon your memories Of the years
between 1898 and 1897. It has been
said that the people naturally nunger
for change do not believe this
Is true, but If 1t is. for the sake OF
humanity. let the change be made by
some other power or some other party
than the democrats, whose whole his
tory is one recurring round Of folly
and failure.
The Farmers.
turn now to the farmers, for whom
the tears Of the free trader flow so
copiously. Mr.. Sullivan declares. and
apparently with the utmost sincerity,
that the system OF protection not only
does not benefit them, but destroys
and impoverishes them. Without an
alyizing the statement, as l presently
shall do, but taking 1t up by It's four
corners and looking at It broadly, and
then looking at the farmers. knowing
what they are. what they have done,
and what they are doing. II is incon-
ceivable that any serious man should
believe that they are the victims Of a
dishonest and vicious economic sys-
tenn. How emphatically they win re-
pei the charge will be seen in the
coming November. Before they speak,
say for them that they are the hap
piest. most prosperous, most progress
sive and most contented people within
the borders OF the republic They
have their ups and downs. their high
prices and low prices. their good years
and bad years, but taking all times
and all conditions together. they have
accomplished more than any other
class. and ! congratulate them most
heartily upon their brilliant success.
The democratic candidate for governor
seems to be of the opinion that be-
cause the duties levied upon agricul-
tural products do not materially en-
nance. the price of these products, that
therefore the protective system robs
them of the amount of the duties col
lected upon manufactured imporations
and otherwise saps their vitality and
hampers their progress. propose to
deal with this subject from my own
point of view, which may not be that
occupied by every advocate of protec-
tive laws believe II to be true that,
with the exception of sugar and cattle.
A. l..A4