The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-07-16
THE GREAT NATIONAL ISSUE
HANDLED in A MASTERLY WAY
ldahos Ex-Governor Tells Grangevile Audience the Cause
of our Financial Troubles, and
Gives the Remedy

erately cast vote for a free trade
measure to reduce the price of the
farm products of this state, if that
measure did not have the endorsement.
OF the democratic party. Yet that Is
what free trade means The democrat
ic party holds the farmers of America
responsible for the high cost of living.
and they have placed most of their
products on the free list in competition
with the whole world
A Matter OF Labor Cost
Turn this question over and analyze
1t as you please 1t all comes back t.
the question of the cost of production.
Give the American farmer and the
American manufacturer labor as cheap
| as 1t is in foreign countries, and we
! will not be fighting over the question
! OF free trade and protection. But !
am sure that we are all thankful that
wages are higher in America than in
any other country. 1t would be
crime to reduce the price of labor to
that of foreign countries, and it never
can be done. If the American farmers
and American manufacturers are to be
given our own markets, then you must
give them the honest difference in
the cost of production in this and for
eign countries in a protective tariff.
Brought on the Civil War; First De-
mand for Free Trade from
Slave Owners.
The democratic party has never pass
ed free trade measure, but what it
has brought ruin, suffering and disas-
ter to the American people. ! make no
exception of the free trade measure
just enacted into law. The democratic
party has not always been free trade
party. Washington, jefferson, Madison
and Jackson were all protectionists; all
these great presidents advocated the
) principle of protection. and it was not
until cotton became king in the south,
: and they counted their slaves by the
millions, that the democratic party
changed it's position and advocated free
trade. II you will read the political
history of our country from the time
! of the first free trade measure passed
by the democratic party. known as the
, Walker Bill in 1s46, leading up to the
Civil War, you will realize that pro-
, lection was a mighty factor in dividing
the north and the south. For years
the north and the south waged bitter
contest over protection and free trade
Northern States Demanded Protection
The northern states became the manu-
featuring center of America, and the,
demanded protection against the cheaI
goods of foreign manufacturers ant
foreign producers. Wages, then. "a
they are today We're higher in Americs
than anywhere else. and in order t
compete with the foreign manufacturer
and producers a protective tariff was
matter of necessity to the northern
states. There was no manufacturing es
adjustments in the south before tn
Civil War, and their labor was slav'
: labor. They objected to placing
duty upon imports that We're used il
the southern states. 1t was not a ques
ton of wages with them, for with slav
= labor they could compete with the Who'll
t world SO we find the north and soutl
drifting apart on the two great ques
tons-slavery and protection. The mort
: fought for protection and against slav
II cry, the south fought for slavery an
l free trade.
Confederacy had Free Trade constitu-
So bitterly was the south opposed I
protection that when the Conferedat
q
against protective tariff, so If tn
. southern states had succeeded in tn
:. war of the rebellion, 1t would have bee
free trade country by constitutions
provision. 1t must be admitted tha
" with slave labor they would have need
>. ed no protection, for after all the ques
- ton of protection and free trade
;. one of the price of labor. If labor wa
Ioc CHI in hn
- states as 1t is in foreign countries, W
:, would not be fighting over the questio
- of protection, for there would be n
:, difference in the cost of production, an
- l am sure we would be ready and viii
ing to take our chances with the who
~ world. So In its final analysis, tn
. question of protect on and free trade
the laboring mans question, for Meth,
the farmers nor the manufacturers
- America can operate long when they a
placed in forced competition with cour
tries that have cheaper labor and chea
er freight rates than we have.
lt The war of the rebellion settled II
=, slave question bat the question of PR
l. lection and free trade is still with II
y and the two parties are as far apart t
le day as they were when the first FRI
at trade measure was passed by the DEM
- cratic party in 1876
Walker Act Condemned.
he | want to ask your Indulgence while
e. read you few brief messages as
E. the conditions of our country when
it was being operated under free tra'
,u laws.
es This Is what President Fillmore,
e. democrat, had to say in his message
ee congress in 1851 on the conditions
no our country when 1t was being opera
is ed under the walker bill:"
st without repeating the argumen
n contained in my former message
L favor of discriminating protective duti
l deem it my duty to call your attenti
in to one or two other considerations a
b. fecting this subject. The first is I