The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-10-13
PROTECTION.
What II Is, and How IL Nay Best be Sc
FH eined.

What tt r., and How IL Nay Best Do %.
~ eined.
How does the protective system enable
these manufacturing enterprises to live
and prosper? By taxing foreign goods at
the custom houses In our seaport towns
when they are brought into this country
so that they cannot be sold for less than
the same kind Of goods made by our own
people.
What is the need OF this systemP To en-.
able American workingmen to earn wages
that will support their families decently
and educate their children. The whole
system is designed to give employment
and fair wages TO the mechanics AID oper.
atives Of the United States, and to save
them from the necessity Of working for the
starvation wages paid in the Old World.
But what has all this to do with politics
10 a Presidential campaignH A great deal
One Of the two great political parties gives
notice In It's platform that it will abolish
the tivesystem.
Which party? The Democratic party.
| In the platform adopted by the National
Democratic Convention, held at Cincin.
natl, there is plank relating to the tariff
question. Itdemands "a tariff for revenue
only."
WHAT IS A TARIFF FOR REVENUE ONLY?
An effort is being made to deceive the
workingmen on this point. Their own
good sense will make the matter plain, Il
they will think for themselves on the sab
iect, without the help OF the politicians.
Evidently O tariff for revenue only Is q
tariff got up with view Of yielding as
much money as possible, without any re.
gard to the effect on American industry.
The more foreign goods imported the more
revenue collected that IL plain. So there
must be low schedule Of duties to en-.
courage foreigners TO send US their goods
and pay the rates at our custom houses
The more foreign goods imported, the few.
er American goods will be made and sold
that is plain, too. The fewer goods
made IN this country, the less demand
for labor-anoiher sell.evident PROPOSE
ton. The less the demand for labor the
lower will wages be, and the harder will
it be to get work. Take the case Of silks,
for instance. The Government would
get more revenue II there were no silks
made in Paterson and all used in this
country were imported and paid a
duty ut the custom houses. go tariff for
revenue only will be low enough to break
down the American silk industry, which
employs over 1900 people. So of pot.
terry. There would be more Stafordshire
ware imported II none were made In Liver
pool, and the greater the importations the
greater the revenue to the Treasury.
Therefore revenue tariff would pay no
more regard to this great and growing
Industry OF this section. The same thing Ia
true OF iron, steel, lssther goods, thread,
jewelry, hardware, cutlery and Q hundred
other articles which are made in the
Estate. The foreigners, working for hall
the wages our workmen get, can make all
these articles cheaper than we can and I'M
dersell US in our own markets.
WHAT Is THE HISTORY OF TARIEF kEGIsLA.
i sa.'' TON?
1t proves that the Democratic party al
ways opposed a protective policy. After
the war Of 1872 closed there came series
OF hard years in this country. Business was
Frustrated, wages were low, and employ.
ment was hard to get. A protective tariff
was adopted In 1924, and strengthened in
1928, which revived our industries and
brought good times: Town and country
Cprospered alike, and the mechanic and
larmer were equally benefited. The South
hated this tariff, which made 1t pay tri-
butte, Its statesmen said, to the Yankees
OF New England. South Carolina tried TO
nulliiy it and prevent the customs officers
from collecting the duties at her ports.
in 1882 the Democrats struck down this
tariff, by law reducing duties on slid.
ing scale for ten years. Prosperity was
Immediately checked. Timesgrew harder
and harder, until the great crash oil 1887
came. No one whose memory does not
go back to that time can imagine the
misery which came upon the country.
Flour sold rs low as g SO per barrel, and
in many localities laboring men worked
for 80 cents a day.
In 1910 the people put into power the
new Wing party, pledged to reenact
protective tariff The result was the tariff
Of 1912, which gave fresh life to the manu-;
featuring and agricultural interests and
put business upon It's feet again.
In 1874 the Democrats carried the Presi.
dental election by cheating the Pennsyl'
vania voters into the belief that they
would not disturb the protective tariff.
Their campaign cry in that State was
"Polk, Dallas and the Tariff Of 1872" As
soon as they got possession of the Gov.
eminent they proceeded to pass a low
tariff bill at the dictation Of the South.
The vote on it was tie in the Senate,
and Vice.President Dallas, PennsylvA.
nian. pledged to protection, gave the cast
ing vote TO destroy the protective system.
The bill established what was known as
the tariff OF 1886 1t seriously crippled
the manufacturing interests Of the coun-
try. The growing industries OF New Eng
land, New Jersey and Pennsylvania re-
ceived heavy blow. The worst effects Of
this Democratic revenue tariff were not
Immediately felt throughout the country,
however, because OF the stimulus which
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