The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-05-25
REFORM.

was lately eXefCeu TO aiu the nlSn tdrlH nc-
publicans in their attempt to bring about all
early adjournment. An early adjournment
| would choke off measures of much needed
tariff reform, to be brought forward and ur-
gently pressed by the revenue refolmers in
case the session runs into next month. Hence
the proceedings of the speaker have brought
down upon him the condemnatloS of the
leading party organs, notably of the World.
The World reads the recalcitrant speaker a
lecture in which he is given IN good ound
terms to understand that his present course,
instead of making him the "heir Of Mr.. Til
den," is much more likely to give him a posi-
ton outside the Democratic party. And so
it goes, the old battle between free trade and
protection; the struggle between those repre-
s~enting the manufacturing interests and those
representing the consumers, or, in other
words, labor, throughout the land. BY COM
bining their influence, uniting their power,
the former, under sanction of specious
arguments and sophistical doctrines concern
ing the ''protection of home industry con-
trive to levy a tax on the labor OF the country
a tax whose proceeds are devoted to building
up their private business. This protection
has the effect of increasing the price of every
article of food or raiment used by the laborer;
of heigltening the cost of every mile travelled
Oh a public conveyance,-ln a word, of in
creasing enormously every expense of his dai-
" life, be that life ever 50 humble. But for
| the laborer there is no protection. There is
no s'protective tariff" to prevent swarms of
European. laborers from tlocking in at every
port of the Union and breaking down BY COM
petition wages already insufficient. The ad-
vantage is all on one side, an injustice that has
called the free trade party intoexi stence and
to the front, to battle against what is at once
a great wrong perpetrated upon the labofing
and consuming classes, and at the same time
a species of national commercial suicide in
attempting to surround the commerce of the
country with the Chinese wall of "a protective
tariff, to shut out as much as possible all for
eign trade. But protection is of the remote
past, and with this descent its disappearance
as the distinctive policy of civilized nations
must inevitably soon be brought about. With
modern times has cone clearer thinking. The
old notion that in every trade there must, as
a matter of course, be one gamer and one
loser thereby, no longer finds acceptance.
The modern philosophy of trade, reduced to
rules and precepts in the principles of politi-
cal economy, rather teaches us that in every
legitimate commercial transaction between
the citizens of different countries, as we'll as
between citizens of the same State, each side
is gamer, where the exchange brings about a
mutual satisfying of existing want. Foreign
trade, even with foreign competition, instead
of beng ali evil to be repressed or strangled,
to see the truth, as a blessing to be welcomed,
an advantage whose benefits should be en-
couraged, stimulated, not suppressed through
the operation of law. Hence the legislators
sufficiently intelligent TO be able to grasp and
comprehend the principles of free trade
viewed merely as scientific truths, as we'll as
those who combat the claim of protection as
something morally wrong, are united in de-
handing the revenue reform we hear so much
of nowadays. But their advance is stubborn
ly contested. Opposed to them are avarice
and greed with their distorted views of JUSTICE;
their short-sightedness, causing the smaller
gain of the moment TO be preferred to the
larger of the future; their grasping selfish
ness, choosing the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the
class in preference to the good of the commu-
nifty entire.
Parties are not at present clearly and clearly
divided on the subject Of the tariff. There
are free trade Republicans and protectionist
Democrats; but judged by the preponderatlng
weight of their respective majorities the
Republican is the party of protection, the
Democratic that of free trade. As one by
one the political issues of the present become
adjusted we may expect the question of tariff
reform to become more and more the line OF
demarcation separating the two parties.
When they finally divide OH that line the Re.
publican party will be found fully committed
to the iniquity of protection. True to it:
instincts that party will be found laboring in
support of doctrines whose tendency is to in.
crease GENERALIZATION in politics and build
up the "money power in the world of com,
merce. The Democratic, following its
earlier and better traditions, will be unre
served in its championship of free trade, the
doctrine wherein the rights of the individual
are cherished as opposed to the powers anc
principles of the class the gospel whose &C
ceptance Will promote the greatest good of thu
greatest number
CONGRATULATORY.
We sincerely congratulate our esteemed
contemporary, the Helena independent, OIL