The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1880-10-28
OFFICE OF INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE,
No. 28 SOUTH THIRD ST.,
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. q, 1886

, !
The great battle to decide whether
the reasonable prosperity which all
now enjoy shall continue, or shall be
laid waste, win be fought out at the
polls on the second day Of November
next. During the hard times from
which the country has happily
emerged the tariff was the defense Of.
our Industries. Our market was
poor, but such as it was we had the
whole of it, for in many lines impOr-
tahons almost ceased. Prices and
wages were low, but not so low as
abroad, for, owing to the tariff, our
country could not be made a dump
ing-ground for the relief Of the gluttedt
markets Of other nations. The bust
ness situation is now hopeful, trade is
good, wages have advanced, there is
employment for everybody, the cur
rency is sound, the burden Of public
and private debt has been greatly al
leviated, the balance Of trade with
foreign countries is steadily in our
favor, government and people alike
appear to be entering upon an era Of
prosperity. Whoever would disturb
this wholesome state Of things ought
to be regarded as a public enemy
the mere possibility Of such a change
now impairs business confidence
and causes anxious forebodingS
for the future, yet we find that the
official declaration Of a great party, /
many Of which are among the most
members Of our League,
directly assails this prosperity and
all the industries we represent by as
serting that it favors a "tarif for
revenue only" Reluctant as the In
dustrial League may be to appear to
enter the political arena, it cannot
allow this attack to pass unchal-
lenged. An apparent endorsement
Of that declaration by the country in |
the coming election would be an II
disaster, and opposition to |
it in this campaign is not political IN /
the ordinary sense Of the term. This
is a business mans and working
mans fight. We call upon our
friends of both parties to see that
their districts are represented in the
next Congress by prOtectionists. So
long as British free trade influence
has its present footing in Congress our
wholesome financial legislation is con
stantly endangered, and dPrOtective du-
ties are attacked in the mostreckless
Manufacturers have been
kept perpetually under the harrow.
Tariff bills which could only be in
spired by ignorance or malevolence
have been always pending, and indus
tries whose very existence was endan-
gered have been refused a hearing.
With a compliant President to sus-
tain a free trade Congress, those
ruinous projects Of legislation, tenn
DOrarily suspended, will become laws.
Not only the tariff, but also the banks
and the currency will be successfully |
lssailed, and the business world may /
expect endless disturbance and in
Jury. While this League does not as
5ert that the laws regulating custom
duties are in all respects perfect, It
holds that they constitute a system,
necessarily as complicated as the in
-erests affected BY them, to which
those interests have adjusted them
selves, and which should not be al
tered except after careful inYestiga-
ion by such commission as that
by Senator Eaton. They !
have been enacted with the avoWed
of protecting the labor Of our
people and amendments, when need |
ed, should be made in the sames pir-
t, and only after full notice to and /
with the interest which |
may be helped or hurt by a change. !
The League prefers to trust the
adoption of such measures to a
Congress controlled by the avOWed
friends of American labor, and to
President who IS a trained statesman
whose views upon these and all
other questions of public policy are
we'll known, who has rendered valu-
able services to the country in per
fecting and defending our existing
laws, and in whose hands the busi-
ness interests of the country viii be
safe. We know that James A Gar
field can be trusted, and we know
that his opponent, whatever his indi-
yidual opinion may be, can take no
other course than that dictated by
his party, whose policy is, most IN
fortunately, controlled by those who !
are hostile to our.aTee and intelligent
industries.
Jos. WHARTON, Chairman.
HENRY c. LEA,
WHARTON BARKER,