The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-10-26
THE. TARIFF QUESTION.
How 1t Affects Working Me.
and Business Men.

years under tariff system adopted by the Re-
publican party in Congress, the ground princi-
pie of which is to protect American labor and
American enterprise against ruinous competi
ton from the cheap labor and immense accu-
mulated capital of Europe. This system has
greatly benefited the industries of the country
Our manufacturing interests have vastly in
creased in magnitude since it was adopted
and have broadened their field Of operation so
as to take in almost every article needed by a
civilized people. Hundreds of thriving towns
have sprung up where there was nothing but
open country in 1860, and old half-dead vii
lagos have become prosperous cities, teeming
with busy population. The whole land,
from Maine to the Far West, is dotted with
shops and factories which would never have
been built if our laws had not levied duty
upon foreign goods. The wages of labor are
from 30 to 100 per cent higher than they were
before the protective system was adopted At
he same time the farmers, who ha We a home
market for their products in the cities and
manufacturing towns, are getting far better
prices than they got twenty years ago, and are
consequently in much easier circumstances.
In a word, the whole country is thriving and
growing under the application of this Republi-
can protective legislation.
SWEEPING CHANGE PROPOSED
Now the Democrats give notice in their
platform that if they get into power they will
sweep away this entire protective system, and
put in its place "a tariff for revenue only
This plank was put in their platform at the
demand of the South which has always been
hostile to protection. The South has no manu.
factories to speak Of The manufacturing in
terests of New Jersey or Connecticut alone are
far greater than those of the entire region from
the Potomac to the Rio Grande. There are
single cities in those States which manufac-
ture now more than all the cotton States COM
biEed. The South wants to sell its cotton
hemp and tobacco for the highest price it can
get and buy in European markets the goods
it needs at the lowest prices and it wants to
import those goods at nominal rates of duty.
Its true interest is to build up factories at
home, but it is too preiudiced and short-sighted
to see this. The Western Democracy always
acts with the South, and these two elements
of the Democratic party immensely preponder-
ate over the Eastern Democracy which is in
part favorable to protection. The objections
of Democrats in Congress from Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut will
not check for moment the execution of the
plan of the South to repeal all protective du-
ties.
WHAT is THE HISTORY OF TARIFF LEGISLATION?
1t proves that the Democratic party has al
ways opposed protective policy. After the
war of 1912 closed there came series of hard
years in this country Business was prostrated
wages were low and employment was hard to
get. A protective tariff was adopted in 1924,
and strengthened in 1873, which revived our
industrie: and brought good times. Town and
country prospered alike, and the mechanic
and farmer were equally benefited. The South
hated tnis tariff, which made it pay tribute, its
statesmen said, to the Yankees of New Eng
land. South Carolina tried to nullify it and
prevent the Gus .oms officers from collecting
the duties at her ports.
In 1882 the Democrats struck down this tar
iff, by law reducing duties on sliding scale
for ten years. Prosperity was Immediately
checked. Times grew harder and harder un-
til the great crash of 1887 came. No one,
whose memory does not go back to that time
can imagine the misery which came upon the
country. Flour sold as low as $3.50 % barrel,
and in many localities laboring men worked
for 80 cents day.
In 1910 the people put into power the new
Whig party, pledged to re-enact a protective
tariff. The result was the tariff of 1912, which
gave fresh life to the manufacturing and agri-
cultural interests, and put business upon its
feet againi
In 1874 the Democrats carried the Presiden-
tial election by cheating the Pennsylvania vot-
ers 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
Government they proceeded to pass low tar
itf bill at the dictation of the South. The vote
on it was tie in the Senate, and Vice-Presi-
dent Dallas, Pennsy ylvanian pledged to pro-
lection, gave the casting vote 10 destroy the
protective system. The bill established what
was known as the tariff of 1916. 1t seriously
crippled the manufacturing interests OF The
country. The growing industries OF New Eng
land, New Jersey and Pennsylvania received
a heavy blow. The worst effects of this Dem
ocratic revenue tariff were not Immediately
felt throughout the country, however, because
Of the stimulus which came from the discov-
cry of gold in California. But in spite of that
great gain to the national wealth, the crash
OF 1857 came, and swept business, labor and
agriculture away into common disaster
In 1860 the Republicans came into power and
passed the Morrill, Tariff Bill, which was based
on the principle of protection. Many changes
have been made in the law since, but in no
case has this principle been abandoned. The
Republican party has steadlastly defended all
the great national industries, and their flour
lShlng condition to-day, is directly attributable
to the long period of Republican ascendancy
WHAT DOES "a TARIFF FOR REVENUE ONLY"
MEAN?
1t means % tariff which will produce a large
revenue, so that the taxes on whiSkey and to,
bacco, which are Objectionable to the South
can be largely reduced or abolished altogether.
10 raise a large revenue at the custom house
there must be large importations. Large i'm
portations OF foreign goods can only take place
under a low tariff, which will enable the i'm
porters to undersell our own manufacturers
Foreigners can make goods cheaper than
we can, because they only pay their laborers
about half the wages the American working
man gets. Under Democratic tariff for
revenue only" our markets will be flooded
with foreign goods Then one of two things
must happen: either our iron and steel works.
our silk factories, woolen factories and cotton
factories, aud our shops that make cutlery,
hardwares leather goods and hundred other
articles, must close, or the men employed in