The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-10-21
STORRS!
His Views on the Tariff Question.
A TELLING EXTRACT FROM HIS
CLEVELAND SPEECH.
lCleveiand Leader Report. I


protection. In its platform to-day it declares
that it is in favor of tariff for revenue only,
and tariff for revenue only means the en-
couragement to its largest measure and its
fullest extent of the importation of the for
eign article. How does Gen. Hancock stand
upon the platform? This declara ton against
q protective tariff is No. in the Democratic
platform, and Hancock says: ''The doctrines
enumerated are these have always cherished
and which will endeavor to maintain in the
future Yesterday, however, finding an in
dignant public sentiment running against his
party, finding the laboring interests aroused
everywhere, finding the manufacturers awake
he was subjected by man from New Jersey
to an interview, which was published in all
the newspapers, land which is the most remark
able document l think, ever vouchsafed to
man. AS piece of raw, crude humor, it dis.
counts anything that ever Mark Twain under
took. lLaughterI Now let me read you what
that superb statesman and soldier said, with
notes historical and explanatory, after the
manner OF Plutarch. The interviewer begins
the scene with and after the following manner,
that is to say; "There is one thing general.
desire to speak about the tariff question is
creating good deal of talk in Paterson,
particularly among manufacturers and the
working casses?" And the sunerb soldier
standing erect, with order No. 40 in one hand
and batch of cipher dispatches in the
other, says: "That question, the tariff ques-
tion," said the general, "cannot affect the
manufacturing interests of the country in the
least" [Laughter.l There you have it. That
is wisdom coming right down in boulders I
don't want to lose that. want to read that
again. 'The tariff question cannot affect
the manufacturing interests of the country in
the least" If it canLot. what can? The doc
trine of foreordination, of justification by
faith, OF election, works, immersion, sprink-
ling? Anything would affect, suppose, the
manufacturing interests, but the tariff ques-
tion cannot. [Laughter.] my election would
make no difference either way, one way or the
other" Why, how does he know? "There
has to be certain amount, millions of dollars
raised by a tariff that can be got in no other
way" We know that, General, and your
party proposes to get it all that way, and
wants tariff for revenue only and wants to
encourage the importations for, my dear Gen
eral, if you do not have any importations you
do not have any revenue out of a tariff, and
the more you have of importations the less you
have of protection and the more you have of
competition. But he goes on, "The election
of Democratic President or the election of a
Republican President cannot interfere with or
influence that in the least" Let us see, Gem
eral; suppose that the experiment which the
Democratic party inaugurated last winter, in
defeating which l took hand as an outsider,
had been carried successfully into operation.
Suppose that the duty son iron of all kinds
steel rails, paper, cotton, and of every thing
else, had been stricken down. The Demo-
cratic party undertook to do it. The solid
South is in favor of it. Suppose they had sue
ceeded. Would not the election of a man who
would have vetoed legislation of that charac-
ter made little difference? If Garfield had
been President the legislation would have
been vetoed, and the country saved from that
calamity. If the ''superb soldier had been
President the bill would have been signed,
and the interests extending to $50, 900, 900 in
the city of Cleveland wrecked in day. That
is the difference. lApplause.l 1t is the Diff
ference between projected measure becvm-
a very great difference, assure you. Observe
that he does not say that he would veto free
trade legislation. He makes no promise of
the kind. He exhibits merely "a broad and
ject [Laughter.] 1t is windy defamation
1t is dlscreditable to him as a citizen in the
very last degree. But go further, and it gets
worse as you proceed. 1.-The Paterson people
need have no anxiety whatever that will
ever favor anything that interferes with the
manufacturing or industrial interests of the
country. They will have just as much protec-
ton under Demo ratio administration as un-
der Republican administration" Was ever |
the history of this country so absurdly belied? |
What is Groes9eck of Cincinnati? Who is
Blackburn that has been talking in this State,
denounclng the whole system? What is the |
whole solid South? Who is Fernando Wood,
the chairman OF the committee on ways and
means? A rabid free trader. And yet this
man, IN his dense, chunky ignorance of the
whole subject, declares that the party hating
the system OF protection will defend that sys-
tenn Just as zealously as the party which has
always favored 1t!
want to ask you another question: Do you
ever remember the instance of Democratic
administration in the whole history of this
country, where they had all branches of the
government, legislative and executive, that |
ever they found protective tariff they did |
not destroy? You cannot point to an instance.
Their whole scheme last winter was to its dis |
truction. Hancock don't know it! He dis
plays the most colossal ignorance of the whole
subject BY the paragraph l will now read
"The tariff question: what? You cannot
guess. "Ihe tariff question:" Mr.. President, |
Cen Hancock says, sis local question: |
Now, If there is anything in all our politics |
that is not local. that is one of them. A tariff |
affects. for good or ill. not only every con-
veivable interest on this continent but all |
over the world. 1t is one of those few ques-
tions with which school district or State |
has not anything under Gods heavens to do. |
question was once brought up in my native
state of Pennsylvania" Great laugh |
teri That same question, he says, |
that question of the tariff, which |
is local question, was, once brought up in
Pennsylv lvania llaughter state in which they
have not talked about anything else under
Gods heaven for the last % years Why, he
is laboring under the impression that they
were fixing up a tariff system at Harrisburg,
and adjusting duties and a scheme Of protec- |
tion by the Pennsylvania State Legislature He |
finishes up in this manner: "It is a matter |
that the general government" hold on,
seldom caers to interfere with" Laughter |
Who else would care to interfere with it? "It |
IS a matter that the general governme sell |
dom cares to interfere with " States general |
ly take hold of it. III But occasionally the
general government puts its hands on it, |
lLaughter'] "And nothing is ever likely to be
the country" Now that suppose is an au- |
thentic report Of that interview. l commend
1t to Gen. Hancocks attention that instead of |
cross-examining Gen. Grant about his inter- |
view Qor he will find that the witness will |
bother him on cross examination [appausel |
he had better set himself industriousy at work |
contradicting that and get some small book on |
the subject of the tariff, or else be afflicted |
Win noarSeneSS until the campaign closes.
Now, my fellow citizens, 1 have seen the |
workings, in narrow portion of the country, |
OF the doctrines of free trade. 1 visited the |
state OF California two or three weeks ago
| am familiar with the logic of |
free trade; l used to believe it, There is no |
literature in the world SO captivating to a |
young man as that of free trade, but little |
more reading and little more thinking on |
my own account and good deal of experience |
demonstrated to me that it would not work. |
remember that the millennium of free trade |
doctrine is "cheap product, and when |
free trader argues with you and gets so far as
to demonstrate that his policy will result in |
cheap product, he thinks the debate is closed |
The fact is, it has only just begun. What |
this government was organized for was not |
cheap cotton, but was intelligent. industrious, |
well-to-do citizens.sI am probably heterodox, |
but think great deal more of a prosperous |
laboring man than do of cheap boot, and
the policy of protection in the end gives us
both, and everybody is benefited by it! The
city of San Francisco ought to be the very
elysium of free trade. Boots are cheap; the
Chinaman makes them. Underwear is cheap;
the yhlpaman akaci oh