National Republican., 1880-10-13
pEMoORATIo rA,IrF AnGUuENrs

DEM0CRATIC PAUIBF ARGUMENTS.
The bourbons Of tho sixth congressional
district of Virginia are somewhat excited
over the discovered fact, asthey allege, that
an iron firm in Pennsylvania has forwarded
to Mr.. FRAZER 500 to he used to forward his
interests as the readiuster candidate for
congress, this act Of generosity being
prompted by the other admitted fhct that
Mr.. FRAZER adheres strongly to the policy
of y protective tariff Whe ther this allie
cation has any foundation in fact is not
evidenced at all by its being stated in u
bourbon journal, but if 1t be true, it only
establishes the fact that American manu-
f,cturers are alarmed by the declaration of
he democratic party that it is In favor of
a tariff for revenue 0nly. What this decara-
tion means every manufacturer in the
country understands at glance. 1t is the
entering wedge of free trade, and menaces
the manufacturing interests of the United
states with more ultimate danger than any
thing that has occurred in fifty years If
the people of Virginia are truo to the in
torcsts Of their state; if they desire to ex-
pand its prosperity by developing its mines
and fostering its manufactures, they will
vote solid against party which is plotting
to straugle its struggling manufacturing
enterprises. Virginia is capable Of be-
coming one of the most prosperous manu-
featuring states in tho union. Her vast
resources in minerals her eXhaustloss
water power her commercial advantages,
her climate, her soil, and all the advnn-
tages and blessings conferred upon her by n
wise and beneiicent Creator, all point TO
this as her destiny, if the fostering influ-
ence of protective tariff is continued. 1t
is not strange, then, that the old dominion
should begin to consider and provide for
her future.
The Lynchburg Vigiaidn, which has be-
come seriously alarmed on the tariff ques-
tion, essays an argument in favor of light
duty OH foreign iron rs stimulating in
iluence under which Virginia mauuiac-
turing establishments would be builded
and made successful. That we may not be
chargeable with Misrepresentation, we ex-
tract its own utterance:
Aud now we invite the consideration Of the
people of this cong ressional district 10 few
facts relating especially to the iron interest.
We see crude ores taken from all the counties
round about us aud transported hundreds of
miles to be manufactured into iron by the
Pennsylvania masters And here the qaes-
tion naturally arises: If our ores will bear
transportation to remote points could they not
be manufactured into iron moro chcaply If
the furnaces were located where tho ore Is
found? Mr.. TUCKER and every person OF
ordinary sagacity knows that they could he,
and that the heavy duty of S2S pcr ton on
steel rails enables the Pennsylvanians to
transport our ores to their furnaces, already
constructed, when, If the duty were light, it
would nure to tho benefit of Virginia in
compelling them to erect furnaces here, where
iron can be manufactured more cheaply by
far than in Pennsylvania.
This logic should be scrutinized if it is
not too thin to hold together under such q
process. 1t occurs to us that tho heavy
duty Of S2S per ton on steel rails" inures
10 more to the benefit of Pennsylvania
than to Virginia, provided the latter state
which is full of rich ores, had the capital
and enterprise to work its own ores al
home instead of transporting them to Penn
sylvania to find market for the raw
material. But for protection the fires o
the blast furnaces Of the country would br
extinguished. Admit foreign iron free o
duty and our manufactures would competr
with the unrequited labor of Europe ant
would assured!y die. Then Virginia woult
! find no market for its ores anywhere. They
would sleep in the bosom of the earth un
molested and rs valuelcss as so much i'm
bedded rock 1t is the protective taril
TINT stands between our manufacturing
| interests and inevitable ruin, for all eX
peri ence teaches the lesson that we cOulC
not compete with Europe and its cheal
labor, if its products were admitted free o
duty, except by reducing the standard o
labor and its compensation in this countr.
to that of the old world.
This is not wise, Meth er is it just to th
laboring classes of the United States. Thi
being the democratic policy, the workers o
this country should know it. 1t woulC
reduce their compensation to the Europeal
standard, while the republican policy is t.
afford labor its fair rev ards, and thus Sc
cure TO the rich and poor corresponding
benefits. For that reason we are oppose,
to the democratic policy and sustain tina
rof the republican party. We cannot con
sent to place our manufacturing interest
where, as a question of life and death 70
themselves, they would be forced TO cut tn
rewards of labor down to the Europea
standard, where the worker has no bette
prospect for himself and his family than
perpetual estate of extreme poverty.
MINOR TOPICS.