The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-12-13
THE

The Tariff Convention, recently III session
in New York, AMI working for The hooL OF
tie country as they see it, adopted an adj
Dire S., Of which the following are the main
points The present time is declared 10 tie
most oppOrDune for the consideration OF the
tariff question, and it is claimed thai the
present ia ,oraDle condition OF commerce,
finances, industries and agriculture in this
country is due mainly to the policy Of PFC
lection Of domestic industries. it is declared
that the doctrine Of free trade is refused &C.
cop,aEce everywhere save in England, where
'lt has 1T last been discovered that ilee trade
is not fair Trade L ir!e",1 is /" axe t. tle
higher wages paid 10 Americas !4yulvIs lt!4u
to workjngraen in older countriec. It is held
tina the policy of protection TO home labor
must be firmly maintained. A revision oi
the tariff is favored. The address says.
There is room for improvement in the way
Of cIearness and simpli1cation uor would "A
reduction of duties in some cases and all en-
largement OF the free list, lie objected to.
ibis work OF revision should not be attempts
ed until he whole subject has been investl-
gated by a competent civilian commission APP
pointed for the purpose ard acting as repre-.
sentativeS OF the American government solely
in the interest OF the American people,
Pending Snch intelligent and deliberate &C
ton assaults upon particular Interests and IL
dustries should no: be tolerated.
A new classification of articles on which
an 0d totorenn duty is paid is demanded, and
the address continues: alt has been we'll said
that The present revenue system, 'organizedlo
attluent for a lime of peace As to the to-
bacco tax, it is said, ''If lie government is
not prepared 10 relinquish this tax wholly,
We would recommend a change N The law,
by which the tobacco grower aud the manu-
facturer would be left free from espionage
under complicated regulations enforced by
heavy penalties, and tie revenues would be
derived solely from a tax Oh sales, in the
form. of licenses or otherwise" The repeal
of tire whisky tax is also ur. ed. he address
declares that accommodation of the tariff as an
injury TO American shipping is unjust, and
IL SLAo1 " - ShiI' ftoNSSNo ho
American sh;p-owuer, but is inspired by the
enemies of American commerce and Aneri-
can Industry" II says: "AgainSt an euvi-
r nment Of hostile influences individual ell
terpriSe is powerless; its patriotic efforts have
resulted in failure, and The question Of re-
storing American shipping presses itself as
one of paramount importance upon the con-
sideratiou oi the government"
The convention had added nothing to The
stock Of human know edge upon these ques-
lions. 1t was composed OF al aggregation of
of representatives of various interests
l4bOriug tor individual and cOrpol ate
advantage. IL was presided over by Senator
Warner Miller, who has grown ~euormouslY
rich from the protection to wood pulp. 1t
sought TO enlist, harmoLize and Cement
such Il combination o. interests as would give |
promise OF continuance 10 the heresy OF pro.
lection, even 10 the extent of throwing
crumbs Of comfort to the whisky and tobac-
co men. The convention showed neither
ability nor a PLAUSIBLE presentation of a much
controvertsa question. 1t was merely a
bungling attempt to perpetuate the comma
nistic doctrine Of protection, that the man
who has a COED business ought to divide prof |
its with the man who is engaged in an un-
profitable avocstion. A people situated like
The dwellers Of this region haye a vivid reali-
of the injustice of the protection the
DRY to them. They are largely consumers of
goods. They do net care whether the
manufacturers of the East starve to death or
move West and grow up with the country.
In every article they buy they fail to appreci-