The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-27

After an old fashioned noOndav dinner
yesterday, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
threw himself into an arm chair in his
pleasant little study aud talked right ahead
10 Herald reporter upon the likelihood.
in his opinion, that tariff reform would
be the great question in the approaching
presidential campaign.
''1 stood by the cradle when the repub-
lican party was born, began MIR Beecher
Il have worked for its existence for years
and years and years; l have been in all lis
vicissitudes, and l feel profound interest
in it "a historical interest in it, But it
has always gone wrong on this subject;
and now that all other questions are laid
asidc-for think that it is impcrtinencc
to open the southern question: again-I
feel as if the republican party, If it expects
longer lease of power has got TO meet
the demand which has only just been
made, but which is going to swell louder
and louder. In the first place [ don't
think that the manufacturing states-the
Workingmen-ar going to he, as they
have been, in favor Of high protection.
| think they are beginning TO see the iIiu-
sion and the deception thai is practiced
upon them, which is a doublcfold one.
The stimulation of any form of manufac
turing by an excessive tariff instantly
carries an amount Of capital into that
very direction, which produces a rivalry
here at home. There are more iron fur
naces than are necessary to supply the
home demand for iron; there are more
wooden factories than are necessary to
supply the demand at home for wooden
goods. 1t is the same with cotton, and it
is coming to be the same with all the
products of the farm. We are manufac-
turing more batter. more cheese, we are
raising more beef and more hogs than
this country can consume or begin to
sumo, and it is therefore indispensibly
necessary that in some wdy or other we
should get Il larger market for Them.
But the wall that keeps men out on
tie one side keeps them out on the other
The tariff may primarily prevent the i'm
portation of goods manufactured abroad,
hut directly and indirectly it also prevents
our carrying our surplus goods into the
markets of the world In manufacturing
the raw material, the state elements, the
the interest on fixed capital, and so on.
are eincomprehensible-they remain about
stationary and when this glucomes there
IS but. .One way In which they can contract
and that is by first knocking down the
wages of their men, and if that creates
row, then the next thing is to shut up
shut the boundary, shut the manufactory-
and in that way, if you take the receipts
of the laboring men with all these dedun-
lions, | don't think that, on an average,
they get any more than they do in Europe
And then you must add that the things
for which he spends his money in this
country have been stimulated in price,
carried up for the sake of the merchant
and the farmer for they have az INTEREST,"
SO that when he comes to spend this
money he buys less with il than he could
buy with the same sum in Europe, and |
think the workingmen are getting this
idea more and more thoroughly into their
minds. have held from the very begin
ming. since | went into an active camgaion
on the subject Of free trade, that while it
is very important that men in colleges
and educated men should have right views
on that subject. in so far as campaign
policy is concerned we have got to per-
suade the voters. All theories in the world
are of no use if the laboring men who
have got votes in their hands can not be
made to see that it is their interests to
have a low tariff. | think we are getting
that beaten in more to the public compre-
henson; and when you come to bring out
tho oIlnnt in ha T
should not be surprised at all there were
a change that would overwhelm politicians
with surprise III could have nv way.
therefore, my policy would be to let the
democrats who control congress frame
Judicious bill, not OVERRIDING the reduct-
ions, and let the republican senate accept
it and vote it, and that, so as far as the
question of the party is concerned, would,
| think be as conservative a step as the
republican party could very we'll take.
Where would that place the partyT"
What matters il? We all agree upon
one thing, that as practical measure the
first step TO be. taken is to admit new
material free, and the second is to have a
sliding scale, year by year, until We have
reduced the tariff to an absolute revenue
basis The moment You say with Incl
dental protection, you are dead; you are
gone; every single drop of protection in
the tariff is dead poison. / wouldn't pro
tect anything. ] would make the tariff |
exclusive for revenue.
''Do you imagine the republican party
will take the matter up in the way that
you suggest2
''No, I'm afraid they wont; but so far
as can possibly bring any influence to