The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-07-14
THE TARIFF ISSUE.

The politicians, democratic or republican
who magnetic wish being father to TIT
thought-that the tariff will cut no figure
in the next presidential contest, will surely
find themselves mistaken. That issue.
however will not be the broad one of Free
Trade IS. Protection. While the republican
purity, by its recently adopted platforms IN
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, &c, stands
pledged to the extreme ground of tariff
for protection only, the democratic party
through its leading presses and the recent
Ohio democratic state convention, take a
middle ground, favorlng "a tariff for revc
nue. limited TO the necessities of the gov.
eminent economically administered, and
so adjusted in its application as toprevent
unequal burdens, encourage productive
interests at home and afford jus. compen,
sation to labor, but not to create or foster
monopolies." .|.''.
To explain: The government needs for
its necessities economically admins
tered" revenue of some S250,0000 900 a
year, of which at least $200,000,0O0 must
be raised by duties on imports. The re.
publican plan IS to levy these duties 80 as in
all cases absolutely to protect American
products or manufactures against 70 reign
competition. The iron men are protect
ed" by duties that exclude not only all for.
elgn iron from the country-except such
as the monopolists find 1t to their own in.
terest TO impor!-but TO exclude our iron
and iron products from all other countries,
thus limiting the market to our own coun.
try and shortening the demand for labor
In that industry the production of salt,
cotton goods, wooden goods-everything,
in word, is protected" on the same prin-
ciple; the result being uniform, that the
prices of all our home manufactures Is so
high as TO exclude them from competition
in foreign markets, to limit production to
the home market and thus the demand for
labor and to foster monopOlies, each de-
partmcnt of production or manufacture
ranging itself under the control of "A com.
bina,ion or syndicate, with which, no mat
ter how outrageous their exactions, there
is no foreign competition to Interfere
Meantime these duties being adjusted with
no reference to the needs OF the govern
ment but solely at the behest of the synd-
icates and monopolists to accommodate
their own interests, leave the revenue
purely hap-hazzard affair, generally pro
ducing much more than the government
needs, thus leading to surplus revenues,
ex,ravagant appropriations, and all the at
tendant evils of an OVERLOOKING treasury.
On the other hand the constitution gives
congress the power to levy duties on i'm
ports for the purpose of raising revenue
only, and it was this which the last Dem
ocratlc National Convention had in view
when it declared in favor of "a tariff for
revenue only" But the real sense OF that
declaration was grossly perverted and
belied by the opposition. 1t was repre-
rented that q tariff for revenue only meant
tariff opposed to every specie of protec-
ton. This is not what the Democratic
National Convention meant and what no
Democrat means now. While the party
adhere to the principle that duties can be
constltutionally levied for revenue only.lt is
remembered that the needs of our govern
ment require a duty of over 80 per cent. on
all our imports, or OF 40 per cent. on all
articles except such as all agree ought to
be on the free list Now 1t IS impossible to
levy such duty on any class OF imports that
shall not be to some extent protective,
though levied purely with reference to
revenue. The democrats, therefore, In
levying these duties DO not propose to shut
their eyes and be blind to the effect
such levies may have on the various indus
tries of the country, but will wisely SO
disseminate as to encourage all that de-
serve encouragement, but not to foster and
build up syndicates and monopolies. Most
of our cotton, wooden, leather, and large
L
percentage of our iron manufactures, II
only SO tar protected as to take them out
of the hands of syndicates and monopolsts
could be so expanded, by bringing them
into open competition with the manufac-
lures of the world, as to double and quad
ruple their output and thus double and
ouadruple the demand for labor in those
industries.
Thus, without stopping Tor further illus
,ra,ion, 1t Is seen that there is between the
democratic and republican positions on the
tariff question broad and vital difference
and that while such difference exists II is
impos s,ble but the issue must cut large
figure in the next presidential contest.