Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-10

ou tndI SUBJECT The only change IN the
duty on wool that the Democratic party
VIII ever make is to reduce it still more.
ms TACT Is known to every Democratic
member CT congress, and those who are
honest do not hesitate to say so.
1t is said that the Democrats tried to
prevent this reduction, and | want to re-
peat here what | have said before. and
appeal to the record for the truth of the
following statements:
l. When the President recommended
to the second session of the 47th con
gress the reduction of the duty on wool
and woolen goods, no Democratic news
paper or member of congress took step
toward preventing it.
2. When the tariff commission made its
report on the first Monday in December.
1882, recommending reduction of the
duty on wool and wooden goods, no voice
or vote came from any Democrat in the
18th congress against the proposed re-
ton.
8. When the finance committee of the
senate reached the woolen schedule, ev-
cry d. mOcratic memher of that commit
tee voted iu favor of the reduction of the
duty on wool.
4. When the w0o,en schedule was
reached in the senate in the cOnSidera
lion of the senate tariff bill, every Demo-
cratic senator voted in favor of tue re-
|duction of the duty on wool.
8. When the Ways and means commit
tee of :he house reached the wooden
schedule, every Democratic member of
that committee votet III favor of the re-
|duction OF .he duty on wool.
6. When Senator Sherman. on the 18th
day of Feb, 1888, moved to increase the
duty on wool in the senate tariff bill, on
iy three Democrats voted in favor Of the
increase.
I When the wavs and means commit
tee held special meeting, during tie
last days Of the 4'th congress, to recon-
slider the woolen schedule i'll the house
bill, every Republican member of the
committee voted to restore the duty of
1867, and every Democratic member
voted against it.
8. When the senate bill was taken
from the speakers table in the house and
sent to conference committee, where
the final changes were to be made. Ran>
dal, of Pennsylvania, Morrison, of Hi
nois, and Tucker. of Virginia, refused to
serve on the committee as representa-
lives of the house. as did Biyard, of Del
aware, Beck, OF Kentucky, and VOORHEES,,
of Indiana, as representatives of the SEN
ate, refusing to act as members of the
conference committee, where they would
have an opportunity of voting to restore
the ddty on wool, knowing that this was
the last opportunity.
9. The Democratic members of the
house tried to force the passage of the
senate bill which contained the same re
dnction, when it was believed that it
could be passed with the aid of few
Republican votes from the west and tried
to prevent the Republican members from
sending it to the conference committee,
where it was expected that the duty on
wool would be restored.
10. 1t was notorious fact, known to
all the members of the house, that there
were but two or three Democratic mem
berS who could be relied on to act with
the Republican members in the plans
that were then being made, from day to
day, to amend any bill that might come
before the house, SO as to retain the tar
iff Of 1867.
AMERICAN SHIPPING.
The Democratic party attribute the de-
cay of American shipping to the effect of
d protective tariff; when the fact is, that
the destruction of our carving trade is
the direct result Of Democratic free trade
on the ocean. For more than half a
century our American shipping was pro>
tected by discriminating duty of ten
per cent. in favor of all gUods imported
in American vessels. This diScrimina-
ting tariff. under which our ships crowd
ed the ocean and lifted our flag in every
port, was abolished by treaty with En-
gland, in 1S49, under the direction of
James K. Polk. This free trade treaty
drove the flag of our merchant marine
from the ocean, as revenue or free
trade tariff will drive our prosperous in
dustrieS from the land.
OUR EXPORT TRADE.
The farmers are being told that pro-
tective tariff interfereS with our foreigi
market; that we must remove all pio; &C.
tive duties in order 10 make foreign
market for our agricultural products
This is bid for the farmers vote, and
it is the favorite hobby of the Democrat
ic party. Since the landing of the Pill
grim Fathers, we never had so high al
tariff as we have had during the past few
years, and during this very time our ex-
prrtatiou of agricultural products have
startled the world. Only last year, dur
ing the year ended June 80, 1888. before
The law of March 8, 1888, went into ef-
feet, our exports reached 100000, ,O0O,and
80 per cent. of this were the products of
the farm.
There is no possible connection be-
tween our import trade and our export
trade. Men buy what they want and
sell what they have to spare. We may
sell this year in Iudia and buy in China,
and next year we may sell in China and
buy in India. The markets of the world
are not controlled by the import duties,
but by the law of supply and demand.
If the crops fail in Europe or Asia, or if
the blighting sirocco of war sweeps
across those great continents, they will
buy our wheat and corn and cattle, re-
gardless of price or tariff.
Besides, there is one thing which re
flutes this whole idea. For ninety years
we have had law, and it is in force
now, that all articles or materials intend
ed to be subsequently exported, come in
free, or are charged nominal duty of
ten per cent, to cover expenses. Under
this law raw materials, or articles which
enter into the manufacture of other pro-
ducts intended for export, are substan-
TALLY free from duty now, and if free
trade has any influence on IA foreign mar
ket that much exists now. But it has
not
ENGLAND's DICTATION.
The advocates of revenue tariff
point with pride to England as their
example, and boast of her wisdom, and
glory in her prosperity. But what of
England? Free trade in England is on
ly All experiment. For six hundred
years England had high protect
i've tariff and has only been practicing
her free trade theories since 1874. I'm
der protection she built up manufact-
ures, enriched her fields and whitened