The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-22

dition of things here they write and urge
all their relatives and friends to come to the
United States where poor man is not only a
free man but where he can have living chance
THE POLICY WE SHOULD ADoPu..
New, my friends, in order that we may have a
home market for our field products and keep our
laboring classes employed, believe that we
should adapt such policy as viii give us the
trade with the Central and South American
States, whore we can find market for our sur
plus manufactures and consume our field pro
ducts at home, and for this purpose should be
in favor of commercial ulion similar
in many respects 10 that which exists
among the States Of Germany, which has existed
for many years to the great commercial and
political benefit of the German empire. Richard
w Townsend, of Illinois, a Democrat and free
trader on the 5th of July last in speech in
Congress, said .-1he greatest danger which
threatens the prosperity of our country is that
which may result from production of more than
we can market If the time comes when the
manufacturer cannot sell his wares, or the
farmer cannot find a market for his grain and
provisions then stagnation viii follow. This
beaches us we should without delay seek
an extended and permanent market
/ have already said, as we cannot hook TOR 1t
eastward, we must look for it southwark and
westward a vigorous wise foreign policy will
secure it for us +" Now, | desire to remind my
Democratic free trade friends THAT he is advo-
eating the policy of James G.. Blaine, the distIn-
guished candidate of the Republican party for
the presidency of the United States But let us
proceed The farming and the laborfng classes
of this country constitute more than four ffths
of our entire population, and any legislation
affecting their interests should be carefully
guarded; otherwise, distress VIII follow, as
witnessed by the agitation of the tariff question
at the last session Of Congress by those UNI
friendly to protection. 1t was announced on the
floor by the chairman of the ways and means
committee and other leading Democrats on that
committee and in the House that the reduction
of 20 per cent on cur import dnties, as proposed
by what is known as the Morrison tariff bill, was
only step in the direction of further reductions
to revenue basis, and eventually to free trade.
Since that agitation has commenced several
iron mills have closed men have
been thrown out of employment and the price
of wool has declined one third; say nothing about
bank failures throughout the country Under
Republican rule and management our laboring
classes have been furnished ready employment
at fair wages and theireonditim has been inn
proved in every way. They can buy clothing to-
day for quite one-half what they paid IN 1860
and prior years. This country could readily
compete with the English manufacturer if the
duced to the English standard and the
duty on raw material removed; but to
do that we would inquire at least four4fifths of
our entire population believe that a man is
ton should be so shaped as to elevate and pro
tect our citizens, even at the expense of the
dollar. BY our system of protection, Judging
the future by the past, firmly believe our facil-
tiles for manufacturing will, within a few years
enable us Ito compete with the world
in our manufactures, without depriving the
laboring classes Of their just share OF the profits
arising therefrom, and at the same time
consume our own field products. Free trade
IN England has not only destroyed her own ag-
hut hIoA
lures and oppressed her people until to-day she
has only about one-half the population she had
forty years ago England however was the
highest protective country in the world until
she reached the point where she could under
sell the rest of the world and then she declared
for free trade, except as to her shipping interest
and for nearly forty years now she has by her
press and by her paid agents endeavored to con
vince the people Of this country that
free trade was best for our interest
Yet while she has been doing this she has voted
from her treasury more than $l60, Gee, 600 sub
sides to her merchant marine to keep it aAoat
and control the commerce of the world. She
adopts protection IN her shipping interests be-
cause it is to her interest to do so while she al
lows our farmers wheat corn, ETC., to enter her
ports free of duty as bait for US toyallow her
manufactures to enter our ports free of duty;
and the Democratic party SAYS this would be a
good thing for the people of this country The
people are not yet ready for such a policy, and
cannot be blinded to their true interests by
British spies in American garments The ma
ton that depends upon foreign country for its
selling and buying market can never maintain
its independence of that country, and for one,
am opposed to placing this country under the
guardianship of its old enemy, who, during
colonial days, admoniShed us what she would do
by opposing the establishment of domestic man
ufactures, for the avowed purpose of forcing
this country to become comaaisSary, or depot
of supplies, to furnish her cheap food in
exchange for her manufactures But the
revolution freed rs from her grasp and our
Republic has grown to be a model for the
world-with every man the equal of every other
man, and where our Constitution and laws make
every man his own political master, subject
only to the dictates of conscience and right
reason-and the question now is, Shall we sur
render our conscience and right reason
based on known facts-at the dicta-
ton of England, and let go the grand
results Of the past, and drift into the an
known sea of theoretical speculation, where we
may find our manufacturing and capital
gone to enrich England, our farmers relocated
to the English market to exchange their products
at cheap rates with English manufactures at
high prices and our laborIng classes out of en-
ploymenR Then, indeed would our people be
compelled to sell-in the cheapest and buy in the
dearest market q rule which would injure US at
both ends. 1 am opposed to the experiment not
withstanding recognize the fact that we have a
large surplus revenue to get rid Of We can re-
duce the revenue by placing on the free hist such
articles Of raw material as we are not producingin
this country, and which enter into manufactures,
and by correcting existing inequalities in the
law, increasing the duty on some articles of lux
ury, reducing the duty on some articles Of
necessity, and by putting sugar on the free list,
as our consumption Of sugar has been, and pre-
sumo will continue to be nine tenths greater
than our domestic supply; hence no duty i'm
posed on sugar is likely to afford sufficient pro-
lection to build up the industry IN this country
equal to our demand, as has been the case al
most with iron and steel, and wooden and cotton
goods. The territory for sugar production
has been confined in the main to
small part of Louisiana, and unless
other localities can be found suitable for sugar
production it should go on the free list BY
these means the revenue can be largely reduced
and temptation to extravaganza removed We
never had the opportunity of complaining of a
Democratic administration for redundant cur
rency. A Few millions ahead don't scare a Re-
nubliean