Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-02-09
Favor PROTECTION.
conoRsssMEn INTERVIEWED
a Majority OF the Congressmen-eiect
Opposed TO Free Trace The Nor,
rison Idea not the Favorite.

"F"~t+"--
Of the American Machiaisf will contain an
Interesting statement, supported by many
letters from Congressman concerning the
complexion on the tariff question Of the
next House. The Nachaisf says There
hserbeen more or less apprehension among
Manufacturers and business men since the
election last fall about ths possible majority
In the next House OF Representatives hostile
to protective tariff. and anxious TO take
determined action in the direction of gener-
al and sweeping reductions. One hundred
and eighty seven members Of the psesent
House were re-e'eets a, zone Of whom has
since died, leaving yactncy.) All bat one
or two are on rec ,rd as having favored or
opposed the Morrison bill. Starting with
the record "a a basis. We determined, If pos
sible, 10 ascertain the general position of the
new House on the tariff, by sending letters
OF inquiry % each OF the one hundred and
thirty-eIght new members-e.ect. We sent
each Of them the following questions:
First, do you favor protective tariff.
Second, do you favor general aud substan-
tial reduction of the present tariff. Each
member of the ma. .Ority party was asked
this additional question: Third, which do
you most favor the Randall or Morrison view
OF TARIFF We have thus ( p ceived replies
from n ty-Ous Of tho ~ W members. hey
represent thirty one different staIes and ex-
press q variety OF Interesting ideas about the
proper policy io pusus IA tarin legislation.
Five tthree Of one party and two Of the
other rest piacidly upon their party plat
forms, without preseuiiH iHg any views OF their
own. We would not undertlke To interpret
party platforms. ~ polite doctors disagree
30 widely ia rt gard 10 their meanings. We
h<l Ava alafform. havf. small infin -f,... IN
shaplng iegisltslOns or sixty-tive new
Republican representatives. replies have
been received from ffty-three. alt
of whom declare for protective tariff
except two, whO only mention adherence to
the Chicago platform. l. is -afe emo If,h. in
view OF the unanlmity of th SO reple to
count the whole sixfy-hve IN favor OF prosec-
ton aud We feel cOntd' mt that the opponents
of protection will not disp I th count. OF
seventy-three new Dem ,Crslic Repre- 2"nta-
tiyes, replies have been receives, )n- { lrt, =
eight, or a ma lOrlty of inc IA nor. ,welyo
Of them are for protection. or for the Randall
view "a Opposed to the Morrison view of
tariff. The twelve are distributed rs follows:
Five from New York, one from Pennsylvania,
one from Virginia. one from Florida. one
from Alabama, two from Louisiana and one
from Iowa. Thus seventy seven OF the new
members elect may he relied uson TO favor
protection IN tariff legislation. To these
may safely be added the member hereafter
70 be elected IN thu nnsteenth Pennsylvania
district % all the vacancy caused by the
death of VIM. 4. Duncan tDsm. }. also tn
new member (Dem.) elect In the twenty
seventh Pennsy lvanm district, from whom
We have not received reply. Penn
sylyania representatives from both
parties are always for protection.
E&hty-nine members uf the present Con-
gress are reelected. wi o voted to flrike out
the enacting clause of the Morrison bill.
Que has died since the election. The classi-
hcation II IA follows: New members for
protection, 20: reelected members for pro-
lection. -; total l67 IA the whole number
of members IN the House IL 325 the majority
for protection n already assured. and no
doubt the majority il really much larger.
Many of the letters received by the 4 neric0n
NachiRist contain ths ories to q policy of
national protective taritf, which are novel
and somewhat new 10 students of oli,-
ical economy. and often unique IN treatment
of subject. The fJliOwint are brief al
stracts: James Buchanan Rep. }. fl0 n Tren-
ton, ". j.. Second District, say; In my
judgment we are not suffering 40 much from
over-prOductiOn "a from over-impOrtations.
Had but fraction OF the ak hundred =
ions dollars Eorih Il q ;les import, d mo
this country for the year ending June "a,
1884 been made instead. IN our
own mills and factories, our la
Dor here would have been employed.
To further reduce the tariff IA simply 10 fur
ther open our shelves To f'r IGN goods and
20 further close our own mills and factories.
"A an American citizen. | can be party to
no such policy" Charles DOugherty Dem. },
Twenty second District. Florida. asserts he
prefers Randail's view Of the tariff. and Ia
sure that 10 the Morrison bill' had passed
Cleveland would have been defeated. Tru-
Ian A. MerrimAn (Dem.), Eleventh
District. New York. writes: Il de-
clare myself in favor of protective
tariff. I believe that every patriotic Ameri-
can should at all times be ready To- vote for
protection TO An srican ini1stry and To
American labor. am opposed To = general
and substantial reduction of the present
faIf. although believe that the tariff needs
sohne revision. eg 20 with Randalls views
on tariff. and am decidedly opppsed to Nor
rson's ideas on that subject Benjamin
Butferworth fkepl. First Ohio
district says: First. am
in favor Of protective ;aliH. second. | fo
not doubt that the r. nt tariff needs SOME
revision. but NJ the ue tiFnef am firm I'M
the conviction thaf ne great industrial in
terests of tins cour y will suffer vastly more
by constant and persistent tariff tinkering
than by permitting the acknowledged IN
equalities in the ttriG tn exist. What ~
done shonld be doae deliberately, that
IL after careful consideration and when lt
IL done It should not be disturbed
y
render il indispensabiy necessary &. II.
Grosvenor (Repl Fourteenth % 10 district.
ia SOLID for protection. especially on wool
John ID Ailbe Rep, lhift hud New
York. favors protsction, bus would remove
some of the more glariag irregularities on
the tariff and abolish the duly on suger. l..
n. Casxell fRep.h Frat Wisconsin district.
expresses siDilar sentiments. a. does also J..
H. Gallinner fep1. Second New Hamp-
shire district m j. Stone tDem.). FIR I
KENTUCKY dist ~ and his Democratic name
sake from ths IWtl th Missouri distric' !.
&rrees 8, tariff for revenue ouly. j. b.
Weaver gGreenhact- DEM. sixth Iowa DIS
trict, also favor4 ihe MORRISON rather than
the Rainfall vieN B II. Frederick Dam ,.
Fifth Iowa district. believes ihat American
labor shoalt be protreled sud he s.i.i-.
Then wish - see = law at atl com 81
every individual. company 80 corporation,
rnannfact,srirx eoods covered hy q .
tariff - hire none htt Anerirau
cttixene - eofk ip saca m tilEaeiof.es nrsi