Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-11-13

lne 1arln and Shlpb5iluiDg, by VIM
g. Gibbons CT Delaware; "The Tariff,
Manufacturers and the People" by J. B.
Sargent OF Connecticut; "The Tariff in Its
Relation to the Boot and Shoe Industry"
by James Means of Massachusetts,.
Joseph Quincy of Massachusetts read
translation OF an article, recently pub
lished in La Union, q Cililfan paper pub
lished in Nalpereiso, in which free trade
between the United States and South
America is discussed,
AFTERNOON SESSION.
At the opening of the afternoon session
the Committee on Nominations reported,
and the following named gentlemen were
elected officers of the Free Trade League
for the ensuing year, President, David
A. Wells, and e vice-president for each
State; secretary, r. r. Bowker, New
York; Western secretary, H. ]. Philpot,
Indiana treasurer, George f. Peabody.
The following resolutions were then
adopted:
That the chairman of the Executive Committee
be the chairman of the National Committee; that
the members of the comm ittee from the various
committees, and that they be vested with author
ity to call State conventions and form State
authorized to complete the National Committee
by appointing me Dbers for States nc. included
in the report.
The report o. the Committee on Resolu-
honc was subjected to much discussion.
Only minor amendments, however, were
made. 1t was adopted, as follows:
We submit to the psople of the United States
that the continuance of the war tarif-with du-
ties averaging AZ per cent. 400 articles of
domestic consumption ,and a much higher specific
duty on many crude materials-has prolonged
the evils Of war in times of profound peace, and
hiss been the principal cause of the commercial
.
forcing labor and capital from naturally
profitable into improbable lines of busi-
ness, and by adding to the cost of produc
ton it has increased the common productive
capacity of labor and capital and thereby reduced
both the wages of labor and tie profits of capital
has provoked antagOnism between labor and cap
ital against which our great natural sources and
9uT free Institutions should have protected Us;
manufacturing nations in the markets of the
world, and so obstructed national progress and
deyelopment It has destroyed many branches
of business and has kept our people from engag-
III in other branches of business, which would
have given increased employment to labor
tons willing to buy from us, and provoking
friendly reciprocity, it has obstructsd the con-
-umption of our agricultural and manufactured
products by other countries, and has driven our
commerce from the seas. By impairing our do
mestc power to buy, 1t has prevented the full de-
yeloPment of our interstate commerce and re-
| duced the legitimate profits of traffic, and has
| driven into bankruptcy large number of our
transportation companies and made domestic
| lobbies it has enthroned jObbing and corruption
| in our legislative halls, and has impeded the
sy force the earnings of one class to enrich an
other bsTRfP2 sRPosed and t5s the seTt edp
stitution; it has imposed a new industrial
slavery, it has prevented the national progress of
wealth among the farming class, decreased wages
enforced idleness of workingmen, restricted our
manufacturers from their natural markets
| country. While holding accordingly that taxes
| in aid of private interest OF for any purpose
| other than the requirement of government are
un-American, unjust and unwise, and that every
protective feature mus, at the earliest possible
date be eradiCated from our revenue system We
invite all who oppose the abuses of the present
t!rii 70 ION us IN promoting lmme diase steps OF
crease wayes, diminish the frequency of strikes,
develop business, and restore our tipg to the
| seas. We therefore urge upon Congress, for ac-
| ton at the ensuing session,
First.-That under no pretense shall any cOun-
tenau zee whatever be given to any attempt to in
| Second.-That articles which are at the founda-
ton of great industries should, in the interest of
whether they be crude materials, as lumber, salt,
| coal or wool, ETC., OF partly manufactured, as
chemicals, dye stufts, pig-iron' hn-piate, wood
| Taird.--That on products from such articles
duced. so that the protection, real or nominal to
maGufactureTs, shall not be Increased,
immediate bsneft of the reduction. We
| urge that any steps in tariff reform should
/
and should do away with mixed duties, replacing
| them by ad valorem rates instead of by tpecifc
duties, which are most burdensome to low-priced
| goods consumed by the great body of the people.
| We demand free ships, and the abolition of our
| restrictive naval laws, which. together with the
iariH law, have driven our flag from the seas; and
we oppose bounties and subsidies on shipping. W e
urge all reformers to vote only for such Congress
| siOnal candidates as are openly opposed to tariff
reform protection, and to take steps to nominate
| independent candidates when all party candi-
dates oppose tariff reform, preparing for that step
| uIttuSlng sound, economical literature and
| promoting organization, especially in close Con
| gressional districts.
A minority report was submitted by Mr.
| Harpon of Kansas demanding ''an imme-
| date reduction of all protective tariff to a
| purely revenue basis; second, that We be-
| iieve that all indirect taxation should
| eventually be abolished; that the expense
| of government should be borne by prop
erty instead of individuals"
The majority report, as finally adopted,
shows the sense Of the convention.
| NIGHT SESSION.
The announcement that Henry Ward
Beecher would speak at the evenings ses
sion of the National Free Trade Confer
snce, attracted an audience that packed
Central Music Hall to its utmost capacity
Previous TO Mr.. Beecher's appearance
David A. Wells, president of the Free
Trade League, delivered a lengthy addres:
|
to the benefits aeeruing from free trade
and the general disadvantages OF protec
ton. Evidently to the minds of his hearers
Mr.. Wells's strongest argument in favor o
free trade was an il ustration taken from
facts relating to the woolen manufacturing
industry. The wool fiber, he said, was o
infinite degrees of fibers and flOssiness
and the requirements of its growth wert
special conditions OF climate and soil fol
almost every grade, so that a manufact
| urer, in order to accede to the demands o.
! oft-changing fashion, was obliged to draw
|. upjn nearly all countries for the raw
material necessary in the manufacture o
q wide range of fabrics, of which thos'
possible to be made from homegrown
wool were a very small percentage.
protective tariff on material imported no
only increased the price of all woolel
goods, but had the effect OF chespsnin
/ the home product to an extent that wa
driving wool-growers possessed of ever,
advantage of location and facilities TO
{ transportation to abandon the pursuit a
Improbable.
Mr.. BEECHER's ADDRESS.
When Mr.. Wells finished Mr.. Beeche
was greeted with loud and continued az
; plsuse. He begsn by referring 10 the of
/ quoted conceit of the manufacturers this
| tney alone were in position to understan
| the intricacies of the tariff question. Nj
Beecher declared that he was in favor {
: no tariff at al. Though the best polic
. to follow was to place a direct tax upo
: the people to defrsy the expenses of th
y government, the innate selfishness of tn
people, born of their ignorance, woul
3 make the operation of such a policy in
: possible until the arrival of the millennium
= Mr.. Beecher, amid great applause an
4 laughter, said that protection was the "ju;
" glery of the DEVIL" that if politician
were statesmen protection would die
d natural death in spite of the devil. BIZ
Il politicians were not statesmen; they wei
II "vote mongers." Mr.. Beecher spoke
s most uncomplimentary language of Gu
= tom-houses, and said he believed, frol
]. personal observation, that if there WI
y | such thing as profane oath it conld il
y variably be found in the courts and Gu
rs tom-house. Quoting the secretary of Il
n national labor organization, he said the
-e were now in the country 1,C00, coo labo
V ers unemployed. After referring to Il
Of rivalry among capitalists in developir
il aud reaping the profits in newly discover,
!. industries, which resulted in inevitab
1t overproduction and the ultimate effect
b, throwing labor again out of work, N
IT. Beecher remarked that there was no tar
Id on men, snd wondered If the protectioni
Is were thinking of bettering the situation
placing tariff on imported pauper lab