St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-17

that it is an oppressive burden
unjusrly imposed for the benefit of monopo-
lists who are miiouaires; that its effect has
been and must be to make the rich richer at
the expense of the poor. Let US not be misun-
derstood. The Democrats are not free trad
ers. They favor Il tariff for the purpose Of
| raising Il revenue sufficient for all the wants
/ of the countrr-but they do not believe in
/ compelling one industry to aid in the sup
+ port of another. No man should be COM
/ PEELED against his will to contribute his
! means for the support of another. ] should
add, too. lest we may be misunderstood, that
! the Democratic party is not in favor OF eX-
| IRENE measures. Speaker Carlisle voiced
| Democratic views 90 the subject in u recen
! speech delivered by him. He said: when
manufacturing interests have grown up
under Il high protective system, or in Il
/ series of years have adjusted themselves
! to it. and when hose engaged in them have
! become accustomed to rely upon government
! bounty for support it might be injurious, and
/ even disastrous, to them to suddenly repeal
! Or greatly reduce duties. Such course
! might seriously alarm those who employ their
! capital in these enterprises, and when capital
| is alarmed, even without cause, the result
! for the time being is practically the same as
| though the disaster were real. For this rea-
| son, if there were no others, it has always
! been my opinion that it was the duty of con-
| gresS to proceed carefully and conservatively
|
gard for the large interests involved. In
| other words, favor
REFORMATION, NOT REVOLUTION.
But the process of reformation must go on
until the power of taxation is used only for
| its proper purposes. There must be no step
backward, nor any deviation from COR
| rect principle and sound policy"
The Democratic party is not only opposed to
the principle of protection of private indus
| tries at the expense of other industries
equally deserving; but especially is 1t
! opposed to the extent to which this
doctrine has been carried since the war.
During the war, on account of the very heavy
| tax on our manufactures made necessary by
! the war, they could not possibly have COM
! peted with outside manufacturers unless an
additional duty was imposed on foreign wares.
This was done and done properly, but 1t was
| distinctly understood on all hands that the
! extra duty then imposed should be removed
when the burden of the war on such indus
tries was removed But, though the war
! taxes have long been lessened and removed,
| the Eastern manufacturers and mOnopolsts
| insist that the war tariff shall remain. And
| it has been kept up year after year to q
! figure that has produced about one hundred
! and fifty millions of dollars per annum in
| excess of the demand of the treasury. A
duty is placed on many articles so high that
| it is nearly or quite prohibition, and this does
| not yield any revenue to the government. its
| sole effect being to raise in value the price OF
the article manufactured in this country to
the consumer without yielding dollar rev.
| enue to the government.
| ALL THE PROTECTED INDUSTRIES
join together and oppose any change or eve n
! a consideration of the subject. l admit that
| the Democrats are not a unit on the question,
| nor are the Republicans, but the Democrats
are by very large majority in favor OF tariff
revision, and the Republicans nearly unit
- No. Dl.aTra h<an lnd RI
be good authority the subject in our favor
and / therefore quote him. In speech de-
| liyered two years since, he said:
Upon every question upon which parties divide
| in this country. the interest of the people OF
| Maine must lead them, after sober second
! thought to support the Republicans. By the
| spread of manufacturing industries the growth OF
agricultural interests, the people of Maine be-
| come every year more and more interested in the
maintenance of protective tariff. No candid
man believes protective tariff will be upheld for
q single year if the opponents of the Republican
party should come into power. and by so much as
any voter in Maize helps to elevate free trade to
| power, by much he aids to imperil the manu-
featuring and agricultural interests of the state.
and no less in the matter of ship building
| And in speech a few months ago he said
| At the late session of congress measure known
| as the Morrison tariff bill. designed first to
weaken and ultimately destroy the protective
| policy, was resisted by compact organization
of the Republican members that single vote from
! New York and two three votes from Minnesota
all that broke the absolute unaniniity of the
| party, and rendered still more striking by
the fact that the organs of Republican opinion in
| New York and Minnesota declared that these
exceptional votes adverse to the wishes of "a
large majority of those who elected the dissent
/ ing members.
ON THE OTHER HAND,
| the vast majority of the Democratic members
! supported the free trade side of the question,
| but small minority uniting with the Repub-
licans found themselves able to defeat the
measure. The hostility of the Democratic
| party to protection has entailed upon the
country a vast loss.
| 1t cannot be necessary to waste words in
! the attempt to prove to an intelligent aud
| fence that the Republicans of the East who
direct the party and control its counsels IA
vor prOtectOn-high, oppressive protection
and think it may be said that it is equally
| clear that the Republicans of the West would
! oppose it, if permitted. But they have been
| overridden and misrepreSented- When the
| Republicans of the West have taken the power
ont of the hands of leaders and ring-men and
! elected man who represents them on the
| economic question they soon find that that
man is by hook or crook cast aside. The bust
| ness Of the whole country has been SubOr-
! dinated and compelled to pay tribute
! to few protected mOnopolists.
Especially has the business of the
| West suffered. And when cry has gone
I'D for revision ard reform, we have gotten
4
| been taken Off the necessares of life-the
daily wants of.the poor? The tax has been
/ removed from bank checks, perfumery, hair
| dyes, patent medicines, etc. The people
have
ASKED FOR BREAD
| and they have been given stone. On such
| articles as rice glass, molasses, sugar,
blankets. 1annels, hosiery and other wooden
| goods. there is duty varying from
40 to 100 per cent. ad valorem and
| over The articles of prime neces-
| sity to the poor are often taxed highest.
| There is hardly an article worn or used by
the poor whose price is not largely enhanced
by this ubiquitous tariff, while the articles
| which the poor themselves produce and sell
| are unprotected They are compelled to sell
| in the lowest market and buy in the highest.
| 1t is not so strange rhat people residing in
manufacturing communities, which, at any
rate, are supposed to receive some benefit
| from the forced contributions of the masses,
should acquiesce; but that the people of Min
| neSota should not cry aloud against such in
| Justice passes comprehension. Time will not
permit me to call attention to the most odious
features of the present tariff, but before turn
/ ing from it beg leave to quote from speech
delivered by Joseph Medill, proprietor of tn e
| Chicago Tribune, the leading Republican
organ of the Northwest, before the American
| Agricultural association in 1882, at Chicago.
| He says:
|
farmers of the West and the planters of the South
are charged $500, zoo, 900 year their goods tor
! the profit of protected Eastern manufacturers
more tain is fair or necessary the principle OF
| live and let live.
MERELY NAME.
How irrational party spirit is, and how in
credible it is that it can induce people to lose
sight of their own Intersection what? To
show their allegiance tO-a name. For I as
sert that to-day the difference between nine
teen-twenteths of the Republicans and
like percentage of the Democrats
| in Minnesota is merely a name.
The people of our state, of either party, are
not in favor of such forced contribution to
| the manufa cturer OF the East. They are not
in favor of contributing of their own scanty
means to enable the monopolists of the East
to add to their miions-fOr this is what il
comes to. 1t has been very truthfully said
that you never find subsidy beggar that is
not millionaire. Point me to the proprietors
of the protected industries, and l will, as
rule, point you to the possessors of princey
fortunes. Outside of the great wrong to the
| masses to be compelled unwillingy to pay
500