Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-02-15
Ran stalnnker ON the Tariff.

In response to q letter from Hon. J.
NJ. Mason for his views upon the tariff, ex'
Secretary of State Stalnsker answers in
the following vigorous style;
Yours received. You are wrong about
the taria-that is so far as it relates to the
interests oiWest Virginia. 1t is not to be
expected that our people will favor any
proposition that will iDjuriously affect their
own interests This is human nature,
No person will help destroy himself
IN order that he may be called states
man and q man Of broad, patriotic
views. A man without property or
man who does not have the
welfare of the people at heart may adyo-
cate tree trsde-or tariff reform if you
please-but when he advocates the de
struction Of our greatest interests, viz
coal lumber, salt and manufactures, and
chooses to call it tariff reform, the result
is the same as if he called it free trade,
You say the Chicago platform committed
the party tariff reform. That is true, and
the tariff plank was prepared by Mr. Ran,
dali IS as follows:
The Democratic party is pledged to re,
wise the tariff IN q spirit Of fairness to all
interests But in making reduction in
taxes it is not proposed to iniure any
domestic industries, but rather to promote
their healthy growth.
Now | DO not mean to say that | am
opposed to tariff reform proper, but / do
cay that | sm opposed TO a horizontal re,
duction. For example, suppose you see q
msu with his nose too large and ears
abuOrmally developed; then, in order to re-
form him twenty per cent, under the hori-
zontal idea, you take an inch of of him all
over; behold the result; have you accom-
plished your purpose in q spirit Of fairness
to all interests? By no means.
The tariff problem involves endless dis,
cussions, but theory will not do; you must
look to the practical effect Of legisla.
ton. In other words, you
must inquire how legislation
affects individuals. If man imsgines
that his own interests will be ruined by
protection, then ne is for free trade and
vice versa. Personally | do not believe
that any class Of people in West Virginia
will be benefited by the horizontal reduc.
ton plan, but, on the contrary, every in.
terest-sgriculiure, manufacturing and
lum 5er-woald be paralyzed. You seem
10 make a special plea for agricultural in
ter5ss You ere neither farmer nor the
sou ola farmer; therefore you have no
practical knowledge OF the matter and in
order to enhghteu you | give some facts
taken from statistics before me.
The sgricWsl industry in this country,
taken one year with another, amounts in
production to about Sj,O00,00O,000, lesv
ing out cotton aud tobacco. Leaving out
cotton and tobacco, much the greater part
OF this is consumed at home and a very
small per cent exported. About s per
cent is exported and % per cent consumed
at home. The farmer derives his money
only from his surplus crop; his income is
based on that To obtain it he requires
q reliable market and o near market;
his heaviest tsx is what he pays for
getting his crop to market; the nearer the
market the less the cost. The people OF
the towns and cities must be ted and the
farmer can calculate with much certainty
how much they will require On the other
hand the foreign market is uncertain; be
sides, other countries compete with us in
supplying communities which import food
products. Whatever nation can under
sell US you may be sure the foreigner buys
from it and not from US. There is moth.
ing which will be of more benefit to the
tsrmerthan protection. II protective duty
will build up our loHns, cities aud manu-.
factories thereby giving steady employ
ment to labor, then the farmer gets the
benefit of it BY having q certain and relia,
Die home market for his surplus products
/ might 20 into details and give many
more facts, bur it would consume too much
time. sm very certain that you would
not DO anything 10 cripple the growth OF
our State or her industries, but depend up.
on it, it your views were adopted as re.
CARDS horizontal reduction, the result would
be Just as fatal as If you deliberately pro,
posed to impoyerish West Virginia.
Yours truly
X. STALNAEER.