The Republican journal., 1886-09-09
Hon. S. L. Milliken on Labor and the
Tariff.
FROM HIS SPEECH DELIVERED IN TIE HOUSE
Ot REPRESENT NTINES.


protective tariff as if we had never suffered the
mSfortunes of the one nor had history bear
ing upon the other. Our fOrcfathers eXIc-
rienced the full fruition of free trade during the
period of the confederation. And what was
ii; 1t certainly was not Such as they enjoyed.
nor such a> We can look back upon With any
degree Of satisfaction. The war of the Revo-
luton had acted Il protective tariff to the
colonies, 1t had excluded the free introduce
ton of foreign goods TO their markets, and
many EeW industries sprang up to give en-
| ploymcnt 10 mechanics and laborers and mar
kets TO the farmers, but at the close of the war
| the colonies found themselves practically with
out protective duties. 'rhr inflow of foreign
goods was 50 great rs TO glut the markets and
crush the growing industries OF the Americans.
Mills were shut down, factories were closed.
fires went out in the for@e>, and mining opera
tlOnN ceased. Cheap goods from Enrope took
the money from the colonies. All industries
were omhraccd in the general disaster. The
mechanic cot no employment, the labortr
found no market for hi toll. and the farmer
could not soIl hi, produce because the money
to pay for 1t had gone across the .AtitHtic to
purchase cheap foreign goods. Cattle were
lsrd Tor exchange, farms We're sold for
song. stock upon every hand went OF Under
tr3tr .,l,I r,,ii s,yar,,,hnrn ,n',,I,,,,. h,,
been exhausted in d,.,ribinY thr wreck thr
misery, the almost utter despair of the period
from - to 1S3. the only almost absolute free
trade period in our history.
The pinchiug Shrinkaar of home Industries
and consequent scarcity Of opportunities for
labor, HE exhaustive drain of specie to Eu-
rope the sore distress for lack of money, the
unthdulHhio conditions in the relation of debit
or and creditor. the reScntful discomfort. tle
weakened rp>Dcrt for law AMI If. trih1ual, thp
decay of ,llcgiHnec TO The Government thn los,
Of personal confidence between man and man.
the weakening of the tips of society. thr dis
tur,ancc. the antaeoni>m 10 the constituted An
lhoritic. tho inSurrrrtion,ry rnmmotinns nh
appeals 10 arms in search Of unnntIlraI redress
which brought the new Government and Amer
lean freedom to tine ycrre OF destruction make
anot oycr1rawn picture of what in fhr nrnsrut
depression we hear some m,ttrrinr. nf ana
what must inevitably occ,,r rnon n Wider 1irid
and with VASTLY more dirpfuI consequences if
Great Britain. with the mid of her Democratic.
allies here Shall unfa,tcn thc rates that Mold
back thc food of her n1,iIrrEIrnJ,Ir.,i ,,rn-
duets that Threaten TO innn,ntr oIIr ro,,ntrv
and sweep from existence our manifold and H.
most countless industries
But this free trade di.a>+nr dill one rooi
thing 1t produced the Constitution and the
MON, From St,i,th tYroIi,ia f., NY,,,.hi,-
~ctts. from line Atlantic t0 thr Western from
tier. the people canored for a Government
that should have power TO REGULATE commerce
and protect their ;yocati0us. Thr necessity of
complying with this demand. a> well as Ihe
Justice. OF il. wa, readily rrrounilrd bv lin
prominent mon of fh4t fin,r 1innrt. Wa.h-
ington. James Madison. and thrir DISTINGUISHED
cuntrmporaricS earnestly cyerted their .ereat
power, to bring together the colonies under a
government with bower 10 ..rcvuiatr COM
mercc" a phrase which. in lbr Vocabulary of
the time was universally understood 10 in
rludc the right to lew protective duties. In
deed this was the main nurno.c and control
linz impulse that brought he rolonip. toretLnr
a. states under the Constitutions and the first
law enacted ly the new Government WAS one
" hich provided for "A protective tarin.
They enacted thi, law i'm rumitlianc, with
the PRAYERS of multitutIc of nrtitiouS in com
plianre, indeed. with thp universal una4rst,,,d
ng that to protect American judl<trie, was
one of The most iuuortaut n,ir,u.us for which
the new and STRONGER Government was tn he
established In Mi the debates in thn First
Congress under the Con, ,titutjon wherein were
50 many members Who we're members Of the
convention that framed and aduIltrd that Great
charter. while the ritht TO rrfIlate commerce
Wa> openly and uniformly construed 10 IN
eludc the power 10 protect American indus
tries hy levin" duties up0u import> ~ lille
protective laws were enacted. and laws also to
secure to Us our coaStin~ trade no doubt of
tn, constitutonality of these laws WAS ever rX-
pressed
Indeed this question was left to M. raised hv
men Of Il subsequent yenrr;tion men who had
nothing to 10 with framing tie CONSTITUTIONS
men WHO in all probability would never have
framed if, men who atfrInnted to nulIjfy if
anu who inrulcatod iuto their sons doctrines
that led them TO attclnrt TO destroy il. If was
when the cottoli-riu lad been invented and
Slave Labor WIS helr\ rd to h,tyr became nrntit
able. W hen the south desired to import cheap
good, to ciothe her slaves TO tii,coIlrooe Morrill,
eru manufactures ana maxi. tha Nnrfb . ,,,irn
IL AGRICULTURAL country -, thut She ,ni,lt oI
tain for her slaves chem food fhot thr ,Stut.
politician, Of thc ~outh. iurIu.liu,, Jnhn & E,I
houl who had been a radical urttrrtinni,t
discovered thar the Constitution forla,l, thaf
we should lcyy duties Iuon inIl,olts cXrrpl fv,
revenue onlv
1t is a peculiar fact. i'm connection with this
branch oi the subject. that a tarin for revenue
wa. not of American ORIGIN th1t if c,ne tn ils
from Great Britain. and HAT oIr forcfather.
rcullIiatrd ana resisted if. art,li,.tinn to ~
Colonies while they never denied th,. ri,eht of
the mother countlV TO rruuIotn commerce ana
Ills rivht inrIn,ii,,r tbn nnlvnr t law ,,r,tan.
five dntirS mon i7unnrt thn, ;u,.r.,f,ii int,
the Constitution.
With thn DstahIi.bmnnt of tb. NOW. C,,,.o,,,-
mrut and 1hr institution If ,,r,t..ti,n ,l,,tin.
prosperitv Srranu mn ON ry4r,, hanI and thn
faces of th. ucopir. like mo f:,r. nf thr ,of,,-
try. wore = brirht,r md han,,i,. .,S,,n't Amd
SO if has been Iurin,r nI,,iT nrrini eff nr1t'n.
five ,iutrs in nilr rnl,ntr,. j,iitnry ,Iil. AN,
period> of nearest annro,rl In frc. trr,In buIn
been tinnrs of diSost.r and Ii>tr.. mo W.
tory of protection is. indeed. III hest rnlnnan-