The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-29
OHIO POLITICS..
a Grand Reception Given Senator
Sherman MT Mansfield.
He Delivers an Able and Eloquent
Speech.

4
MANSFIELD, Ohio, Sept Ex-senator Sher
man spoke here tonight to large audience
He was given an enthusiastic reception.
After reviewing at some length the record
of the two parties, and pointing out the uttel
failure of the Democracy to sustain the
| charges they made before election against the
| Republicans, Mr. Sherman proceeded as fol
| lows:
Let us look now at what has been said and
| done by the Democratic party in the present
| House to tighten your burdens or advance
| YOUR interests. 1t was elected during the
| last Presidential contest and contains ma
| jority of nearly fifty Democrats, the great
| body of whom are from the Southern States
| Did it find and propose to repeal any obnox,
| ious laws upon the statute book? Nearly all
| the acts of Congress for long series of years
are Republican measures, opposed at the
| time by the Democratic party, hut are now
| acquiesced in as wise and just laws. What
Affirmative measure did this Democratic ma
| jority propose?
THE MORRISON TARIFF BILL.
The chief one was the attempt to break
down, if possible, the protective system es-
| tablished by the Republican part; but, for
| tunately for the country, they we're so d.
| vided in opinion that they could not agree
| upon the provisions of a measure. though
| LneY no pIUltSS W ldFOl d lCOuSbpn Va boVtSo
and taxes. After many futile efforts the
| Democratic majority of The Committee on
Ways and Means reported the Morrison tar
| iff bill, the first provision of which proposes
to place wool upon the free list.
This bill is pending in the present House,
and if majority of Democrats are elected
to the next Congress, in all probability 1t Will
be the basis of the action of tie Democratic
majority in the present or the next Congress.
THE FARMERS OF oIIo
are too familiar with the history of the duty
on wool and the pledges and promises made
by the Democratic party In the last TWO OF
three years, to need any warning from me.
When the act of 1888 was pending reducing
the duty on wool two cents pound, but still
leaving duty of ten to twelve cents pound
according to quality, | earnestlT and heartily
opposed the reduction, but still it became
partlOf the law, and was denounced by men OF
all partiesiin the State of OhioaS an unWlse
and improyident measure. The Democratic
party then, both in the Leglslaiureand IN lts
convention resolved to favor the restoration
of the duty on wool to what it vas under the
act of 1867. The reduction of the duty was
undoubtedly great damage b the farmers
of Ohio. 1t largely diminishec the, number
of sheep.in Ohio and in the United States,
and reduced the price of wool 1t led to the
importation of several million pounds OF Tor
eign wool to enter into competition with our
own, and made it Improbable % raise sheep.
W.
pealed as proposed, it will absolutely destroy
an industry that in 1888 produced 32,000, 600
pounds of wool worth S100,O0OOO0. rms de-
cay of the sheep industry OF our country Is
an unmixed national calamity, and Will
greatly affect our wOolen manufacturers Dy
making them depend upon the foreign mar
ket for WOOL Still, if the Democratic party
should maintain its majority, it Will be con-
strued as the Judgment OF the people, as q de-
cision in favor of making WOOL duty Tree.
n1,x tta Iaf.c 0hl0 h0WHVRT
earnestly and honestly they may oppose tnls
measure cannot be relied upon to resist the
action of q party caucus.
The Southern States, not adapted to manu-
factures, but engaged in producing cotton
and other articles for expectation, Will natu-
rally favor this measure, while the people OF
the North, largely engaged in a diversity OF
production, will as naturally favor the pro-
tective policy, so as to secure the American
market for American production. American
wool can be and ought to be consumed by
American manufacturers, and this can only
be done by giving to American wool the same
degree of protection as is given to American
wOOlens. The Republican party is now tnor-
oughly committed to this policy, and be-
lieve will heartily and unltedly JOIN In re-
trieving the error committed in 1888.
The Republican party is thoroughly COM
mitted in all its branches to the maintenance
of the system of protection to American In
duStry, and the people OF Southern ONO per
State are interested in this question. Inc
tendency of the Democratic party is in the
opposite direction, and this controversy,
more than any other will enter into Qqr r,11, po-
litical discussions for several years. III may
therefore be well enough for me 10 reState
the general principles upon which this con-
troversy rests.
THE MAIN OBJECT OF A DUTY
on imported goods is to furnish revenue for
the support Of the government. This may
be done by a uniform system OF duties apply
ing to all articles alike, or the duty may be
confined to a less number of articles. Ii levied
on all alike it is purely revenue tariff. Ii
the discrimination is made by higher duties
on articles which come into competition with
our own industry it furnishes, to the extent
of the duty, an inducement to establish man
ufactures in this country. The Republican
party has adopted, and for more than tWen-
tv wears has acted upon, the latter proposl-
tion, to levy duties with view, hrst, TO Sc
cure the largest amount of revenue from ar
ticles of luxury, such as liquors, silks, &c. !;
second, to put the lowest duties or none at
all on raw materials which cannot be pro-
duced in this country and which enter INTO
domestic manufactures, with a view TO en-,
courage their use in home industry; ana Ihlfu
to have higher and carefully graded duty
on articles which can be readily manu1ac-
tured in this country.
These simple principles applied in our tar
iff laws have yielded us great revenue, am.
ply sufficient to carry on the operations, o1
the government, to rapidly reduce the public
debt. and to place our national credit upon
its present unexampled basis. 1t has also
induced the establishment of manufacturing
in nearly every branch OF industry IN All
parts of the country where the faclllties 1or
such industries are TO be found. 1t has treb-
led the aggregate of our manufactures In
twenty years, furnished to the farmer mar
ket for the production of the farm, and, IN
many ways, contributed to the wealth ana
prosperity of the country. IhlS IS not all
1t has given us such diversity OF produc-
tiop that we are practically an independent
nation capable of raising or producing any
thing needed for human life, from the food
we consume to the finest productions OF the
loom, the tools and implements OF trade, an
and, indeed, every article. needed tor the
| highest civilization. Besides this we are
| able to give
EMPLOYMENT TO MILLIONS.
| of men and women who but for the protec-
| ton of these duties would be compelled tc
| enter into hard and grinding competition
| with the poorest paid labor of Europe ol
| Asia.
| This Republican policy has been the cause
| of the vast immigration to our country o.
| industrious laborerS, who have tloated to oul
| shores to enjoy the safety and proht OF oul
institutions, to share in our prosperity ant
| to contribute their labor to the genera
| wealth of the country.
| The wages paid for labor in this country
| are from so to 100 per cent. more than IL
| European countries. and thus our laborer
| have the comforts of social LIE; are able q
| educate their children, to improve their con
| dition, to secure homes and property. ant
| become useful, intelligent and respected citi
| zens But for the protection of these dutie
these varied employments would have to b
| abandoned and those now so occupied woult
| have to compete on the farm, increasing tn
amount of food production and reducing it
value.
AS matter of course, policy so wild
| reaching, affecting all branches of trad
could not be established without creating
| some difference of opinion, and there ar
| still questions connected with the tart
about which Republicans may honestly dif
fer.
RAW MATERIAL.
1t is sometimes contended that raw mate
rials and articles of food should be admitte
duty Free and wool, coal, iron ore, stone an
lumber are claSSed as raw materials. Blu
the error of this doctrine is that such cor
struction would deny to the farmer and tn
miner the same degree of protection to hi
labor that is freely conceded to the manufaC
turer. 1t may be that the farmer, with th
natural advantages he enjoys in this country
| may not need the same amount of protectio
required by the manufacturer, but still th
principle of protection should be apple
wherever it is needed, to protect the labo
employed on the farm and in the mines a
| well as in the work shops. The wooden mar
| ufacturer NAV think that the article of WOO