Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-10
THE HOME MARKET CLUB.
Senator Sherman SeYefely Criticises
The Administration In Its Attitude
Toward American Industries

The Administration in Its Attitude
Toward American Industries
BosroS, Feb. 9.
Over four hundred prominent men from
banquet of the Home Market Club, at Hotel
vendome, this evening. Among them were
Senator Sherman, Congressman Goff of W.
Virginia, Ely and Russell of Massachusetts
and Mckinley of Ohio. Senator Sherman
was the first speaker. On rising he was
greeted with three cheers, and at the interval
of every hundred words or so, he was inter-
rupted with applause. Mr.. Sherman first
emphasized the value of the home market
compared with the foreign market. He said
that the home market deals with over SS,-
000, 900 of agricultural products, and S6,0o0,-
600 of manufactures, annually, while the
foreign market deals only with 81 800, 900 of
exports and imports annually, more than
half of these being home products. All the
capital and labor employed in the production
and transportation of the home market prod
ucts is American, while the foreign market
was conducted entirely by foreigners, and
nearly half of the foreign products were made
by foreign labor. The imports in the high
est years are less than six per cent. of the
home products, while we export less than
seven per cent of our food products, the
rest being consumed at home.
In view of these facts he wondered why
so many gentlemen of education and charac-
ter were willing to endanger the wonderful
development of our home industries to in
crease foreign commerce. One can excuse
such professors as Sumner and Perry, whose
| theories exclude the love of country and rest
only upon the universal good of man. But
the best we can do for mankind is to do the
best for our country.
In Congress at least we are supposed to
legislate for the United States.
Referring to Mr.. Lowelrs characteriza-
ton of Cleveland as the best representative
of the higher type of Americanism since
| Lincoln Sherman said:
Thus Lowell who has been honored by a
great party with confidence and trust, places
Cleveland above Grant, the great soldier of
this country, above Hayes, who certainly
gave the country pure and excellent admin
istration, above Garfield, one of the most ac-
complished American statesmen, and above
| Arthur, in every respect model gentleman,
prudent and able president. Now for what
has Cleveland been distinguished to justify
lHls eulogy. ETst, 1Or tHe pIoIilsS VI C'i
service reform; and he has practiced the
most general aud sweeping removals in the
public offices since the government was estab-
| lshed He had found 2 ,359 Presidential post
masters in office and had removed or changed
| 1000. The Post Master General, out of
/ so 900 employees had removed 10000; out of
33 ministers abroad the President had re-
moved or changed 80, large proportion of
whom were men distinguished i'll the war
against the Union. Out of 5000 places, he
has removed or changed 43 900, and out of
| the 43 900 there are not 30 republicans
among the appointed Another ground
named to justify the eulogy, is the recent
message of the President recommending that
all taxes on the home products be continued
and that duties on imports be largely re-
| duced. The inevitable effect of this policy
is to increase the importations at the expense
! of and loss to the home market; and espec-
tally to reduce the prices of labor engaged
in the industries competing with foreign
productions"
The Senator then said that the surplus grow
/ ing since the war had enabled the country to
pay off the en- ormous debt. Gladstone told
| him twenty years ago that this would be as
great victory as success i'll war. The sur
plus could be reduced at any time by paying
I
this, as its object was to break down the
tariff. At any time in the last Congress,
taxation could have been reduced but for the
desire of he Speaker and the President to
strike at home industries rather than local
taxation. The ma jority of the House though
democratic, would have passed in an hour a
bill reducing taxation if it had been permit
ed by the Speaker to vote on the reductions
of the internal rather then the external taxes.
Today if the House is not packed to defeat
its will a bill to make all the reductions re-
commended by the President could be
promptly passed, but the President and the
controlling elements of the party determined
to use the exigency which he has created, to
force Congress to reduce the taxes in their
way SO as to strike a dangerous blow at the
dome site industries. Because of this he re-
ceives the high eulogy of Mr.. Lowell. The
truth is that Mr. Lowell, though distinguished
as literary man, has no perception of the
interests and business of this great republic.
The speaker then answered few points in
Senator Morgan's speech, made at the tariff
reform league banquet, and then entered into
an elaborate explanation of our system of
protection and its effects on our manufact-
ures. Finally he said 'The Presidents
policy will not reduce the revenue: it will
as well as disturb the business of the coun-
try. 1t will necessarily check the enormous
productions of the country, increase and
harden the competition between European
and American labor, reduce the wages of
all aboring men employed in the protected
industries, disturb and break down the large
departments of industry now in course of
successful experiment. 1t is departure from
the policy recommended by our fathers, the
policy adopted for the last twenty-five years.
under which our manufacturers have grown
TO a recent enormous aggregate; departure
from the policy adopted by the most intelli-
gent men of Europe and America.
In closing he said that the tariff ought to
be carefully revised. Every essential but
non-competing imported raw material ought
to be admitted free also the necessaries of
life if non-competing. Protection should be
granted to every manufacture which cannot
be conducted with reasonable success by its
aid The internal revenue tax should be re-
duced or repealed. In this way the revenue
should be reduced to the necessities of the
government and the requirements of the
sinking fund for the payment of our debt
Including the necessities of the government
in the matter of proper appropriations for the
improvement of the harbors and the defence
OF tue sea COdsts, W InttSdse tue "tiSahebe
marine for transporting mails to foreign
countries, for liberal provision for all obi
cations 10 Union soldiers, their widows ant
orphans. and above all to impartially protec
the home market from deluge of foreign
|, importations, and to encourage and maintain
diversity and establish, on sure foundation
the industries of our people in all parts o
the country.
, CONDENSED DISPATCHES.