The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-08-01
Free-Trade.
New York Sun, Democratic.


A DISTINGUISHED convert to the
tariff-smashing brigade, the mugwump
anti-Hill Providence Journal, thus
sneers
The Mills bill proposes to reduce the taxes
on necessaries and raw materials an average
of seven per cent, leaving them at forty per
cent. This is free-trade.
No, esteemed contemporary! 1t is no
more free-trade than the preliminary
torture of an unfortunate victim by
his savage captors is actual murder.
But free-trade would be the natural,
rational, practicable and probable re-
suit of the Mills bill, and not at very
distant date either, just as the torture
business is pretty sure to end in the
death of its subject. Under Mr.. Mills
dispensation the tariff torturing would
last about twenty years before all pro-
tective duties would finally be wiped
out of existence.
philadelphia North Americana
WHATEVER obscurity of language
may be resorted to by Mr. Cleveland to
conceal the set purpose of his party,
the desertion of democrats to Harrison
will sufficiently interpret the meaning
put upon his message and the Mills
bill. We direct attention to the fact
that every democrat who declares for
Harrison explicitly says that he can
not indorse the message or the Mills
bill, that he is for protection with the
republicans against free trade with the
democrats. Similarly, republicans who
declare for Cleveland do so on the open
avowal that they are for free-trade, de-
manded by Mr.. Cleveland, and against
protective tariff anyhow. In the face
of these declarations nothing that Mr..
Cleveland can say will have the slight
est effect upon the exodus from his
party. The deserters understand the
question fully as we'll as the president
himself
National Republican,
ONE of the cheering features of the
situation is the almost panicky fright
that has thus early gotten possession of
the democrats. No other man has done
so much for republican success as Presi-
dent Cleveland. His tariff message
bound his party to make the presi-
dental fight on an anti-protection plat
form or take some other candidate
than him. 1t had no other candidate
He could not be repudiated without
splitting the party as hopelessly as it
was split in 1860 So the st. Louis con-
vention put on cheerful face and
nominated him by reclamation. The
platform that was fixed up at st. Louis
is demagogical attempt to befog the
tariff issue, but that makes no differ
ence at all. Cleveland's tariff message
speaks for itself, and that is his anC
his party's platform. That message il
a studied attack on the principle of pro
lection. The message, the Mills bill
the speeches made by democratic lead
ers in the house during the tariff de
bate and Mr.. Cleveland's letter to Tam
many are continuous series of as
saults on protection; more than that
they commit the party to a strictly
revenue tariff as the end and aim o
democratic policy. A revenue TART
leaves protection to take care of itsel
, and lays duties on articles that do no
compete with our industries. 1t woul
get $3.50, 000,0 900 from tea, coffee an
: sugar and open all our manufacture
to unimpeded competition with En-
l gland and continental Europe.
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