The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-08-18


party Of the district.
JUDGE CATION ON TIE TARIFF.
The Hon. j. d. CATION, ex-chief justic,
of the Illinois Supreme court, is vel
known to be largely interested In tn
manufacture of glass, as we'll as In cope
mining and even the production of sal,
II was therefore easy for an unprinciple,
protectionist newspaper scribe, ate
connecting pretended interview with tb,
Judge,to gain some credence by represen,
ing him as disagreeing with the tariff
views of President Cleveland, and a
countenancing the howl of free trade
raised against him. Lifelong, sterling
democrat as the Judge has been, he wa
unwilling TO rest under any such tou
imputation and to the Burlington Haukeye
In which the SANDER appeared, he has
written long letter, not only repelling the
false charge, but defending the position
Of the President with all the sturdy vigol
of his younger years. Our space will no
permit US to copy the letter at length, bu
We will undertake briefly to state III
substance.
The Judge cordially endorses he Presit'
dents message In proposing TO diminish
the treasury surplus by tariff reduction
such reduction being made, as the
President insists, with due regard to our
industries; and the Judge expresses bis
amazement that people who, in the ordinary
walks Of life, would scorn to utter q
falsehood, yet have the eftrontery to call
the President for holding such views, an
advocate of free trade, In the sense OF
favoring the abolition Of all tariff duties.
The Judge then takes up the pretence
that high tariff enables the nanufactur.
ers to pay higher wages, and denounces 1t
as delusive catchword. high tariffs having
no such effect, the price of labor, like that
Of any commodity, being regulated by the
law of supply and demand, and whether
we have q tariff or no tariff, the labor of
this country is compelled to compete with
the pauper labor of Europe all the same,
because that labor in unlimited mass is all
ways open to free importation by our home
employers. The pretence is "taffy of the
kind, diluted more than thou
sand fold" for of the twenty millions of
laborers 10 this country, there Is not one In
five thousand whose wages can be even re-
motely affected by the tariff.
But while the tariff thus benefits no
msH, 1t greatly Injuries him by the
enormous tax to which It subjects him
Every man who buys Ratchet, pound of
nails-any thing made OF iron, steel, OF
wood even, pays tax, and any dealer will
tell you that 80 per cent of these articles
are purchased by laboring men. The only
reason why they stand II is because the tax
Is Indirect If it was paid openly under Its
honest name of subsidy" the whole coun'
Try would rebel against 1t.
The object of the President, by remov'
ing the tax on raw materials, being rather
10 encourage than depress our manufacture
ers, and to induce them to enlarge their
output and reach cut for foreign markets,
The Judge makes strong point of the fol-
y of our indu tries combining themselves to
the home wants. So long rs our manufac'
lurers refuse to compete with foreign pro-
iucers we can have no foreign market
even for our farm products. 1t would be
positively disgraceful for this country, with
all It's enterprise, ingenuity, push and grit
10 shut itself up against the outside world,
like old China or Japan. Our ambition
should be TO compete successfully with the
outside world, and none but craven de.
MES but we can do 1t.
In conclusion, referring to the alleged
anxiety of England that the Presidents
views shall be adopted In this country, the
Judge gives the substance of conversa'
ton he had with MIR. Watson, a leading
Glasgow manufacturer. Says the Judge:
When remarked TO him that suppos'
ed that the message Of MIR. Cleveland rec'
reduction of the tariff would
be pleasing to the foreign manufacturers,
he replied that was greatly mistaken II l
thought SO; that prOhibitory tariff would
please them the best; that II was the In,
ventive genius and enterprise which they
most feared from America; that 80 long as
American manufacturers were upheld and
sustained by the tariff, they had nothing to
fear from us In the foreign markets; that II
we would leave them 70 the markets of the
outside world, we were quite welcome to
our markets at home; that what they most
feared was q condition of things which
would bring into active operation the gem
ius, the skill, the enterprise, and, In fine,
the whole resources Of the Americans a.
applied to the production of the various
classes Of goods protected by the tariff.
The letter Of Judge Cation Is so very able
that II cannot fail TO arrest the attention Of
the state committee and be reprinted under
their auspices for extensive gratuitous cir.
culatlon.