Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-08-02
Protection Versus Free Trade.


upon his party, and upon the country
contrary to the better judgment of the
large Northern majority of his support
ers. 1t IS the pressure of the "Solid
South made solid. as in old slave
driving times by the overweaning
pride and arrogance of a few con-
spirators, who still, Notwithstanding
the terrible defeat of their rebellion,
dream of humiliating the North through
their domination in the Democratic
party. They still mistake them for
slough faces and deem the lenient
treatment of tho rebels in reconstruc-
ton the result of cowardice. They may
be mistaken. We know they are mis-
taken, and this direct issue may teach
them needed lessons.
1t was the adj calorenl principle APP
piled to the compromise tariff OF 1882
which SO completely wrecked the
country in 1881 sort of Morrison
horizontal arrangement of customs
duties We could then manufac-
ture cheaply enough, but foreign goods
through differentiation and false in
voices drove us from our home mar
kets.
The people, aroused and indignant,
elected Gen. VIM. Henry Harrison and
a Wing Congress in 1910, which re-
stored the honest methods of specific
duties and the country rapidly re-
covered. The early death of our West
ern President will be remembered, and
how we were returned to the bondage OF
| Southern free trade sentiment. In the
election of 1914 Henry Clay was the
representative of the Protective Wing
Party, and his election was confidently
anticipated. The Democrats nominated
James X. Polk and he was placed on
platform of protection, and the promise
made that he was a better tariff man
than Henry Clay. Successful to the DEM
ocracy under Southern lead illustrated
their idea of better tariff by changing
duties from specific to Gd UaIorem
under the tariff of 1916, Senator John
Davis, of Massachusetts, then called at
tention to the fact, and careful exami-
nation will probably show, that in all
subsequent changes the issue has really
been ''Specific Duties and PROTECTION
Uersus al Ualorenl Duties and FREE
Trade Simple, and heretofore easily
kept out of view, but now that Presi-
dent Cleveland has cast off all disguise
and openly opposed Protection, no
matter what his reasons, the Democrat
ic Party is at its wits ends, and can
only crg sit is not free trade-0nLy
freezer trade and hope of broader
foreign MARKET" AS if by any pos
sibility we can compete in foreign
markets for the sale of our goods, which
their goods undersold here through
differentiation and false invoices under
ad Ualorens duties. Yet some people
affect to believe it.
1t should be borne in mind that
amid all the pother about the oppres-
sion of the poor; unlimited advantages
to wealth, monopolies and trusts, the
real issue only covers duties on articles
competing with American labor, and
protection to our markets from unjust
competition on the part of foreign mills
which make just what our labor, well
employed. can furnish cheaper and
better if we can secure market. No
matter how cheap the article, if foreign
nation has cantrol of our market our
mills must be idle. Six months Of Gd-
Udlorena will overwhelm us with the
a0Gittng surplus of countless foreign
factories. and labor here must take its
turn of waiting until honest Americans
again takes the helm of legislation. The
drift now is evidently for free trade and
tn eremark of the Massachusetts Senator
in 1915 was repeated in congress last
week in calling attention to this
change in the present tariff. Mr.. Ding
ley, of Maine, said to the House, July
Sd, 81 am certainly surprised to find
that in many parts of this bill there is
tendency on part of the committees
on Ways and Means to make change
from existing specific duties to ad
ual0rem rates. He adds force to the re-
port of Mr.. Manning as Secretary of the
Treasury, who said, "that the ad valOr-
EN- system places it almost entirely with
in the power of foreign manufacturers
and exportersto determine what the rate
of duty shall be, by means of under
valuation in his invoice;'' by the follow
ing: ''Indeed, Mr.. Chairman, an Eng
fish manufacturer said to me last
autumn, that if we maintained the ad
valorem system he did not care how
high we made our duties, as they a0ould
fla The duties themselves IN making their
inUoice."
Il is a.useless and dangerous policy
which will risk the existence OF the
weakest of our industries. Break down
domestic competition and the employed
labor of hundreds of ruined mills will
will be cast upon society for support,
and no power of Knights or Brother
hoods can keep the idle from compe-
ton with the present better paid labor,
for food for their families. The thous-
and factories closed may mean ruin to
one thousand or ten thousand "bloated
monopolies" but a million Of laboring
men, women and children will suffer
more in loss of wages. w. p. NJ
Magazines.
OUR LITTLE ONE AND THE NURSERY,