The Red Cloud chief., 1888-09-21

campaign. I appreciate very highly The conf
Gencc and respect manifested BY the conven.
ton and accept the nomination with q feeling
Of tuCk. and a full sense OF the responsible
-ses which il.
II is q matter OF congratulation that the
declarations Of the Chicago convention upon
the questions that now attract the attention OF
our people arc 50 ccar and emphatic. There
is further cause OF generalization IN the fact
that the convention uttcrances Of the Demo
cratic party. II in any degree u uncertain or con-
Trajectory. can now be judged and interpreted
by executive acts and messages and by definite
propositions in legislation. This IS especially
true OF what is popularity known US the tarin
question. The ;Ssue can not now be obscureG.
1t is not q contest between schedules, but be.
tween wide apart principles. The foreign COM
Detitors for our market have with quick instinct
seen how one issue Of this contest may bring
hem advantage and our own people are not SO
dull as to miss or neCsect the great interests
that are involved for them.
The assault upon our protective system is
open and defiant. Protection is assailed Is un-
constitutional in law or rs Vicious in principle.
and those WIN hold such views sincerely can
not stop short OF an ..,solute elimination from
our tariff laws Of the principle OF protection.
The Mills bill is only a step. but il i$towards An
object that the leaders OF Democratic thought
md legislation have clearly in mind. The i'm
portant question is not 50 much the length of
! the step AS the direction OF n. Judged by the
executive message OF December last. by the
Mills bill, by the debates ia Congress and bv
the St. LOUIS platform. the Democratic party
viii. il supported by the country. place the
tarin laws upon i purely revenue basis. This IL
PRACTICAL FREQ t~rsde-fres trade in the English
sense. The legend upon the banner may not
be free trade" 4 may be the most obscure
motto. tariff reform" but neither-the banner
nor the inscription IS conclusive. or. indeed,
very important. Tho assault itself Is the i'm
pmtant fact
Those who teach that the import dutY upon
foreign goods Sold In our market Is paid by the
consumer and that the price u the domestic
competing article Is enhanced to III. amount of
the duty on the imported .rticio-that every
million OF dollars collected for customs duties
represents many millions more which do not
reach the treasury, but are paid by our citizens
as the increased cost Of domestic productions
resulting from the tarin hws-may not intend
70 discrcdit IN the minds Of others our system
Of levying duties on competing foreign pro-
ducts, but IL IS clearly already discredited IN
their own. We can not doubt. without impugu.
ing their integrity. that. II free to act upon
their convictions. they would 50 revise our laws
as 10 Lay the burden OF the customs revenue
upon articles that arc not produced in this
Country and to place upon the free list all
competing foreign products.
do not stop 10 refu,e this theory as to the
effect OF our tar,fl duties. Those who advance
1t are students OF nax;ms and not Of the mar.
Eets. They may &c safely allowed 10 call their
project tariff reform. II the people understand
that in the end the argument cOmpels free
trade in all competing products. This end may
not be reached abruptly and its approach may
be accompanied with some expressions Of sym-
pathy for our protected Industries and our
working people. but it will certainly come, II
these earle Stone On n0f nyOuSo Tho uoCv,Io 20
effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that q protective
tarih is constitutional. wholesome and neces.
sory. We DO not offer q fixed schedule, but q
principle. We viii revise the schedule, modify
rates. but always with An intelligent provision
IS to the eject upon domestic production and
the wages OF our working people. We believe
It to be one IL the worthy objects OF tariff leRis.
la;!on to preserve the American market for
American producers and To maintain the Amor.
lean scale OF wages by adequate discriminating
duties uyon foreign competing products. The
effect OF lower rates and larger importa.
tons upon the public revenue Is
contingent and doubtful. but not 50 the
effect upon American production and
American wages. Less work and lower
wages must be accepted a. the newt.
able result OF the increased Ones,ng OF foreign
goods in our market. by way OF recompense
for this reduction in his wages and the loss OF
the American market II 10 suggested that the
diminished wages o: the workingman will have
an undininished purchasing power and that he
will be able to make up for the loss Of the
home market by An cnlar led foreign market.
Our worSingmen have the settlement Of the
question in their own hands. They row Oh.
tain higher wages and live more comfortably
than those OF any other country. They will
make choice between the substantial advan-
tages they :. We in hand and the deceptive
promises and forecasts Of those theOriz.
ing rcfOrmcrs. They will decide for them
selves and for the country whether the pro-
tecfive system shall be continued or DESTROYED.
The fact OF a treasury surplus, the amount of
which is varously stated. has directed
public attention to . consideration OF the
methods by which the National income may best
be reduced 10 The level OF . wise and necessary
expenditure. This condition has been seized
upon by those who are hostile 70 protective
custom duties as An advantageous base OF
attack upon our tariff Laws. They have magni-
fed anc nurSed the surplus. which they af.
feet 10 deprecate. seemingly for the purpose
OF exaggeratiEg the evil in order TO recon-
cilc the people to the extreme remedy
they propose. A proper reduction OF the rev.
enues does not necessita@ and should not sug-
gest the abandonment or impairment Of tie
PROTECTIVE system The methods suggejted By