The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-01-11

countrys policy for thirty years-that poicy
being to build up domestic industries by rea-
sonable and proper protection against foreign
productions
He mir. sherman wished to approach the
questions presented with u sincere respect for
the President, but with consciousness that
Senators and Representatives had tho respon-
siDility OF acting upon such matters with fuller
information and broader view OF the interests
OF their constituents than any executive officer
could have. He agreed, as he had said more
than once last Congress, that the revenue
should be reduced. and the Senate would be
ready to share in the task az soon as the House
gave IL Jurisdiction. And IL the Secretary OF
the Treasury would from time to time only
do his part of applying tho revenue to current
appropriations and 10 the judicious purchase OF
the public debt, the delays OF the Democratic
party might be repaired, and taxation reduced
without crippling industry.
He did not attribute either TO the Pre- sident
or To the Secretary OF the Treasury an intent to
produce the dangers anu difficulties by which
the country was threatened nor did he call in
question their integrity or hdelity but when
they tried to alarm the country so az TO induce
Congress TO break down great Industrial inter-
ests, he pointed them to the neglect of public
duty intrusted to their discretion as the fount.
ain Of their woes An artificial scare could not
be made to cover the faults and defects OF the
administration.
The internal system OF taxation upon spirits,
tobacco and beer the President had dismissed
with n single sentence, saying that none OF
those articles were necessaries; that there
seemed TO be no just complaint OF such taxa
on by consum ers and that there seemed to
be nothing well able to bear the burden
without hardship to any portion OF the people:
IL might be that there was no complaint OF
consumers but could that be said OF tho pro-
ducers of these articles? Tobacco manu-
facturers, distillers ana brewers might not
complain because the necessary requirements
of collection laws gave them close monopoly,
but the farmers, who had TO sell TO licensed
dealers alone, did complain. The tax on
whisky might and to q certain extent did re-
strain the use OF whisky as a beverage, and in
that way the tax did good, but the taxes on
beer and tobacco did not. Internal taxes were
anecessity during the war; but now, il con-
tinued, they should he reduced. and the tax on
tobacco especially should be RENTED.
Though not u necessity, like bread and meat,
the use OF tobacco was SO general that It's tax
sumner. The special taxes on rectifers, special
dealers, stills, etc, yielding annually So,5OO0O0,
ought to be repealed and their imposition left
to the States, and the tax on spirits and beer
might be SO modified that the States could make
taxes on the consumption OF these articles q
source of revenue.
If the object sought was only to avoid the ac-
emulation of surplus, the easy, natural and
logical course was TO repeal or largely to reduce
internal revenue. But the President proposed
to continue these taxes without dimnution, so
that he might strike more effective blow at
the taxes now resting upon foreign produc-
tions. 1t was the protective industrial policy
built up by the Republican party that they
would break down.
The Presidents message, fairly construed,
YVES severe indictment OF all engaged in man
policy OF protection as supported by the great
mass of his countrymen and recommended by
his most illustrious predecessors. lt showed
that he favored public policy which would
leave American manufacturers and workmen
TO the hard, sharp and grinding competition OF
the capital and labor OF the world
Proceeding to Details Mr.. Sherman said that
during the fiscal year ending June 80, 1887. the
total value of foreign importations was $685.
10000 S233, 000, 900 OF that amount being free OF
duty; that as to over onet third of all artic es
there was absolutely free trade, They were
mainly such articles did not come into COM
petition with domestic industry. With that
kind of free trade he was in hearty sympathy.
1t was exactly the opposite policy that was pro-
posed by the President and by the school to
which he belonged. They sought to place take
upon articles now free, such tea AMI coffee,
in order that greater reduction might be made
on articles that did come into competition with
home industry.
There should not be a uniform rate OF duty
on imported goods but there should be a car e.
full discrimination and classification Of rates,
depending upon the nature and quality OF the
goods, upon who were TO be the consumers, and
upon the effect which the rates proposed would
have upon domestic industry. Therefore, arti-
cles OF voluntary use or luxury ornament or
appetite. not in common use among the peo-
pie, and which are purchased almost eXclu-
sively by the wealthy, should bear higher
rate OF taxation. This applied to wines, liz
uors, and cigars, and to silks, satins, and
broadcloths, innumerable articles of dress or
nsment to porcelain, statuary, painting glass
ware, and the like.
But the duties of which the President COM
planned were those for the benefit OF manutact-
urers, and he urged especially "a radical reduc-
ton OF the duties imposed upon raw materials
used in manufactures or their FREQ iInporta-
ton" Tue great body of crude articles i'm
ported which entered into the processes OF d -
nestle industry to the value of SlO6,0OJ,0OJ were
now free of duty. Every imported article OF
that class was 30 unless it competed directly
with the development Of American resources
Duties averaging 80 per cent were now levied
on such imported articles, valued at $50, 100000,
and which yielded revenue OF sl9,OOJ,OOO.
The chief of them were wool, flax, hemp, and
other textile grasses, hops, bristles, and seeds.
The remainder were chiefly metals -ore or pigs
COAL and marble.
These imports came into direct competition
with the productions OF nearly 2,00J,00O Ameri-
can farmers and of hundreds of thousands OF
laboring men This moderate protection given
TO the labor and capital employed in mining
aud agricultural industries was the favorite
point Of assault by the President and all free
traders. It was the citadel of the protective
system. The whole Deepen led upon the prin-
ciple that il was wise to give by tariff laws to
all forms of American labor the degree Of pro-
lection or advantage which the imposition OF
duties on similar foreign productions necessa-
rly gave. That had been the rule since the
beginning of the Government, and recon-
mended by every President from Washington
to Polk, and whenever that rule was departed
from the whole system would fail. The object
was protection TO labor, not to capital.
The most important benefit conferred by the
Jarlu laws was JndJ tUeY HOJ only uiNetblHtu
American industries, but secured to the laborer
employed in manufactures higher wages and
better surroundings and advantages than were
enioved by lnborers in similar employments
anywhere in the world. The treatment of this
question by the President was a delusion and a
snare. The President assumed that the cost of
living ESPECIALLY OF food and clothing was
higher in the United States than in Europe.
That was not true Food of every kind, except
sugar, was cheaper here than in any market in
Europe The clothing worn by workingmen,
including blankets was sold here ut as low
prices as in London or Liverpool. The guam
tity ana quality of food Of laboring men were
confessedly better and greater here than in
Europe, and the rate of wages was from 80 to
100 per cent higher here
The President did not dispute these points
but appealed to the manufacturer who had
been represented as n robber a conspirator,
and extortionerl not TO reduce the workingman' q
wages, but to pay more out of the surplus prof
its-profts very often found on the wrong side
of the ledger. What workingman did not feel
that this was sheer evasion of the inevitable
result of an effort to reduce his wages by invit
ing a close competition with pauper labor
The workingman would have to share the fate
OF his employer and divide with him the loss
The question was one purely of wages. II
wages were not greater here than in England
France, and Belgium americas chief com.
petitors), the country could, no doubt compete
now with all the world in all metallic and tex.
tile fabrics. But would t be wise to pursue
policy that would compel the reduction Of
wages to the general standard in Europe? The
d., ortx had rad IN In n.