The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-09-20

ecutive acts and messages, and by definite
propositions in legislation. This is especially
true OF what ie popularity known as the tariff
question. The issue cannot now be OBJ
gcured It is not a contest between sched-
ules, but between wide-apart principles.
The foreign competitors Of our marketh have,
with quick instinct, seen how one issue Of
this contest may bring them advantage, and
our own people are not SO dull as to miss or
neglect the grave interests That are involved
for them. The assault upon our protective
system Is open and defiant. Protection is
assa.led as unconstitutional in law, or aa
vicious In principle, and those who hold such
views sincerely cannot stop short of an elm
ination from our tariff laws of the prin-
ciple Of protection. The Mills bill is only q
step. but it is toward an object thar the lead
ers Of Democratic thought and legislation
have clearly In mind.
m III IMPORTANT QUESTION
Il not so much the length Of the step as tile
direction Of it. Judged by the executive mes
sage Of December last, by the Mills bill, ny
the debates In congress and by the st. Louis
platform, the Democratic party will, ii sup
ported by the country, play the tariff laws
upon q purely revenue basis. This Ia prac-
ideally free lrade-free trade in the English
sense. The legend upon the banner may not
be Free Trade;;"e it may be the more obscure
motto, sTaiiff Reform" but neither the ban
ner nor the inscription is conclusive, OF, in
deed very Important The assault itself is the
Important fact. Those who teach that the
import duty upon foreign goods sold in our
market is paid by the consumer, and that the
price Of the domestic competing article is en-
HANGED to the amount of the duty or Inn
ported articles-that every million Of dol
lars collected for customs : duties
represents many millions more which
do not reach the treasury, but are
paid by our citizens as the in
creased cost Of domestic productions result
ing from the tariff laws-may not intend to
discredit in the minds Of others our system
of levying duties or competing foreign
products, but it ia clearly already discredited
In their own. We annot doubt, without
lmpugning their integrity, that il free to act
upon their own convictions, they would so
revise our laws as to lay the burden Of the
customs revenue upon articles that are not
produced in this country and to place upon
the flee list all competing foreign products.
/ do not stop to refute this theory as to the
effect of our tariff duties. Those who adj
vance 1t are students of maxims n not of
the markets. They may BIO safely allowed
to call their project starif reform" II the
people understand that in the end the argu-
ment colnpels free trade in all competing
products This enc may not be reached alb
ruptly, and its approach may be accom-
panied with some expressions 'of sympathy
for our protected industries and our working
people, but it will certainly come if To-
curly steps do not arouse The
effective resistance.
NOT 4 scasd
! ! : ; : :! !! !! : ! :! :! !! : ! ! ! ! ! !
Nie, wise the
schedJ 0Nulways with an
tntelliJ AS to the erect upon
domes Dodcrion and the wages of our
working people. We believe it to pc one OF
the worthy objects Of tariff legislation to
preserve the American market for American
producers, and to maintain the American
scale OF wages, by adequate. discriminating
duties upon foreign competing products
TIL effect Of lower rates and larger importa-
lions upon the public revenue is contingent
and doubtful, but not 30 the effect
upon American production and American
wages. Less work and lower wages must De
accepted as the inevitable result OF the In
creased Offering Of foreign goodsi in our mar
ket BY way OF recompense fgE this reduc-
don In his wages, and the losso the Anleri-
can market, 1t is suggested that the dimin-=
ished wages Of the working man will have
m undiminfshed purchasing power. md
that he will be able to make up for the loss
Of che home market by an enlarged foreign
market Our workingmen ave the settle
at Of the question In their own hands
They now obtain higher Maage and live more
comfortably than those Of any other coun-
try. They will make choice between the
stbstantial advantages they have IN hand
and the, deceptive promises and forecasts OF
those thorizing politicians They will decide
for themselves and for the country whether
the protective system shall be continued or
destroyed The fact of
Il TREASURY SURPLUS,
she amount Of which Is ~variously stated, has
directed public attention to q consideration
Of the methods by which the national income
may best be reduced to a level Of awise and
necessary expenditure. This consideration
has been seized upon by those who are hos
tila TO protective custom duties MS an advan-
tapeous base Of attack upon our tariff laws
They hare magnified and nursed the surplus,
which Their affect to 5deprecate, seemingly
for the purpose of exaggerating the evilin
order to reconcile the people to the extreme
remedy they propose. a proper reduction
sc the revenue does not neceesitate ond
should not suggest the abandonment or Inn
psirrnent or the protectlvQ system. me
methods suggested by our convention VIII
not need til Be exhausted III order to effect
tha recommendation. We are not likely