Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-08-10
THE FREE TRADE CRY BROKEN
DOWN,

The High Tariff through thick-and-thin
never-say-d die Republican journals, like
our neighbor the Virginian, who, regard
less of the many past pledges of their party
to revise and equalize the tariff, started
out cheering the new programme and
advocating the Chicago platform position
of no abatement In the tariff, are in an
awkward situation. The Chicago platform
took a new departure and swore that it
would ''neyer, never desert" the Mr.. Mi
cawber of High Tariff; they would give
free whiskey first. Any meddling with the
tariff was Free Trade, and he was traitor
to American industry who wasn't loyal to
the present plan of SHINING the farmer,
in favor of Treasury surplus and the
monopolist. The plan of campaign was
for a lugubrious howl over the ruin of
American labor and fierce denuncia-
ton of any reform in the tariff as a Free
Trade" measure. This plan has collapsed
and left its advocates in an awkward fix.
That great political party should enter
campaign to oppose reform, with no
plan, no proposition, no suggestion even,
to offer the people instead of it. and mere
ly sounding old party cries and cheering on
the old ideas, was an affront to the intel
ligence of the people. But that it should
give the people as an only alternative the
choice between keeping up the old OPP
pressive taxation, the fruits of which had
been gigantic strikes among the laboring
classes, and distressing prices for the
products of the farmland taking
free whiskey-was still worse. The public
sentiment rose against such situation.
It's remonstrances were met by the cry Of
''Free Trade" The situation was delight
full while it lasted. Nothing could be easier
to run than campaign with an empty
howl substituted for argument But it
could not last. The movement of the
American people towards reduced taxa
tion is too tremendous, to be stayed by
such chaff.
The Republicans of the House having
nothing to offer the people, took their stand
on the present tariff tax and trusted in
the blindness of the American people and
the strength of the lungs of the Republican
party who were screaming at their antag-
onists 'Free Trade" They did not un-
derstand the temper of the people. So
badly mistaken were some of them that,
like Mr.. Yost of Virginia, they preferred
to increase the tariff tax instead of reduc-
ing it. 1t all was to go under the name of
LtprOfoatiny ~ 0nd tho 1uhnlo nop OF inn
was to be trusted to luck and what con-
tributions the manufacturers would
{ make. But the practical Republican man
ufacturers of the country were frightened
at this folly of their party. They appre-
hended,as many more apprehended, that if
this demand of the people for reduced tax
alton were resisted, and the resistance was
made under the mask of "Protection,"
that the people would retaliate by rising
in their angry strength and sweeping away
not only High Tariff, but real Protection
with it. The Democrats had offered the
country the Mills Bill, reducing the taxa
ton by Seventy Eight Millions; the Re
publican party offered the country moth
ing. The s'Home Market Club'' of Mas
sachusetts, addressed through Senator
Hoar, communication to the Republican
Senators begging that tariff bill should
be framed in that body to 60 before the
people. But even before this, remonstran-
ces were received from the Western States
and other Eastern States. A conference
of Republican Senators was called at the
home of Senator Evarts, and the PROPOSE
ton of a new tariff bill was advocated by
Senators Allison Of Iowa, Hiscock of New