Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-08-25
A AEvIEw OF HISTORY.
fhe Record OF RepubIIcanism rn.,
cohfounds Them Now,

year Is an appeal for prohibitory taxation
on All foreign products aud manufactures
lhat compete with those of the United
STATES aud denunciati0n Of any promo.
sill0h Tor revision Of the tariff. The
declaration Is explicitly made that before
any farm taxes are reduced the internal
revenue system should be repealed and
whisky made free.
We have recently shown thar this
theory Is an entirely new one In the Re.
publican party, for which no warrant Il
Iouha 10 lis own records, and which Is
contrary 10 the authorized sayings and
dt"ings Of It's representative men including
~ candidates for president and vice pres.
idrnL
The most complete exposition of the
entire Inconsistency and insineerity OF the
present Feaetionary attitude of the Re.
publican party is afforded by the proceed.
ings OF the tariff commission Of 1882 We
referred 10 the letter OF BENJAMIN Harrj.
son Inited States Senator, approving The
doings and purposes IL that Commission
and urging the necessity 0f tariff revision,
What was II that Harrison and the Re.
publican party thus explicitly approved !
Tie conditions and purposes which
controlled the action Of that commission
are suecincily stated in the following ex.
tract from the fifth page Of lis report 10
The Speaker Of The House OF Representa-.
lives. as follows
Early ~ its deliberations the commis.
sion became convinced that substantial
reduction II tariff duties Is demanded. NOT
by & mere indlsefiminaIe popular clamor,
but by the best conservative opinion OF
The country. including that which has In
former times been most strenuous for the
preservation Of our national industrial
drfenses Such reduction Of the exist.
ing IaIiif the commission regards as NOT
only due recognition Of public senti.
meBi and 4 measure Of justice TO consum-
ers, but one conducive 10 the general in
dastfial prosperity. and which. though II
may be temporarily incohyenicnt, will be
ultimately beneficial TO the special inter.
ests selected by such reduction !"
No Democratic platform has put the
necessity OF intelligent tariff revision
more strongly than this statement The
report enlarges upon the damage done %
The Industries aud commerce OF the coun.
Try BY excessive duties uninlelllgently
imposed, using the following strong Ian
guage
mo rates OF defensive duties. excep,
for lhc establishment OF new industries
which more than equAlize the conditions
Of labor aud capital with those OF foreign
competitors, can be justified Excessive
duties ~ those shove such standard OF
equalization. arr positively Injurious 10
The interests which they are supposed Ia
benefit They encourage the inyeiimeni
~ capital 10 manufacturing enterprise by
rash and unskiilrd spscllators 10 be fol.
lowed b. disaster 10 the adventures and
their employees. and plethora Of com.
modiilcs which drrAnees the operations
81 skilled and prudent enterprise Nh,
mrEpHs examples Of such disaster and de,
engagements occurred during and shortly
after excessively protective periods 81 the
late war. when tariff duties were enhanc-
ci by the rsics Of foreign exchange and
premiums upon gold. Excessive duties,
generally. OF exceptionally high duties Ia
particular eases, discrrdit our whole ma
llonsl economic system aud furnish
plausible arguments for lis complete sub,
version
The recommendations and findings OF
this commission were concurred Ia by all
lie members They all signed the report
from which the above extracts are made.
The commissioners were Mr.. John l.
HAYES. . special representative OF the
wool interests; Mr.. Henry W. Oliver. Jr.
~ Pit,shnrg. great ironmaster and
prominent Republican: Mr.. Robert r
Porter, uou secretary ot the Republican
Protective Tariff league. aud MessrS A.
~ Garland. J. A Amber, ]. w. Under
wnoa. Alexander r. Botelcr and Duncan
r. kenner, all gentlemen II special cx'
pcriencc aud information regarding
branches Of industries affected by tariff
Constituted by an act originating In the
Republican House Of Representatives
The tariff commission was a Republican
body. and an lis conclusions were reach.
"a by the voters Of Its Republican mem
hers. who constituted a majority.
The inquiry conducted by this body
commenced with the session at Washing
ton. on the 9th Of July 1889. and closed,
"a far a. public hearings were concerned,
on the I4ib % October II visited nearly
an the large cities Of the country, except.
ing those OF the Gulf States. where az
endemic prevailed and held forty one
public sessions for taking sworn evidence
of manufacturer and experts Its con
illusions we're irresisiibly forced on re
luctnpt minds hy the pressure Of truth,
which was 20 strong that unwilling eyes
could not be shut to t. Aud yet, the in
ouiry thus constituted. thus preiudiccd.
ended in n recommendation for revision
az the tariff far more radical and exicn'
sive than the one proposed in the House
az Representatives The object OF the
commission was precisely that afterwari
described In the Democratic platform OF
1884. ito revise the tariff In spirit OF
fairness 20 all interests
Were the tariff commission of 1889 and
The H,nse of Representatives that passed
the hill 10 authorize II free tradersf
Roth simply reached the conclusion IN
ayi,able on any responsible examination
which is that for the sake Of the indus.
tries Of the country. for the sake OF
American labor, ia order that IT may be
really protected aud have a chance TO en-
lev The benefits of that protection, the
aysiem OF war taxation must be inteiil'
gently remodcled. and the financial con
gesaion resulting from plethora OF the
people's money In tho public treasury re-
iieved. =,
Tho record OF 1882 made by the he.
puhlicans In Congress and by the com.
ne,eat body they constituted exposes and