The St. Johns herald., 1888-08-02
The Free Trade BugabOO.

supported by Clay and Webster endorsed by all the protectionists of that day, and was declared by the Sage of Ashland to be a tempo rary expedient to place American manufactures upon a solid basis, so that in few years they could com pete with the world in the markets of the world. In the session of 1S61-2, when Mir. Morrill, brought forward a tariff bill fixing the ave rage duties at B per cent, he stated 1t was necessary, as war measure, and that duties should be reduced as soon as the exigencies of the na- tion would permit. In 1868 the Republican party declared that the tariff should be reduced as fast as needs of government would al- low. In 1882 President Arthur re- commended a reduction of the tar if; tariff commission, a majority of whom were Republicans, recom- mended a reduction of the war tar if of from 20 to 25 per cent. When, however, MT. Morrison, in the 49th session of Congress, proposed re- duction in conformity with the re- port of the commission to the pre- vious Congress, he was met with the united opposition of Republicans. At the present Congress, when an excessive revenue is taken from the people of 1OO,OOO,OOO of dollars more than is required for the ex- penses of government, Mr M Ills and the Democrats in Congress propose to take off a little of the war taxes to tighten the burdens laid upon the farming and producing classes, and the entire Republican press denounces the posposition as an attempt to fasten free trade upon the country-to reduce the wages of labor to the European standard. It should be remembered that un- der the manipulation of the rich mans party at the suggestion of the lumber kings and iron and coal barons of the east, the war tariff of 1861 has grown until now twenty three years after the war has closed, it stands at 47.10 per cent, covering more than 5000 articles of com merce. Twelve per cent higher than the war tariff of Merrill, IA per cent higher than the protective tariff of 1842. The Democrats propose to reduce it to 40 per cent and are charged with being free traders.
 Forty-fve years ago labor entered much more largely into the cost of manufacturing than it does to-day. Improved machinery has reduced the employment of labor, one man does the work of eight or ten forty years ago. To the cost of steel rails at the Edgar Thompson Steel Rail Works, labor is S4.09 or 1925 per cent. yet the duty is, under the present tariff, S5 per cent, that cost 26 70 per ton is 37 5Oper ton. The Mills bill makes the duty 60 Fer cent, which proved greater pro- fit of $S per ton to the poor manu- facturer. The duties of woolens are so per cent, the labor cost in production is 20 per cent. Demo- crats propose to give them the raw material free and reduce the duty | on manufactured wool to 40 per cent. This does not look like free trade. The truth of the matter is, the trusts have a mortgage on the Republican party, and any attempt to relieve the people from the ex- actions of the robber tariff will | meet the determined opposition of every monopolist in the country, from Steve Elkins, the land grab Der, to Andrew Carnegie, the iron | kil.g; from the peanut trust to the standard oil company. They are links of the same sausage, held to- gether by the cohesive desire of