The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-10
THE FREE TRADE HAND SHOWN.
rcoNTrNrrrn FROM FIRST PAGEl

Democrats gave New York and New Jersey
and Connecticut to Mr.. Cleveland, who, in
return, has delivered them bound hand and
foot to those who sought their destruction.
The same scene is now attempted on larg..
er stage. The protectionist democrats OF
the House of Representatives have been de-
livered over to their foes without even
recommendation to mercy. Can the same
thing be done with the protectionist Demo-
Gratis of the country? That depends entirely
upon whether they have closed their eyes or
opened them.
Platforms are usually glittering generali-
ties specific only as to the past and nebulous
as to the future. They are ordinarily meant
TO mask aggressive designs and yet to uti-
lie the timid. or such character was the
platform OF 1884 Ii you emphasized one
branch Of the antithesis you sounded for
Free Trade; If the other, your voice was
for Protection. But this year there is
small choice of sounds. The platform must
be interpreted by Cleveland,s message: The
emphasis must be on Free Trade. 1t is true
that worthy message towards the close tried
a few clauses on the other side; but when
man knocks you down, even II he says he
would not hurt you for the world, the blow
Is apt to be more impressive than the word.
When also the convention, not satisfied with
approving message that stiffened the price
of British iron, endorsed and sustained the
bill now before the House of Representatives
the world can well understand why Mr.. Ed
ward Cooper and perhaps Mr.. Hewitt should
stand aghast at the Frankenstein monster
they had helped to raise. Whatever doubt
could remain in the mind of protecti0nist
Democrat the plain tendencies Of the con-
vention ought to remove. That wing Of the
party which for six years had organized the
House of Representatives, which for six
years has refused even the lowest place on
the committee which shapes the business
destines OF the country to any member who
sympathized with Mr.. Randall or his views,
were in full control of the great national as
Sembly OF the party. And they were rightly
in control. for they were in great majority.
The office holding power of the AdministIa-
ton was put to such unspaTing use that even
Pennsylvania, whose Democrats have never
before faltered in the cause they deemed for
obeisance to the new idol. Can any man
with eyes doubt as to what this thing is
which he sees?
To make assurance doubly sure let him
turn to the proceedings of the House of Rep
resentatives, proceedings which have had the
endorsement of the st. Louis convention. A
tariff bill represents the business interests
of the whole country. 1t affects him who
manufactures and him who consumes. No
man Is so rich as to escape its influence, or
too poor to suffer by its errors. Enterprise
awaits its fiat, capital hangs on its delibera-
ton, and labor unemployed suffers the paral-
ysis of its delay. Surely If any legislation
needs the sanction of open day, the scrutiny
OF sunlight, 1t is tariff bill. Yet, even to
this day, the place where the present bill
was formed is as secret as the burial place of
Moses. After 1t saw daylight not one single
interest affected was permitted to appear and
defend its position. Capital and labor, and
even their representatives on the floor, were
alike shut out. Nothing but secret inter-
views have been allowed, and what tram
spires at those interviews DO protectionist,
Democrat or Republican has been allowed
TO know. The bill is thoroughly and essen
TALLY geographical. Where democracy has
sway the knife skins lightly. Where the
other side Is represented the knife goes to
the hllt. Salt Is on the free list, rice is left
with duty of IS to 100 per cent. There is
another feature which demands the atten-
ton of thinking men. The newspapers
that some Of the heaviest tariff taxes have
been restored where Democratic representa-
tives would be disconnected. In other words
Industries have been treated with favor or dis
favor on account of their politics. What the
Free Traders so frequently call in debate the
privileged classes" have been continued in
their privileges" If Democrats come from
their districts and refused If they do not.
Can 1t be possible that people who would
not suffer that clerkships, mere government
clerkships, should be bestowed for political
services, and made great uprising against
the practice, will permit the business of the
country, the industries of whole people to
be farmed out as the reward of party fealty.
and distributed as recognitions of party sue
cess? Nothing like this has ever before
happened in the history of this country.
Let me briefly call attention of your read
ers to another aspect of the case which still
further illustrates what will be the final out
come OF these proceedings. Everybody
Congress this session comes from the
surplus What the country really de-
mands is reduction of surplus.
BY skillful machinery the pressure from this
source has been transferred to the tariff. The
people have no quarrel with the tariff. No
petitions show restlessnesS. 0public meet
lngs testify to any sense of oppression. If
the party in power would introduce such
measure as would reduce the surplus and
leave unaffected the business of the country,
the surplus would disappear as rapidly as
does the public building bill of an enemy of
the administration under the Executive veto.
There has been no moment of time since the
opening of the session when bill could
have been defeated which took thirty mill
lions from tobacco, six from alcohol used in
the arts, and either twelve or twenty-five
millions from sugar, had the majority pre-
sented it. Nay, not even two-thirds vote
would have been refused. The government
might for the six months lastlpast have taken
at the rate of forty-eight to fifty-four millions
less per year than now.
But the men in control care nothing for the
surplus, except as means to an end. They
are looking beyond to-day. Using the tao
ties OF the sklllful lawyer who calls many
witnesses to prove an uncontested fact, In
order to conceal the lack of evidence on the
point really at issue, they may choose in
speeches, as did Mr.. Speaker Carlisle, to Law
great emphasis on the surplus, but that is
only to beguile the unwary. To them the
issue Is not surplus but tariff. They calcu-
lated that the effect of the bill will be two
fold. They believe that whatever they put
on the free list will bring them recruits for
the assaults OF the future; that the lumber
men and saltmen and woolmen, If themselves
denied the markets of America, will unite
with their enemies of to-day to deny those
markets to others, and that they will thus
march over the ruins of the industries of the
far North to newer victories, aided by the
people of the countries already conquered.
But some one may ask what pretense they
will have in the future. Their bill once
passed. will they not be satisfied? This only
shows how little communication there is
from the place where laws are made to the
people who are governed by them. Not a
day passes but some friend of the present
bill in the House, amid the loud plaudits of
his associates, proclaims that this is only a
step in advance, only step in the right d.
rection,. only turning of the face to the sun
light. But If you ask me what excuse they
will have before the people, | answer, the
very one they have now. Whatever losses
the Treasury will have from the free list,
will, II the present bill should be carried as it
now stands, be made up by the increased
amounts collected from the increased i'm
portations which this very bill is intended to