The Osceola times., 1888-09-22


neglect the grave interests that ere involved
for them. The assault upon our protective
system 10 open and defiant. Protection Il a..
sailed rs unoons stitutional In law or % vicious
In principle, and those who hold such views
sincerely, can not stop short OF an absolute
elimination from our tariff laws Of the princi-
pie OF protection. The Mills bill ls only step,
but 1t IL toward an object that Tie leaders Of
Democratic thought and legislation have clear.
" In mind. The important question 10 not 90
much the length of the step IS the direction Of
H. Judged by the Executive message Of De-
eember last; by the Mills bill; by the debates
n Congress, and BY the st. Louis platform, the
Democratic party will n supporteA BY the
country, place ths tsrih laws upon purely
revenue bssia This IL practical free.
trade-free-trade In the English sense.
The legend upon the banner may
not be Free Trade"-it mag be the
more Obscure motto, "Tarin Reform" but
neither the banner nor the inscription 10
conclusive, or, indeed, 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 oon-
sumer. and that the price Of the domestic
competing article Is enhanced TO the amount OF
tho duty on the imported article; that every
million of dollars collected for customs duties
represents many millions more which do not
as the increased cost Of domes tic productions
resulting from the tarir laws may not intend
TO discredit In the minds OF others our system
Of levying duties on competing for
sign products, but IL IL clearly al
ready discredited In their own. We
can not doubt, without impu gning their
integrity that, If free TO act upon their convic.
tions, they would so revise our laws as to lay
the burdens OF the customs revenue upon arti.
ala hal arr N ~ nal m nd
place upon the free list all competing foreign
products. do not stop 10 reiute this theory
rs to the effect OF our tarif duties Those who
advance II are students of maxims and not Of
the markets. They may be safely allowed to
call their project Tariff Reform" II the people
understand that in the end the argument COM
Dels free trade in all competing products.
This end may not be reached abruptly, and its
approach may be accompanied with some ex-
pressions Of sympathy for our prote tied indus.
tries and our working people, but 1t will GER
tainly come, II these early steps do not arouse
the people TO effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that o protective
tari6 is constitutional, wholesome and mecca.
sary. We do not offer lxed schedule, but o
principle. We will revise the schedule, modl.
fy rates, but always with an Intelligent provi-
sion as TO the effect upon domestic production
and the wages Of our working people. We be-
iieve 1t to be one of the worthy objects OF tariff
legislation TO preserve the American market
for American producers. and to maintain tbs
American scale OF wages by adequate discrim-
mating duties upon foreign competing prod.
ucts The effect OF lower rates and larger i'm
portations upon the public revenue is contin.
gent and doubtful; but not so the effect upon
American production and American wages
Less work and lower wages must be accepted
as the inevitable result OF the increased Offer
ing OF foreign goods N our market BY way Of
recompense for this reduction in his wages and
the loss OF the American market, IL Is suggest
ed that the diminished wages OF the working
man will have an undiminished purchasing
power, and that he will be able TO make up for
the loss OF the home market by an enlarged
foreign market
Our workingmen have the settlement Of the
question in their own hands. They now OBJ
tain higher wages and live more &C onfortaby
than those OF any other country. They wilt
make choice between the substantial advan-
sages they have in hand and the deceptive
promises and forecasts OF these theorizing re-
formers. They will decide for themselves and
for the country whether the protective system
shall be continued or destroyed. The fact OF
treasury surplus, the amount of which is va
riously stated, has directed public attention to
a consideration Of the methods by which the
National income may best be reduced to the
level Of a wise and necessary expenditure.
This condition has been seized upon by those
who are hostile to protective customs duties as
an advantageous base OF attack upon our tarlff
laws. They have magnified and nursod the
surplus which they afect 10 deprscate, seem.
ingly for the purpose of exagsersting the evil,
In order to reconcile the people to the extreme
remedy they propose. A proper reduction OF
the revenues does not necessitate, and should
not suggest the abandonment or impair.
ment Of the protective system. The methods
suggested by our convention VIII not need TO
be exhausted in order TO effect the necessary
reduction We are not likely Z, be called
upon, think, to make q present choice be-
tween the surrender OF the protective system
and the entire repeal OF the internal taxes
Such q contingency In view OF the present re-
lstion OF expenditures 10 revenues, is remote
The inspection ahd regulation Of the manu-
facture and sale OF oleomsrgarine Is important,
and the revenue derived from II Is not So great
that the repeal OF the law need enter into any
plan OF revenue reduction. The surplus now In
the treasury should be used In the purchase OF
bonds The law authorizes this use OF IL, and
II IL is not needed for current or deficiency ap-
preparations, the people, and not the banks IN
which II has been deposited, should have the
sdyantage OF Its use by stopping interest upon
the public debt. Al least those who needlessiy
hoard Il should not be allowed 70 use the fear
OF a monetary stringency, thus produced, to
eoerce public sentiment upon other questions
Closely connected with the subject Of the
tarld is that Of the importation OF foreign labor
ers under contracts pf service 70 be performed
here. The NV nowriu foroe prohibiting such
coutucts received my cordial support In The
oN1tA ~ sVnA sn1n1nAsn = ~ n lagaa