Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-09-13

campaign. I appreciate very highly the conf
dence and respect manifested by the conven-
ton and accept the nomination with feeling
Of gratitude and full sense of the responsible
ties which accompany 1t.
1t is a matter Of congratulation that the
declarations of the Chicago convention upon
the questions that now attract the attention OF
our people are so clear and emphatic. There
is further cause Of congratulation in the fact
that the convention utterances Of the Demo
cratic party, II in any decree uncertain or con-
Trajectory. can now be judged and interpreted
by executive acts and messages and by definite
propositions in legislation. This is especially
true Of what is popularity known as the tariff
question The issue can not now be obscured.
1t is not contest between schedules but be-
tween wide apart principles. The foreign com.
petitors for our market have with quick instinct
seen how one issue Of this contest may bring
them advantage and our own people are not so
dull as to miss or neglect the great interests
that are involved for them.
The assault upon our protective system is
open and defiant Protection is assailed as un-
constitutional in law or as vicious in princiule.
ard those who hold such views sincerely can
not stop short OF an absolute elimination from
our tariff laws Of the principle Of protection.
The Mills bill is only STEP but il is towards an
OBJECT that the leaders OF Democratic thought
and legislation have clearly in mind The i'm
portant question is not so much the length of
the step as the direction of it. Judged by the
executive message Of December last by the
Mills bill, by the debates in Congress and bv
the st. Louis platform, the Democratic party
viii, II supported by the country place the
tariff laws upon apurely revenue basis This is
practical free trade-free trade in the English
sense. The legend upon the banner NAV not
be free trade" it may be the most obscure
motto. tariff reform" but neither the banner
&c
very important The assault itself is the i'm
portant fact.
Those who teach that the import duty upon
foreign goods sold In our market is paid bv the
consumer and that the price Of the domestic
competing article is enhanced 20 the amount Of
the duty on the imported mrticle-that every
million OF dollars collected for customs duties
represents many millions more which do not
reach the treasury, but are paid by our citizens
as the increased. cost OF domestic productions
resulting from the tariff laws-may not intend
TO discredit in the minds Of others our system
OF levying duties on competing foreign pro-
ducts, but it is clearly already discredited IN
their own We can not doubt, without impupu-
ing their integrity, that, If free to act upon
their convictions, they would so revise our laws
as 10 lay the burden OF the customs revenue
upon articles that are not produced in this
country and 70 place upon the free list ALI
competing foreign products
do not stop 70 refute this theory as 70 the
effect Of our tariff duties Those VINO advance
it are students OF mafms and not OF the mar.
kets. They may be safely allowed to call their
project tariff reform. If the people understand
that In the end the argument compels free
trade in all competing products This end NAV
not be reached abruptly and its approach NAV
be accompanied with some expressions of svu
patty for our protected industries and our
working people but it viii certainly com n
these early steps do not arouse the people 20
effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that protective
tarin is constitutional wholesome and neces-
sary. We do not offer fixed schedule. but a
principle. We viii revise the schedule. modify
rates, but always with an intelligent provision
as to the effect upon domestic production and
the wages Of our working people. We believe
# 10 be one of the worthy objects Of tariff lepis
lation TO preserve the American market for
American producers and 20 maintain the Amer
lean scale OF wages by adequate discriminating
duties uyon foreign competing products. The
effect Of lower rates and larger importa-
lions upon the public revenue is
contingent and doubtful, but not so the
efect upon American production and
American wages. Less work and lower
wages must be accepted as the newt
able result OF the increased offering of foreign
goods in cur market BY way OF recompense
for this reduction in his wages and the loss Of
the AMERICAN market It Is suggested TIM tbs.