The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-08-23
A TARlFF TALK.
How the Democrats are Hedging on the
Issue.

How the Democrats are Hedging on the
Issue.
The Independent has secured some OF
our leading statesmen and thinkers to
discuss the tariff question for the benefit
of its wide circle OF readers. In the
issue Of August 0 Hon. Thomas B. Reed,
of Maine, has an interesting article,
from which we take the following tariff
talk:
"The friends OF the President, looking
at the Oregon elections and seeing also
other like signs in the heavens, have
now become alarmed, and Mr.. Mills
himself after having delivered four years
ago pointed declaration in favor OF
free Trade, calling it by its very name,
and Just after having been examined
personally by Henry George and pro:
nounced Free Trade from the base up
has been constrained to go to New York
and declare that no Democrat wishes
Free Trade
1.-THE newspapers OF his party also
now are full OF disclaimers. They take
refuge in the doctrine OF percentage, and
declare that it is cruel to charge them
with free trade when they only take of
seven per cent and leave forty. This
doctrine OF percentage is a mere juggle
with figures, us ! shall show. 1t has
had great vogue, for both parties have
used il. 1t was presented early in the
debate and the Democratic figures were
taken by their opponents, because the
then Democratic doctrine announced by
all their speeches was that protection
forced the people to pay 81 100000, 900 to
manufacturers in order to give the
Treasury Sl00,000,0O0 Of revenue, and
was, therefore, system OF robbery
To which the quick and uncomfortable
answer came: II this be robbery why
do you still sanction what you say is
forty per cent OF robbery?'
"This percentage, therefore, seems to
have the sanction OF both parties, where
us it is only the assertion OF one. Now,
however, since the Presidents friends
are trying to claim that their retention
OF forty per cent shows them to be the
real original friends OF protection, it is
time to call attention to this fallacy and
to show how this percentage doctrine is
managed. It's time TO show what they
call merely u seven per cent reduction
really is. Some articles We use much of.
OF others we use very little. In this
new doctrine OF percentages quantity
plays no part. fannie acid ut 1877 per
cent, OF which we use ounces, counts rs
much us metals ut IS per cent, OF which
we use thousands OF tons. We import
500 worth Of the acid and $l6,000,000
worth OF metals.
anybody can see the folly Of adding
these percentages together and saying
that the average Protection on fannie
acid and the metals is III per cent. And
yet Just in that way is the sleight OF
hand percentage doctrine unanswered.
A better test is in the very figures
which Mr.. Mills furnishes in his last
speech, July 81, in the table ut the end.
The total duties collected in 1887, on the
articles named in the bill, were $40, 74l,-
S30.7l. The amount OF duties RENTED
by this bill is S50,5Ol ,G36SO, or more
than twenty-eight per cent. Even this
statement does not show the extent OF
the disaster, for it shows only an aver
age after all. Some articles are not
much more than twenty-eight per cent,
and the whole free list, from its very
nature, is stripped to the extent OF 100
per cent.
GLOW severe is the attack on our in
dustries the length OF the five minutes
debate on the items-which extended
over weeks full Of very long days-is the
best witness. For most of the time was
occupied on the Republican side, and it
was occupied not in speeches for delay,
but naturally and for the most part in
explanation OF the injury each item
would intict upon the industries OF the
country" .