The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-08-25
THURMAN AMI MCKINLEY.

The Inter- Ocean, remarking that the
only public speeches of the week attract
ing general attention we're those Of Judge
Thurman and the Georgia Chautauqua
speech of Maj. Mckinley, attempts to con-
trast these speeches unfavorably to Judge
Thurman by asserting that he had pooh.
pooled the tariff question as "all humbug,"
while Maj Mckinley fittingly recognized
It's overshadowing Importance.
But the assertion about Judge Thurman
pooh pooling the tariff question as all
humbug IL a deliberate falsehood. What
he did say was, that Of all the many at
tempts he had witnessed In his day to hum
bug the American people, this preteDsion
that q high protective tariff was for the
benefit Of the lsboring man, was the great
est humbug. This is something very diff
ferent from ridiculing the tariff question
as humbug, and that he meant nothing Of
the sort was evidenced by the fact that his
great speech at Port Huron next day was
almost entirely devoted to the tariff ques-
ton.
Further pretending TO contrast the
speeches of the two men, the Inter Ocean
asserts that Judge Thurman, In his hours
speech devoted to the tariff, took position
as radical as that of Frank Hurd or Henry
Watterson," while Maj. Mckinley treated
the question as "a statesman In the mastery
of Its principles and their practical appli,
cation" Let us see:
Judge Thurman took his stand upon the
Mills bill, insisting that Its reductions of
the tariff were moderate, wise and timely.
They were mainly upon articles not pro-
duced In this country or raw materials, and
where any of our home manufacturers
were affected, the free raw materials giuen
them more than compensated for the re
duction on their products. Our manufac'
turers, instead of being injured, would
thus be stimulated to increased production,
and this would bring increased demand for
labor and higher wages. And this Is the
whole democratic case;
Free raw materials make low cost of
product; low cost of product makes in
crease of markets; increase Of markets
makes increased demand for goods; In
creased demand for goods makes increased
demand for employment, and increased
demand for employment makes increase of
wages"
On the other hand, Maj Mckinley, in
his "masterly treatment of the tariff ques'
ton and its principles In their practical
application" is quoted as giving forth the
following utterance;
The duty is to be imposed upon the for
eign competing product, that is, the product
which, If brought into this country, would
contend with the products OF our own soil,
our own labor, and our own factories In our
own markets. Under this system, II the
foreign producer would enter our market
with competing product, he must contrib
ute something for the privilege which he
Is to enjoy, and this something, In the form
OF duties, goes Into the treasury, furnish
Ing revenue to the government; and these
duties operate TO protect the joint product
of labor and capital against like foreign
product
Except that this attempts to carry the
absurd and long since exploded idea that
the foreign producer and not the home
consumer pays the duty" or tax levied on
foreign goods, the tariff here described Is
exactly what IL known as purely revenue
tariff with incidental" questionable
peculiar abomination Of the republican
high tariff moDgers. This tariff contem,
plates steady imp ration, yielding revenue
TO the government, incidentally" protect