The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-29
He Thinks 1t Has Wandered Away from the
Teachings of Its Old Leaders and Is Now
Seeking to Destroy Cur Industries.
Senator Spooner Captures the Biggest
Gathering of the Season at Marion.
How the Campaign Is Progressing in Various
Portions of the State-Democrats Mas
querading in Republican Disguise.
MIR. BRIDGES AND THE TARIFF.

Some of the Reasons that Impellsd Him to
Leave Democracy and Support Protection.
d. c. Bridges, who has all his life been On act
i've worker in behalf of Democracy. addressed
the citizens of Greencsstle, last Thursday night.
in response to an invitation, aud gave his rsa-
sons for no longer afiliating with that party
He thought there was an issue at stake in the
coming election that demanded every man 70
rise above party aud work for the welfare snd
prosperity OF his country. The tariff question
was o matter that would effect generations to
come. but 1t particularly OF interest TO the
children now growing up. He had heretofore
been stanch Democrat, often voting with the
party even when it advocated measures he
did not approve, but the time had ar
rived when its leaders were wandering away
from the teachings of Washington, jefferson.
Franklin, Hamilton, jackson, and others, and
were following after strange gods-enemies to
the doctrine of ''protsction to American inter-
ssts.' 1t was not so much . fact that be had
left the Democratic parry as it once stood, ~ it
was that they have drifted of with the Calhoun
faction, which in 1892 thrsatenedrto seceede M
less CONGRESS would agree to repeal the protect
i've tariff law Of that day. Because he could
not consistently follow this wing Of the party
he had been called boltsr. o mugwump, black
Republican, and other names. DIR. Bridges then
appealed to his audience to divest itself Of party
prejudice. as far possible. and act like men in
this contest For himself. he thought the Re-
publican party of to-day more nearly advocated
the principles for which he was contepdinR. and
he would therefore support its standard-bearer.
General Ben Harrison. Recurring to the
questions OF the hour. Mr.. Bridges proceeded to
show the effects Of tariff policy upon the IA
borer, the farmer and the wealth of the country
at large. He said
''It Is through the farmer, manufacturer and
other employers of labor that the price Of labor
must be determined. IL our NATIONAL or State
laws are Of such q character as to seriously re-
duce and render extremely uncertain the in
come from capital invested in the muluplied
industries tbroughout the United States,
then ir will necessarily work hard
ship upon labor also. for You know
that IL the manufacturer or farmer
Is losing money or not receiving any returns
upon capital invested, then he must. necessarily,
cut the wages of those he employs. There
fore. can you not see that by the adoption Of
the present policy of the Democratic party as
shown by the passage Of the Mills bill By the
lower houss-the effect or which would De to
greatly stimulate importation OF foreign prod
ucts which would take the place of that which
cause a serious reduction in wages and throw
out of employment q large number of factory
operatives In this countryi And evil effects
would not stop here. Thousands having thus
been DISCHARGED from the manufactures they
would be forced to drift into agriculture,
and instead or being consumers they
would become producers Of farm products.
and very ipevitsbly resulting in
over-production, eluttine both the homo and
foreign market with all kinds Of grains, bread
stuffs and meats to be disposed of at ruinous
prices. OF course. Are our farmers favorably
disposed toward such q change of conditionsi
think not And still this is certainly q plain
matter-of-fact statement Of just what we may
expect by pureuine that policy. Aud yet We
are told that the tariff does not afford any pro-
lection to the farmer or laborer. We have but
to compare the price current or all commodities
and labor and the general Development Of the
country during perioGs OF comparatively free
trade with conditions under protective tariff to
determine which policy is conducive of best re-
suits in our country.
1.-The low tariff periods IN the history OF our
country have been periods OF greatest financial
depression and industrial decadence. Refer. IL
you WILL TO tho denorsized condition OF affairs
from 1888 to 1912. There widespread dis
astsr and bankruptcy. The industries of our
country were paralyzed, and q large per cent of
our capital and labor was unemployed. Foreign
products gutted our markets, which resulted in
either destroying or seriously crlppling domestic
| competition. II is notorious fact that every
panic that has occurred in this country has
been preceded by enormous foreign importa-
| tions, thus showing a heavy balance of trade
/ against as. And with o nation ss with an indi-
| viGual, if you continue from year to year to
| buy more than you SELL there comes a day of
reckoning. Conditions under the Walker tariff
OF 1876 were similar to the above
! Although wages allowed labor to-day appear
| low yet a man can purchase more of any kind
of manufactured ware with the proceeds Of q
days labor now than he could under the low-tsrif
law OF 1886. Now, let us contrast the low Tor
revenue), tariff periods just referred TO with
.protective' tariff period Immediately following
from 1860 to 1850, although our country passed
through the destructive commissions of four
| years civil war.
"In 1860 We had 100000 acres Of improved
| land; in 1880. 2S7, 100000 acres. In 1860 the
600; in 1880 they had reached sl0. l97, ,000. 600
800 per cent. of increase. In 1860 We raised
| l73.000. 900 bushels Of wheat, while in 1880 We
produced 49s 100000 bushels. In 1860 We raised
S3e, ,000, 600 bushels of corn; 1880. LIT. 0O0.
| 600 bushels. In 1860 We produced 5000. 900 bales
OF cotton; in 1880, 1000. 900 bales. In 1860 the
value OF our cotton manufacture amour ted TO
sllo, ,6Sl, 600; in 1880 they mad increased to s2ll.
| 100000. In 1860 woolen-mills produced
Sol 900 900, which had increased to SCI, ,00Q 600
in 1850, and the increase In the output In iron
aud other manufactured product was in like
proportion. Our aggregate national wealth,
600, had increased in 1880 to s43, Oo0,-
| 0000 600. Cur annual increase in national
wealth is more than 1915. O0o OO0 which is within
| $50 000. 900 of as much as Great Britain, France
and Germany combined. The national credit of
no other country ranks higher than that OF the
| United States to-day. Under tariff-reform rule
Of 1860, our government was paying II per cent
interest on its $780, 000 coo loan. snd'hawking the
| Nations bonds in the money markets of the
country to secure sufficient money with which
TO pay the interest; while to-day, under pro-
tective policy our Nations paper. to almost
any amount In reason. could be foated at 3 per
cent and perhaps less. Our Nation is indeed
| the worlds wonder in its magnIfcent exhibit
of material prosperity and development
The speaker then showed that the present
dullness in some lines Of business is due to the
agitation of the Mills bill and not to the scarcity
of money, which was plenty; but people were
afraid TO invest it until il was permanently de-
eidsd there should be no radical removal Of
tariff duties. He favored using the surplus in
the erection Of government buildings, where
needed. thus saving enormous rents AID
giving employment TO many laborng men. Our
navy is a buit for the whole world and should be
carefully built up with some of tho surplus that
is bothering the Democrats leaders THIS