The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-20
TARIFF IN THE NORTHWEST.
how the People of the Great Western Cities
Regard Protection.

TARIFF In THE NORTHWEST.
How the People of the Great Western Cities
Regard Protection.
4. ". cmallev's st. Paul 4 etter I'm New York rress.
itis not the fashion in tho Northwest to talk
o, p'ood-sucking manufacturers drawing the life
oiood out OF the community. On the contrary
these people are looked upon as public bene-
iactors Every town is eager 10 secure factories
in order to diversity industry. increase popula-
ton and give q market for the farmers. Bonuses
In money aud lands are subscribed 70 induce
manufacturers to put up plants, pamphlets are
printed settng torch the advantages
OF this, that and the other town for
manufacturing. and committees are sent
East TO confer with firms and companies about
the removal. of their establishments The first
thing a new town does after its stores ara built.
Its big public school-house erected and the
county-seat question settled. is to agitate the
question of securing some sort OF a factory,
Frse traders 10 the East who think this region q
stronghold OF their doctrines are greatly mis-
taken. Ii a vote could be taken In Minnesota
on q straight issue between reasonable prosec-
tion and free trade or revenue tariff, projection
would carry by AZ least two to one.
note tn at the anti-protection counties IN this
State are those " here there are no manufacturing
industries. and where the farming population is
rather poor ard ignorant and LARGELY composed
of foreigners who do not read English. Such
counties as Washington, with it's big manu-
featuring town of Saltwater; Otter Tail. with
its mills and factories at Fergus Falls. and Wi
mona, with it's extensive lumber-making interests
in the beautiful little city of the same name,
are strong for protection, and 20 are the large
cities Of St. Paul and MINI eapolis. each
with 175, 900 people, and each full OF protected
industries. On the other hand. where you find
a rather backward county. with a srass-gsown
county-seat town, depending wholly on trade
with the farmers, you are sure to hear Of the
expressions of the tariff system, particularly II
there is q starveliIg Democratic newspaper
printed there. The Scandinavians, a large ele-
ment in Minnesota's population, are disposed to
free-trade notions where they live on farms. but
are strong protectionists in the towns Their
attitude as q body ie one of progress on this
question, and they are, as a rule. steady-eoinR
Republicans.
North ST. Paul is a suburb Of st. Paul, based
wholly on manufacturing. Two years ago the
site Of the town was all open field and pasture.
Now there are 1000 people there and a dozen
factories IN operation making stoves, saddles.
organs, agricultural implements. etc. Not ono
Of these factories would have been built il there
had been no protection for American industry
In the tariff laws. The free-traders need not
send any OF their document to North st. Paul
telling about the way Eastern manufacturers
are expressing the West. There is no demand
In that place for such literature. The operatives
who are paying for their bones by monthly in
from their wages have NO patience
with the tariff reformers who want TO throw the
market open to English aud German cheap
goods.
have been surprised at the extent of the pro-
lection sentiment in Dakota. Dakota is a Ter
ritory whose people are almost wholly engaged
IN agriculture. 1t has CSC, 600 inhabitants, 4,246
miles of railroad, 325 newspapers and 5.055
school-teachers. and is kept out of the Union by
the Democratic party from fear that il would
vote for a Republican President if admitted. IL
protection hurts the farmer Dakota would be
unanimous for free trade. Yet / find strong, in
~telligeut discussions of the tariff question from
a protection standpoint in the Republican
newspapers OF the Territory. and read OF debat-
ing clubs taking mp the question, and the joint
political meetings, where il is the only topic of
tho speeches. Evidently there are q great many
Dakota farmers who know that protection does
not burt them, and who want the American
ures TO start in the towns where they sell their
products. If Dakota could vote next fall the
Democrats could not como within sight of carry
ing 1t on the tariff issue Cleveland has raised.
Montana is a Democratic Territory, ready to
be admitted as q State. She has the richest
gold mine in the world. the Drum Lummon, and
the richest silver mine in the world. the Granite
Mountain. She has also immense focks OF
sheep, and her politics are turning on wool this
year. The free-wool clause OF the Mills bill has
raised the mischief with the reliable Democratic
majorities in the Montana counties. The Dem
ocratio papers try to dodge the issue, but the
Republican papers crowd them hard. Much OF
the business of such towns as Miles City, Bill
ings. Livingston and Fort Benton 10 based on
the wool product OF the surrounding county.
Montana is going to elect . Republican to Con-
gress this year to proclaim her hostility to the
Democratic low tariff and no tariff scheme
There is . great iron mining district on the
Vermillion range in Minnesota. north of Lake
Superior, and another In the Gogebic range in
northern Wisconsin, south OF the lake. tapping
over into Michigan. These mines employ thou
sands of laboring men. Other thousands are
employed In transporting the ore by lake and
rail TO the furnaces of Illinois. Ohio and Penn
sylvaniaA Still other thousands are employed in
converting the ore into iron and steel. The iron
market is dull at present. by reason of the falling
off in the demand for railway building. Prices
have fallen to the lowest point at which iron
masters can run their mines and works and pay
living American wages to their workmen. The
tariff reformsrs say that the prices must 90 still
lower, because the cheap Spanish ores manu-
featured in England and Scotland with cheap
labor and brought to our shores in cheap foreign
ships could undersell our iron and
steel were it not for protective
duties. But il we are to use this cheap
foreign iron and steel, what 10 TO become
of these thousands of workingmen and their
familiesl Let them go into other vocations.n
says the free-trader. But there 10 no demand
for their labor IN other vocations. Then let
them 60 upon the land" But they have no land
to 60 upon, and. besides they are not farmers by
trade and could not make q living on the soil.
1t amounts, then. to this: That they must take
fifty or seventy-ivs cents a day for their labor,
or starve. 1t is needless to sdd that the iron dis.
tricts Of the Northwest are not ir favor of free
trade.