St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-07
DISCUSSED THE TARIFF.

cover the deed. He now sues to have
the deed set aside.
DISCUSSED THE TARIFF.
Hon. Gordon Il. Cole Speaks at
Dyer Hall.
The audience which assembled at
Dyer Hall last evening to hear the Hon.
Gordon +. Cole, of st. Paul, speak upon
the tariff question, was composed
of prominent citizens, with fair
sprinkling of young men, all of
whom listened attentively to the speaker
and appeared very much pleased with
the discourse. Among those on the
front seats were Z. M.WilSon, Col. John
I. West, &. w. NJ. Pittman. j. l.. Dob
bin, Thomas CAVITY, Judge LELAND, ii.
p. Herring and Judge j. w. Cochrane.
Judge LELAND introduced the speaker,
saying that he was present at the in
stance of the Free Trade club,
which was now holding its first meeting.
Judge LELAND gave short account OF
how the Free Trade club was organized,
and said that the organizers had en-
deavOred to make its objects as plain
and simple as possible. The society in
tends to hold one meeting month, and
speaker present. 1t is especially for
tunate that on this occasion we have
with us the president of the Free Trade
League of Minnesota, Gordon +. Cole.
That gentleman took the stand and said,
in substance:
We are now confronted with QueS-
ton with which we are not fully able to
grapple. Our present generation would
hardly know a tariff if they saw one. 1t
has been lost sight of for many years,
but now comes up again. In 1S4S, or
about that, new and burning question
was introduced and the tariff was lost
sight of. Since the end of the war we
seem to have lost sight of all questions.
For the last ten or fifteen years we have
been engaged as nation in considering
only actual police regulations, such as
considering how one can prevent
his neighbOr from playing ball
on Sunday. All such matters
are of minor Importance, but they have
become of national Importance. I'm
glad TO see at last an issue coming up in
the horizon, but the trouble is we are at
the wrong end of the gun. While am
Republican,, do not come here to
talk as one. We are not here for the
purpose of aSsailing either of the polit-
zeal parties. We. as clubs, have no de-
sire to elevate either party. Our aim
is to see what will best pro-
mote the interests of our country.
What we have now is to antagOniZe a
habit that has grown up inside of the
last generation. When a person has
once Quaffed the bowl of protection it is
hard for him to give it up. There can
be no such thing as actual free trade in
this government. This is dual govern
ment and always will be such. But our
people will never be satisfied
w sdsr So double a m0st aI Tecdabze 4 tna
fact that the federal government
must be supported by the tax on foreign
imports. propose to change things by
gradual reduction. | stand just where
the Wing and Democratic parties stood
thirty years ago. But we have no in
FAINT industries to protect now. tmakes
a man think he is old when he
can look back and remember Web
ster and Clay discussing these questions
The poorest mechanic now lives in
greater comfort than did the richest
man in New England then. Clay's
great argument was then that we
needed no foreign market, and the au-
thOrity which he cited was Great Brit
ain. In 100 years, gentlemen, the tariff
has advanced in marvellous manner.
American goods have gone everywhere.
American knives are in almost
every wheat-ield of Europe, and
our watchmakerS ruined the Swiss
watchmakers. Foreign countries have
found that they have got to get our
American skilled labor, and they would
not do this unless they could pay more
for the labor than we could. Our goods
underSell foreign goods even in the
same town where they are manu-
fna ftrrn 70 hf,ff
than those made in foreign countries.
We are bound to beat them all if you
will only give us free scope and allow us
to compete with the world. In the
North American Review you have no
doubt seen an article entitled 1.-Two
Messages" which makes a savage at
tack on our president. The writer is
evidently a woman, and | think | could
put my finger Oh her [Gail Hamilton,
probably. She does not lose any logic,
and seeks to impress her readers with
the fact that we have a very poor presi-
dent. But if the president cannot au-
swer the questions she puts to him |
can. American goods are Seld in for
eign countries because they are better
than those manufactured there. 1t is
because there is no tariff OH cotton that
we can underSell Great Britain in her
own markets land if there were no tariff
on anything else, we could undersell
her in everything.
We are now country of giant indus
tries instead of infant industries, and
yet you talk of protection. Why, we
are already OutSelling the world on
everything Oh which there is no tariff.
When we we were small there was only
per cent protection, yet there is now
A per cent protection. The speaker
read an extract from the speech of Sir
Robert Peel, of the English house of
commons, when England was made a
free trade country, and showed that it
fitted exactly the case of American in
duStries. 1t is satisfaction to me. said
the speaker, that Sir Robert Peel had
great opposition just as we have. how
well his speech applies to this country.
We are rich in coal and iron, and Min
neSOta alone can glut the market
with coal. Then there are the
new Western states coming in, rich in
their mineral wealth. The free inStitu-
tons of which he speaks are here in
greater profuSiOn than they ever were
in England. Yet occasionally you will
run across an old Wing who will talk to
you about protecting our infant indus
tries. But norman who has not been
asleep for forty years past will talk so.
Now they want protection for American
labor. Forty years ago man would
have been laughed out of New England
for saying that. Now, say that pro-
| lection of American labor is gross i'm
position. l honestly believe that nearly