Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-10-18
Mr.. ATKINSON
HOW HB TALKED TARIFF TO ISLAND
REPUBLICANS
Ga tie Base Ball Park, Last EVsning-RsnHka BY
". B. Earns and Col. Locke Of
Georgia

talkeQ CT mee'iuA, Nv tue u1cc ooh PAA1
last evening Il was a tolersble success,
in point Of at enhance, from threet to four
hundred people, among them many ladies,
being p esent when the sssenblage was
called to order. A speakers stand had
bean built upon the site Of the nome
plate" facing the two graad stands, and .
natural gas p;po run in from Penn stree,
and divided into tour branches, stand pipes
being erected on each side Of the stand
The arrangement was q very good one,
and had it no. been fer the damp earth
and the cold and raS night air, the lOca-
ton for the gathering would have bsen q
very comfortable ooe. The speakers
stand had been neatly decorated, and
barrin' the fact that there was no accom-
moda,ions for reporters, eve yshing was
in good shape.
Early in the evening the Island Escort
Corps and ths leland Logan Club came
over to the city and escorted tbs speakers
of the evening, Messrs. d r Locke, Of
Maco2, Ga, and Candidate Atkinson and
". II. Healne, over TO the grounds, being
accompanied by the gun squat, and
'Yourg Tip" ths brass cInnon. While
the crowd was settling itself ths cam on
was fred two or three times, and then, At
half-psst eight, Captain Prince called the
NEE ing to order and introduced Mr.. W.
II. Hsarne, who commenced his remarks
with what was intended to bs a grand and
touching pictare of eleven millions of q
race recently released from bondage"
going 10 tie pills to vote for Harrisou,
bat the speaker was unfortunate enough
to put it eleven thousand, p" instead Of
million, and the effect o. this bird's-eye
view o. apart Of the coming election YVES
lost. He then started ont TO define tie
issues between two parties. and alleged
the Democratic party was ''Lhe party Of free
trade" but at once showed his doubt as to
thu justne>s of this assertion by saying
. whether this &C uFstion isright or wIOog,
that is the present issue" He was goipg
on t. quo'e from ancient political history,
when q deg fight broke loose right in front
of the speaker, ana the attention Of the
audience wss effsc.uslly distracted, the
spectators bresking ont 10 a great shout a.
th-y watched the struggling CANNES IS
Trey wrestled with each other and rolled
over and over on the ground. MIR. Heaine
gave 1t a. his opinion that 1.-THE under dog
In that fight is the Democratic dog" bat
in point Of fact il was q Republican animal
which got the worst oft.
Mr.. Hsarne spoke for about thirty min
utes, in q stumbling manner, e~ndeavoring
to show that thu Democratic panty wa4 in
favor of pro ~ressive fr e trade" and shout
nine o'clock gave way t1Candida'e Akin
eoo, whose introduction was fo,lowsd by a
ripple Of applause.
Nj. Ak nson announced that he hsd
two propositions TO Oftr. HIS first was,
that in those periods in the history o
America vixen tariff duties were high, the
couttry had invariably been prosperous,
while low t4rif-"prs ctical fee trade
had ever brought poor times with
". Ilt W6ut lubO IL IL bA1O W
the country from 1859 down to 1873 to
prove his assertion, alleging that atte'
1916, WREN the tariff cf 1912 was swept
away, the country WA in q bad stats, tbs:
cfter 1925, when the tT!if was increased,
TIE country was prosperous; that the low
compounds tariff OF 1888 brought On
the pani; Of 1887, and that the Morrill,
tariff OF 1861 I'D CAUSED the country to
prosper as it never had befooe, etc.
We do not know f ON what history Mr
Atkinson gets his dates. but Wa do know
re il entirely wrong. For the benefit Of
thoss who sre bewlldeIe1 by t1ess per-
riciors and lying campaign cries We give a
b isf history Of the tautf. to show their
utter abSurdiiy.
The first tariff was tia! Of 17S9. TIE
rae Of duties levied under it aver eyed g
per cent. 1t was n revenue tariff Th'
frs protective tariff was that Of 1916. A
period Of speculation. competition and di :
trees follo9,d Cont nations We,
formed to secure still more protec
ton, and they wers successful In
1924, wien q tariff providing for an aver
age rate ofduties OF about 80 ger cent. WIS
adopted. Even this rate is 123 pcio,s
lower than that pIovid.d by the Mills
bill. Thtrs wss a iusrciL panic in 1925,
and the usual remedy CT more protect 10
Was demsrd d and the tariff Of 1928
known IS the tariff abominsticn,n wss
pa sed. 1t was so unsgusl and oppressive
that not only South Carrl ma threatened I,
rullify it, bot North Carulins protested
md Alabama ard Georgia d'nied the lie
gslity Of the measure. In 1883, Henry
Clay's compromise tariff, provid-
ing for the gradual reelection Of the
duties and declaring that after 1Si0sll du-
ties should be levied 70. reyenue, without
regard for protection, was passed. 1t did
not, however, materially reduce the take
paid upon imports, and the huge schemes
Of il ernal Improvement of the next tour
years snd other disturbing conditions
brought on the panic of 1887, Of which I'D
vantage wal taken 10 demand more pro
lection. Although there YVES q Urge sur
plus in the treasury in 1886, a bill raising
the rates OF customs dutses to about SO Per
was passed il 1912
The reXt eleven years is the per;o5 that
Pref. Sumner calls 9 period of great and
solid prosperity. Manufacturers made
and genuire progress, shipping in
and the bSlspce Of trade never
vas more regular end equal" The panic
Of 1867, resulting from State legislation
sith the currency, the economic bi'torian
c4lls "only a stumble of q headlong pres
Verity," and he declares that we reccv
cred from it in q twelvemontS." The
Walker tariff, which had been adopted in
1916, placed duties at en- average rate OF
% psr c,ut In 1857 it became necessary
to legislate for it's reduction, and the tariff
b II OF 1857 was passed, which was roted
for by the Republican House Of RepreSeata.
Tires; duties wee lowered to an average
rate of less than twenty per cent
lCss than half that proposed by the Mills
bill The treasury deficit referred to Yves
in consequence Of the panic Of '57
mentioned. and duties werr
increased in 1861. The outbreak Of the
war rendered a large revenue re ,essary, in
.ernal taxes werelsyie1, aod 10 msst thsse
high taxes many customs duties were
at the excessive points at which
hey have remained ever since.
Respecting the revenue tariff Of 1916
senator Allison, who was Q candidate be-
iere the Republican National Convention
1t Chicsgo for the Presidential nemina-
has expressed the opinion that it was
AS perfect . tariff as any we have ever