Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-10-17
!. The Point at Issue.

Z. The Point at Issue.
On the 9Th inst. Gen. Harrison, ats In
dianapolls, in speech to visiting dele
CATION from Chicago, very neatly and
plainly covered the ground Of the points
/ at issue between the Democrats and the
Republicans in the present campaign.
He said:
"After so many historical Illustrations
of the evil effects of abandoning the rolicy
of protection for that of a revenue tariff,
we are again confronted by the suggestion
that the principle Of protection shall be
eliminated from our tariff legislation.
Have we not had enough of such expert
ments9 Does not the history of our tariff
legislation tell us that every revenue tariff
has been followed by business and in
dustrial depression, and that return to
the policy of protection has stimulated
every industry, and set our throbbing
workshops again in motion? And yet,
again and again, the Democratic party
comes forward with this pernicious propo-
sition-for it has been from that party
always. A cry-"You are correct"
81 had placed in my bands yesterday, a
copy Of The London News, for Sept. 13c
The editor says in substance that judging
the purposes OF the Democratic party by
the executive message of last December,
the English people were justified in be-.
Heving that party meant free trade, but
if they we're to accept the. more recent
utterances of its leader, protesting that
that was not their purpose, then the edi-
tor thus states the issue presented by the
Democratic party. / read but single
sentence: 1T is, at any rate, q contest be-
tween protection and something that is
not protection Prolonged and wild
cheers. IT il not of the smallest interest
TO you what that other thing is. 1t is
enough to know that it is not protection.
Renewed cheers. Those who defend
the present Democratic policy declare
chat our people not only ray the tariff
duty upon all imported goods, but that a
corresponding amount is added to- the
price Off every domestic competing ar
ticle; that for every dollar that is paid
into the treasury in the form of a custom
duty, the people pay several dollars more
10 the enhanced cost of the domestic COM
psting article. Those who honestly hold
such doctrines cannot stop short of the
absolute destruction of our protective sys-
tenn. The man who teaches such doc
trines and denies that he is on the road
to free trade is like the man who takes
passage on train scheduled from here to
Cincinnati without stop; and when the
train is speeding on its way at the rate of
forty miles an hour, denies that he ia go
ing to Cincinnati. TGreat laughter and
cheering. The impulse OF such logic
draws toward free trade as surely and
swiftly as that engine pulls the train to
it's appointed destination. It inevitably
brings US to the English rule of levying
duties on such articles as we do not pro-
| duce at home, such as tea and coffee.
That is purely revenue tariff, and is
practical free trade. Against this the
Republican party proposes that our tariff
duties shall be levied chiefly upon com,
peting articles: that our American work
men shall have the benefit of discrimi-
mating duties upon the products of their
labor. (Cheers. The Democratic policy
increases importation; and by 50 much.
diminishes the work to be done, in
America. -. ..
THE CERTAIN RESULT. si
"It transfers work from the shops OF
South Chicago to Birmingham. ICries Of
Fright you are and Correct. For,
a certain amount of any manufactured
article is necessary for years supply III
our people, and We increase the amount
that is brought from abroad, By just 20
much we diminish the amount that is made
at home. Cries of Eight you are.
And in jsstthas proportion ave threw out;
Of employment the men that are working
here. And not only SO, butt when this
equal competition il once ,eitablishtd be-
tween our shops and the; foreign shopsy
there il not a man here who does not
know that the only condition under which
the American shop can run at all il chat
1t shsll reduce the wages Of itsemplsyesl
to the level of the wages paid in the codss
peting::shope abroad. sThis is, briefly the,
whole story. i /. believe that We should
look after and protec: our American work :.
ingmen. Prolonged cheering.i There
fore am Republican. .[Renevsa and
enthusiastic cheering.I But ! will NOT
detain you longer. Cries Of "Go on"
you must excuse me.