St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-30
Knute Nelson Springs the
Tariff Question On the
Congressman.
His Bill Backed Up by Letters
From Prominent Mime
sofa Men.
He RidicuIes the Idea Of a Re-
duction of Tax on Whisky
and Tobacco.
The Reading Of Pillsbury's
Letter Received With
Great Applause.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, March 29.-Knute Mel
son adroitly opened the ball on the topic
of the day. The bill for expenses of the
Indian department was up in committee
of the whole, where all things are ad-
missable, and Nelson launched into
terrific philippe against protective
tariff. After denouncing the present
policy, to emphasize the fact that he
voices the sentiment of the Northwest.
he said: "The farmers of this
country are paying a tariff royalty
to every industry but their own, and
paying relatively higher wages than
any other industry of this country, and
having their home price fixed by eX-
port are, notwithstanding all these dis
advantages, able to compete not only
with tho so-called pauper labor OF
Europe, but also with the great and un-
accounted horde Of ASiaticS in the val
leys and by-places OF India. AS it has
been fashion to ascribe our growth and
property to the tariff, so it has also been
the fashion to aScribe the higher wages
paid labor in this c0nntTy over that of
England wholly to protective tariff.
Figures have been paraded comparing
the wages over the sea, and we have
been gravely told the tariff is the sole
cause of the difference IN our favor. l
am not a disbeliever in a just and fair
protective tariff, but | abhor putting it
on false pretences. Comparisons are
worthless unless conditions are similar,
and in this instance the conclusions
claimed prove too much. England is
called free trade. Austria, Germany,
Italy and France are as decidedly and
highly protective as this country. In
respect to the density OF population,
cost of living, interest on money and
cost of land, England is more on par
with those countries than our own, and
yet in England the
WAGES ARE MUCH HIGHER
than OH the continent. Hear what Sem
ator Frye says in his speech delivered
at Boston on ''What l Saw in Europe"
and mind, he is an unwilling witness:
Il say, from all my observations made
there, and they were made as carefully
as could make them, there is only one
country in Europe that comes within
one-half of our wages, and that is Great
Britain: that in Germany, France, Bel
gium and Switzerland they are not one
third of our wages, and in Italy not
one-uuarter." To see the true force of
this statement, just imagine there were
no such country as the United States,
and then by all laws OF lnductlve reason
ing you would have the strongest kind
of argument in favor of free trade.
England, as against the high protective
70, nfTin Of q
quarter of the wages. Senator Frye has
unSuccessfully, but naively pricked his
own bubble, but we can find good
illustration nearer home. The Mime
sofa and Dakota farmer is not directly
protected in his operations in the sense
in which the manufacturers OF iron,
steel, cotton and woOlen goods are, and
yet the wages of agricultural labor
ers in Dakota and Minnesota are
relatively higher as compared with
agricultural laborers in Europe than in
dicated by the indirectly-protected in
duStrieS mentioned, and much more GER
tain and regular, and far less subject to
fluctuation. then beg leave to quote
the following letter from lifelong Re-
publican, one of our leaders, i'll fact,
and one of the leading business men
and chief flour manufacturers OF Mime
apoliS:
PILLsBURY's LETTER.
"Dear Sir: | have been meaning to
write you for some time, saying | should
be very sorry not to have you continue
as a member of the house of representa-
tive from our state as long as the peo-
pie in your district want you there,
as they certainly do. Your
course has met with the cordial
approval of all the people of this state,
especially on the tariff question. l
think it safe to say that 80 per cent of
the Democrats and rs per cent of the
Republicans agree with you. Whatever
different opinions there may be as to the
necessity of having general reform of
the tariff in order to promote the inter-
est of our whole country (and am quite
sure material reduction of the tariff
would help the country as whole,
there is certainly no chance for differ
ence in the opinion but that the North
west would be immensely benefited by
a very material reduction of our tariff
hope that the duty on jute cloth will
be removed. There is only one manu-
factory in the country that man
ufactures jute cloth, and they make it
direct into seamless bags. 1t would be
a good deal cheaper for millers of the
Northwest to buy out that institution,
as under the present tariff we PROBABLY
pay for it every year. Very truly,
CHAs. A. PILLsBURY.
He then quoted tariff reform editorial
in the Chicago Tribune, which evoked
much applause. Then he read letter
from Mr. Brown, farmer and banker at
Crookston, endorsing his policy. II
also beg leave to quote you the follow
ing letters, not from 'Blarsted English
men, but from Republicans in the great
West.
HERE Is ANOTHER ONES
Winona, Minn., Feb. II, 1SS7.-Dear
Sir: l have just read the bill intro
duced by you to remove the duty from
sugar, rice, coal. salt, hemp, MANILA,
jute and sissal grass, lumber, etc. AS
lumber manufacturer let me thank
you for including that product in the
bill, and as one of the largest wool grow
ers in the state l would be glad to see
wool included also. 1t gratifies my state
pride that member from Minnesota,
and Republican, too, honorS himself,
his state and party by initiating legisla-
ton so mOmentouS and important as
this. / must commend your Judgment
in the selection of only few articles, and
those such as everybody knows should
never have been protected by a tariff
tax on which to put the members OF
congress on record. 1t will require
cheek to vote against your bill, and the
member from the West who does it will
find it difficult to justify himself to a
constituency that is becoming educated
on this question. Let the bill pass and
it is Waterloo of protection. 1t will
tbe to us what the repeal of the coin