Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-10-25
BLAINE AND HARRISON.
Remarkably Happy Speeches by
the Two Great Leaders.
The Maine Statesman Takes Mills Tariff
Speech for Text, and Mr.. Harrison Adj
dresses a Large Delegation of Ger
man Republicans.


Hon. J. G. Blaine addressed the Repub-
lican voters of Evansville, Ind, and vicin
ity on the efening of the 18th, analyzing
Mills tariff bill and ideas in the following
mastery way:
1 have carefully read the speech delivered
in this city by Hon. Roger @ Mills, chairman
OF the Committee on Ways and Means, 10
whom the authorship of the Mills bill is popu'
larly imputed. 1t is altogether o singular
speech. 1t assails very bitterly the doctrine
of protection, ridicules il, and then, in varied
form of argument, tries to persuade his hear
ers that the Mills bill has not really changed
the protective features of the tariff. 1t has, he
says, simply reduced the average OF duties
from AZ. per cent. to 421! per cent, and he
argues earnestly that this per cent. re-
duction will not disturb the harmony or eff
csency of the protective system. In Congress
and on the stump for years past Mr.. Mills has
devoted his energ es and his eloquence TO prov
ing the free-trade dogma that protection is
robbery. II he was speaking the truth in those
days he must now acknowledge that the Dem
ocrats are willing to rob to the extent OF 425l
per cent, while the wicked Republicans are
robbing 10 the extent of 47H per cent But the
truth is, Mr.. Mills does not state the figures
correctly. On the contrary. he states them in
correctly do not say he does this with the in
free traders, Mr.. Mills is in such a muddle on
the whole subject that he forgets the primary
rules OF arithmetic in studying the actual
facts and figures OF the case. For
tunately in matter so plain as this is
to tie common understand ng OF men,
we need rot be imposed upon by any OF the
heresies or blunders Of free-trade speakers.
We simply appeal to the record. According 10
the report of the Treasury the duties levied
and collected at all the custom-houses OF the
United States this fiscal year amounted in the
aggregate to triie over 1912 co., Ol. 1t is tins
sum which free traders assail so bitterly, and
il is in this sum that they find the outrages and
abuses of the protective system or these ag-
gregate duties of 1912 OOO,OOe Mr.. Mills bill
proposed TO take of an aggregate OF Sc, 500,
000 l give the amount in round numbers,
which was 10 per cent. on the total dutiable
importations for the whole year. But
that does not tell the whole story, because
on the duties on silks and liquors.
amounting to s22OO0,OO0 Mr.. Mills
bill made no reduction whatever so that the
whole OF the reduction fell on the s1S9. OOO, 900
that remained But, mark you, still further,
gentlemen, the whole story is not yet told; for
of the SlS9, 100000, S5S000,010 were the duties
levied on sugar, and from the duties levied on
sugar a reduction was made OF 81, 000, 000 leav-
ing the people of the United States still to pay
s47,0O0,OOO annually on sugar. Deduct that S5S-
have left s13I, 900 900 as the total amount of all
duties levied on all other articles in the tariff
and deduct 81, 600 which Mr.. Mills took of
the sugar duties. and you have left SIS 10000 re-
duct on on the remaining s131, 600 duties OF
tariff. Gentlemen, you will please observe
that the sum OF sl31 600 900 OF duties affords all
the protection we have on manufactures eX-
cept that levied in silks, all that We
have on cotton. all that we have on
wool and woolens, all that We have on iron
ana steel, and all the articles into which
iron and steel enter as a component part. In
fact, all that protects the manufacturers in the
United States, and protects the labor of those
engaged therein. In fact, gentlemen, what may
be termed the entire protective system OF the
United States over which this controversy be-
tween the two parties is now raging, is included
in that S13l, 900, goo OF duties. and from that
sl31 O0l 600 Of duties Mr.. Mills proposed to take
S3S,s00 and tells the people OF Indiana that he
is only reducing the tarifT per cent. whereas,
as matter of fact on the whole importation
of all the long list OF articles have named, he
makes reduction exceeding "a per cent
What does Mr. Mills mean when he says that
ii is only a reduction of per cent? Will he
face the wool-growers of Indiana, from whom
he strips every particle OF protection, and tell
them that he has only reduced them per cents
VIII he tell the lumber manufacturer in the
largest hardwood market in the world, in this
free list? VIII he say the same thing to the
salt producers in Michigan, and to the number
less pursuits which he has thrust down from a
fair protection to the free list! Will he tell
them all to submit because of the wide. spread
fallacy that the average reduction OF the whole
is only five per cent: What is it to those in
dustries that are stripped naked, whether the
average is five five hundred per cent. In
either or any event they are thrust out into the
cold. Gentlemen, there is one great difference
between the Republican aud the Democratic
parties Whatever the Republican party pro-
poses in Congress ii frankly defends before the
people. But the Democratic party, from Pres
ident Cleveland down through all the official
grades, have for eight months waged bitter
warfare on the protective system, denouncing
it as plumber and organized robbery, and are
now sending out speakers known in fact TO be
the most rancorous free traders, with Mr.. Mills
at their head, to so qualify and explain away
and tumble and reverse and turn and trim the
figures that they hope to deceive the people as
10 the true intent of the assault made
upon the protective system. In my judg-
ment, Mr.. Mills brought his bill to a poor
market when he appears as its defender in
the city of Evansville. Before the war we had
a tariff like unto that which Mr.. Mills embodies
in his bill. and now pray look back twenty
eight years and recall what 4 small town
Evansville then was. Then look to-day at her
population. More than fifty thousand people
who are engaged in variety and combination
of manufactures as extraordinary, / think, as
can be found in any city OF IFS size in the whole
Union. Evansville mas one of the largest cot
ton-mills to be found West of New England; it
has five wooden mills it has ten iron found
res; it has five establishments for the manu-
facture OF steam boilers; it has ten carriage
manufactures; it has seventeen establish
ments for the manufacture of harness and
saddlery; it has tive establ shments for the
building of steam engines; IT has ght furni-
ture factories; il has four establishments for
the manufacture of shoes; il has thir-
teen establishments for the manufaet-
ure of farm wagons; it has three
potteries: il has seven planng-mills
it has twenty establishments working in
copper, lin and sheet-iron, and 1 might con-
tinue the list through brass foundr:es, stave
factories, stone yards and tanneries, and 1
know not how many more, amounting in the
aggregate OF $50 different Establishments.
Does any man IN his senses believe that all
these esta ohshments, or any considerable por-
ton OF them, would have been founded and
maintained and prospered in Evansville under
the free-trade tariff existing before the war;
or does any man believe that they would con-
tinue in prosperity under a tariff OF practically
the same kind now proposed by the President
and the Democratic party in Congress? He
knows little OF the currents of trades in the
past or little of the terrible competition beyond
the sea, who thinks thst all these results could
have been produced or could now be maintained
under a low revenue tariff which practically
means free trade. Mr.. Mills does me the
honor in his speech 10 quote what 1
said upon reaching home after years alb
sence in Europe 10 the effect that tarIf was
primarily for the protection of American labor
think any man is blind who does not see, and
is practically dumb who does not say, the same
thing. Let me illustrate: Mr.. Mills proposes
10 take the tar.d from wool and give 10 our
manufacturers wool from Australia as cheap as
fnl- h.