The Russellville Democrat., 1888-09-20

 for them. The assault upon our protective system is open and detlapt Protection is as sailed as unconstitutional in law or as vicious in principle, and those who hold such views sincerely, not stop short Of an absolute elimination from our tarf laws of the princi- pie of protection. The Mills bill Is onlya step, but it is toward an object that the leaders of Democratic thought and legislation have clear ly in mind. The important question is not so much the length of the step ns the direction Of it. Judged by the Executive message Of De- cember lasts by the Mills bill; by the debates in Congress, and by the St. Louis platform, the Democratic party will If supported by the country, place the tarin laws upon purely revenue basis This is practical free trade-free-trade in the English sense. The legend upon tho banner may not be "Free Trade''-it may be the more obscure motto, "Tarif Reform" but neither the banner nor the inscription is conclusive, or, indeed, very important. The assault itself is the important fact. Those who teach that the import duty upon foreign goods sold in our market is paid by the con sumer, and that the price of the domestic competing article is enhanced to the amount of the duty on the imported article; that every million of dollars collected for customs duties represents many millions more which do not reach the treasury, but are paid by our citizens as the increased cost of domestic productions resulting from the tarir laws, may not intend to dscredit in the minds of others our system of levying duties on competing for eign products, but 1t is clearly al- ready discredited in their own. Wo can not doubt, without impu gning their integrity that If free to act upon their convic- tions, they would so revise our laws as to lay the burdens Of the customs revenue upon arti- cles that not produced in this country, and place upon the free list all competing foreign products do not stop to reiute this theory as to the effect of our tarin duties. Those who advance 1t arc students Of maxims and not of the markets. They may be safely allowed to call their project 'rarin Reform if the people understand that in the end the argument com pels free trade in all competing products. This end may not be reached abruptly, and it's approach may be accompanied with some ex- pressions of sympathy for our protected indus tries and our working people, but it will cer- tainly come, if these early steps do not arouse the people to effective resistance
 The Republican party holds that protective tarin is constitutional, wholesome and neces- sary. We do not offer fixed schedule, but q principle We will revise the schedule, modi- fy rates, but always with an intelligent provi- sion as to the effect upon domestic production and the wages of our working people. We be- lieve it to be one of the worthy objects of tarin Legislation to preserve the American market for American producers, and to maintain the American scale of wages by adequate discrim- mating duties upon foreign competing prod ucts The effect of lower rates and larger im- portations upon the public revenue is contin- gent and doubtful; but not so the effect upon American production and American wages. Less work and lower wages must be accepted as the inevitable result of the increased offer ing of foreign goods in our market. By way Of recompense for thisreduction in his wages and the loss Of the American market, it is suggest cd that the diminished wages Of the working man will have an undiminished purchasing power. and that he will be able to make up for tho loss of the home market by an enlarged foreign market.
 Our workingmen have the settlement of the question in their own hands. They now ob- tain higher wages and live more comfortably than those of any other country. They will make choice between the substantial advan- tages- they have in hand and the deceptive promises and forecasts of these theorizing re- formers They will decide for themselves and for the country whether the protective system shall be continued or destroyed. The fact Of a treasury surplus, the amount of which is va riously stated has directed public attention to a consideration Of the methods by which the National income may best be reduced to the level of a wise and necessary expenditure
 This condition has been seized upon by those who are hostile to protective customs duties as Hn advantageous base Of attack upon our tari1 laws They have magnitied and nursed the surplus, which they affect to deprecate, seem ingly for the purpose Of exaggerating the evil, in order 10 reconcile the people to the extreme remedy they propose. proper reduction or the revenues does not neeessitate and should not suggest the abandonment or impair ment Of the protective system. The methods suggested by our convention will not need to be exhausted in order to effect the necessary red action. We are not likely to be called upon, I think, to make present choice be- .f1ar saf gfxau and the entlro repeal of the internal taxes. Such q contingency, in view of the present re- laton Of expenditures to revenues, Is remote. The inspection and regulation Of the manu- facture and sale Of oleomargarine is important and the revenue derived from 1t is not SO great that the repeal of the law need enter into any plan Of revenue reduction. The surplus now in the treasury should be used in the purchase Of bonds The law authorizes this use of it, and If it is not needed for current or deficiency ap- propriations, the people, and not the banks, m which 1t has been deposited, should have the advantage of its use by stopping interest upon the public debt. At least those who needlessly hoard it should not be allowed to use the fear Of a monetary strngency. thus produced, to coeree public sentiment upon other questions.
 Closely connected with the subject Of the taria is that of the importation Of foreign labor CTS under contracts Of service to be performed here. The Jaw now in force prohibiting such contracts received my cordial support in the Senate, and such amendments as may be found necessary effectively to deliver our working men and women from this most ineQnitable form Of competition will have my sincere advo- cacy. Legislation prohibiting the importation of laborers under contracts to serve here will, however, afford very inadequate relief to our working people, if the system of protective duties is broken down. If the products Of American shops must compete in the Ameri- can rnavka4 vvftbont fayorinQ dutiee. with the products Of cheap foreign labor, the effect will be diIerent, if at all, only in degree, whether the cheap laborer is across the street, or over the sea. Such competition Will soon reduce wages here 10 the level Of those abroad, and when that condition is reached we will not