The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-20

milk, ETC., ! insist that orr farmers and gardeners are
entitled to tariff protection on these articles and that
the protection furnished by the Republican tariff Jaw
of 1888 is not purely fictitious" Canada is a strong
competitor against American farmers and gardeners
as to substantially all of these products put upon the
free list by the Mills bill. An examination OF the sta
tistics shows that in addition to Canadian COM
petition, cabbages come TO our market from Holland;
potatoes from Scotland and Nova Scotia; peas. beans
and eggs from Denmark and Norway, and onions from
Spain. Just how Mr.. Rowland ascertained that mot
one dollars worth more of them could be imported
under absolute free trade than we import now Will
probably never be found out.
Under the present tariff of ST. per ton $50
tons of steel rails were imported and sold in orr mar
ket during the year ending June 80, 1887. The
Mills bill lowers this tariff 70 $11 per ton. Can any
reasonable man contend that such a reduction would
not be disastrous to our American steel rail'mills and
70 the laborers employed in themf IL the Enghsh
press speaks truly. even the remote prospect that the
Mills bill might become law has already so stimu-
lated English industry that many long unused iron
mlilsare being prepared for use. Mr.. Rowland, IN os-
cussing the table of wages quoted in my letter, says
The tables of weekly wages which he gives are aoso-
lutely worthless" In another connection he says:
Mr.. Buffers table is extremely unfair and deceitful."
IL these statements are true i cannot help it. L did
not make the tables. One was compiled by the Of
hcials of Massachusetts,: the other emansted from
the London Board of Trade. Whenever these tables
OF wages quoted by me are proved TO be incorrect L
VIII fall back upon the second-class evidence found IN
the Democratic platforms of 1884 and 1888. In the
platform of 1854 the Democratic party said: The
necessary reduction in taxation can and must be
effected without depriving American LABOR OF the
ocAAt} u COIuDctS suCCrsciAiy Will o
and without imposing lower rates Of duty than
will be ample to cover any increased cost OF produc-
ton which may exist in consequence OF the hignsr
rate of wages prevailing in this country" This
statement is r~eadoptsd and made part OF the Demo
cratic national platform of 1888. Both OF these
Democratic platforms admit that wages are higher IN
the United States than they are in foreign countries.
and they further admit that 1t IS tariff protecuon
that makes the higher rate of wages prevailing IN
this country"
Mr.. Rowland says: IL should like to have Mr.. But.
Ter show how carpenters, servants. farm hands, labor
ers, longshoremen, masons, printers, painters, Plumb
ers, plasterers, quarrymen. railway engineers, railway
\ fremen, stationary engineers and men in the building
trades get any benefit from protection, even on the
protection theory 1t is amazing that any one could
make such e suggestion. 1t is equivalent to saying
that no one Is or can be benefited by tariff protection
excepting manufactures and the laborers employed
by them. This Is penny politics.
Everybody of ordinary discretion knows that every
laborer in each of the above-named caliings In the
|. United States is vitality interested in the general pros
perity, growth and development of our country. In ala.
ing growth and development and in advancing general
prosperity, tariff protection benefits every laborer. nc
matter what his calling may be-. If by Democratic
tariff legislation we were brought again into the
condition which President buchanan described
in his message of Dec 8, 1907, IN these
words: 'We find our manufactures suspended, our
public works retarded, our private enterprises OF
different kinds abandoned and thousands OF useful
laborers thrown out of employment and reduced TO
want" would not every laborer IN the above list OF
occupations be pinched and hurtl If stagnation and
decay were again to take the place of prosperity and
growth would not every laborer n the sbovs-named
pursuits feel itf
In attempting to show that the tariff IL now higher
than it has ever been, Mr.. Rowland introduces a table
of figures which he admits contradicts his assertion.
/ find no fault with bis table of statistics. On the
contrary, / desire 10 call special attention 10 1t. Ihls
table shows that the per cent. OF tariff duties on the
aggregate of all imports for the year 1857 Is Tar less
than IL was in any year given In Mr.. Howlands table
after the wear 1854. For example the per cent OF
! tariff dutie. on the aggregate of all imports. for the
year 1868 was, according TO Mr.. howIands table,
44.25 per cent, while for the year 1887 it was only
3l.3I Fer cent.
Again, this table shows another fact of great inter
est and Importance. to-wit: That more than one
third of our aggregate imports for the year 1887 paid
no tariff duties at al, but came into our ports tree OK
duty. BY the table our aggregate imports FOR ISIS.
goods and articles valued at S234,22l,l3
were admitted free of duty. Compare this
showing with that of the year 1870, rs given in Mr..
| Howland's table. In 1870 our aggregate imports
were valued at Si63, 354, 65l, of which goods and
articles valued at only sic, sos, 795 were admitted
free of duty. These figures prove that in 1870 only
| about one.tenth in value of our aggregate imports
came into our ports free of tariff duties, wilhelm 1887
over onetkird in value Of our aggregate imports
Again, this table quoted by Mr.. Rowland proves
that in 1870 our toad imports. being OF the agsre-
gate value Of only Sf63. 35i, 651, paid tariff duties
TO the amount Of Sl9s, SIS, 265. while in 1857 our
total imports. being of the aggregate value of $500.
319. 76s, only paid tariff duties to the amount OK
$2l7 2s6 1913. Thst !, to say. So1y:3is;ooo
62s more Of tariff revenue than : i63, 35i ,65l worth
| Of imports produced in 1870.
| These fgures prove incontes1bly that the govern
nent revenue from tariff duties has been very largely
| reduced BY Republican legislation. whicn Is the very
statement Mr.. Howlahd attempted 10 retute with his
table
One more point aud ! viii trespass no further on
your space nd patience. Mr.. Rowland says: As
10 the remarkable psosperity which the country en-.
words TO say in addition to what said IN my
former letter. must run the risk OF osing
arrogant once more by differing with Nj fnimore, ana
especially with Mr.. Buchanan. whom i am surprised
10 find AIr. Butler quoting. / prefer the testimony
of more loyal men than Mr.. Buchanan" Does the
Sentinel approve and commend TO its readers this
s~ta,ementf Ia II coed Democracy now to brand Presi.
dent Buchanan as q disloysi man, simply to svade the
force Of mis- true descri ption OF the results OF . Demo
cratic free.trade tariff lawf
This statement of Nj Howlandis-approved by the
Sentinsi-admiis that two Presidents of the United
States in their messages 70 Congress declared tnat n
stead Of being prosperous under DeSrocrstic lensis-
| ton. our country was brought 20 the verge of bank
ruptcy and ruin. with thousands OF useful iaoorers
thrown out Of employment and reduced to want Dir.
Rowland says their statements were false and the
Sentinel conmends mis- statement to its readers with
high approval. Mr.. Howland does not inform rs
why be feels warranted in pronouncing President
Fil;mores statement untrue, but he avovs that the
statements found in the nssss1es OF President bacaan'
an are unworthy OF belief because he was d;sloyal to
his country. If that is now the Democratic test What
are we TO do with the statements of members OF Presi-
dent Ceveland's Cabinet. United States sSenators and
Congressman who took mn arms sgs'nst the Cnits9
States government Are their statements 10 be held
unworthy Of belief on the ground that they were once
not loyal meni If that is the Democratic rule its sp-
/ plicatlon will dispose OF the MAJOR phEtoi behV-
cratic literature and oratory Of the present campaign.
and would set pretty hard on both Cleveland and
Thurman
Nh. Rowland attempts 10 disprove the statements
of Presidents Fillmore and Buchanan BY quoting from
Mr.. Blsine's Twenty Years of Congress- p. 196.
If Nj. Rowland will read from that same book.
pages 2o2, 203. he win find that Mr.. Blaine fully cor
roborates the statement Of President Buchanan.
Exceptional causes and conditions occurred during
the first part of the Democratic free-trade tariff period
which gave 10 the United States an accidental, but
enormous, advantage in the worlds markets. These
transient and unusual conditions were the discovery
of rich gold mines IN California from which an
enormous surplus of money vas soon procured; the
European revolution of 1s4S. during which produc-
ton was practically suspended over a large part OF
the continent, and the three years Crimenn war, which
followed closely after the close OF the revolution OF
1S4S. This wasteful war, in which England. France
and Russia were involved, from 1888 TO 1885, not
only increased consumption ana decreased production
enormously. but IL totally closed the grain heids OF
Russia from competition with the United States.
After describing these exceptional advantages en-
joyed by the United States during a large part of the
free-trade tariff period, Mr.. Blaine says:
The protectionists, therefore. hold that the
boosted prosperity of the tariff Of 1Si6 was abnormal
In origin aud In character. 1t depended upon a
series of events exceptional at home, and even more
exceptional abroad-events which, by the doctrines OF
probabilities, would not be repeated for centuries.
When peace was restored in Europe; when foreign
looms and FORCES were SET going with renewed
strength: when Russia resumed her export of wheat,
denly decreased. the country was thrown into dis
tress, followed by a panic and long years of depres
sion. The protectionists maintain that from 1916 to
1857 the United States would have enjoyed pros
perity under any form of tariff. but that the moment
the exceptional conditions in Europe and in Auerics