The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-09-20

people are not so dull as to miss or
neglect the grave interests that are involved
for them The assault upon our protective
system is open and defiant. 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 tariff laws OF the princi-
pie Of protection. The Mills billis only STEP
but 1t 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 as the direction OF
IT. Judged by the Executive message OF De-
cemoer last; by the Mills bill; by the debates
In Congress, and by the st. Louis platform, the
Democratic party will, II supported by the
country, place the tariff laws upon purely
revenue basis. This is practical free
trade-free-trade In the English sense
The legend upon the banner may
not be Free Trade"-it may be the
moro obscure motto, Tariff 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-
sumner, 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
do tHo luCIcdSCu COSl VI uOLACSL pIOGuCtlouS
resulting from the tariff laws, may not in tend
to discredit in the minds OF others our system
Of levying duties competing for
eign products, but it is clearly al
ready discredited in their own. We
can not doubt, without impu gning their
integrity that, If free to act upon their convic-
lions, they would so revise our laws as to lay
the burdens Of the customs revenue upon arti-
cles that are not produced in this country, and
place upon the free list all competing foreign
products. do not stop to retute this theory
as to the effect of our tariff duties. Those who
advance it are students OF maXims and not OF
the markets They may be safely allowed to
call their project Tariff Re form" 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 its
approach may be accompanied with some ex-
pressions of sympathy for our protected indus
tries and our working people, but it will GER
tainly come If these early steps do not arouse
the people to effective resistance.
The Republican party holds that protective
tariff is constitutional, wholesome and neces-
sary We do not offer a fixed schedule, but a
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 il to be one Of the worthy objects of tarf
legislation to preserve the American market
for American producers, and to maintain the
American scale OF wages Dy adequate QlSCrlul-
mating duties upon foreign competing prod
ucts. The effect OF lower rates and larger i'm
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
ting OF foreign. goods in our market BY way of
recompense for this reduction in his wages and
the loss OF the American market, it is suggest
ed that the diminished wages of the working
man will have undimnished purchasing
power, and that he will be able to make up for
the loss Of the homo market by an enlarged
foreign market.
Our workingmen have the settlement OF the
question in their own hands. They now OBJ
tain higher wages and live more comfortably
than those OF any other country. They will
make choice between the substantial advan-
cages they have in hand and the deceptive
promises and forecasts of these theorizng 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
an advantageous base of attack upon our tariff
laws. They have magnitied and nursed the
surplus, which they anect 10 deprecdte, SEEM
ingly for the purpose of exaggerating the evil,
in order to reconcile the people to the extreme
remedy they propose. proper reduction OF
the revenues does not necessitate, and should
not suggest, the abandonment impair
ment of the protective system. The methods
suggested by our convention will not need to
be exhausted in order TO effect the necessary
reduction. We are not likely to be called
upon, ] think, to make present choice be-
tween the surrender OF the protective system
and the entire repeal of the internal taxes
Such q contingency, in view of the present re-
lation 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 it 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 il, and
If it is not needed for current or deficiency ap-
preparations, the people, and not the banks, IN
which il has been deposited, should have the
advantage of its use by stopping interest upon
the public debt. At least those who needlessly
hoardit should not be allowed to use the fear
of a monetary stringency. thus produced, TO
coerce public sentiment upon other questions
Closely connected with the subject of the |
tariff is that OF the importation of foreign labor
ers under contracts of service TO be performed |
here. The law now in force prohibiting such |
contracts received my cordial support in the |
Senate, and such amendments as may be found