Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-08-10
CURRENT ISSUES DISCUSSED.

HUN. JOHN w. STEWART 1ALhS ON ldE
POLITICAL SITUATION.
A good audience gathered at the town
hall on Monday evening, when the Abe
Lincoln Republican club held a public
meeting and addresses were made by
Congressman Stewart and Charles S.
Hatch, Esq, of Buffalo, N. Y. James
NJ. Slade, Esq, one of the evice-presdents
of the club, presided and introduced Mr..
Stewart, who was received with applause
and said, in substance:
1t isn't easy for me to make a formal
speech among my neighbors and friends
and | will not attempt it to tonight, but,
instead, talk to you'll had almost said
with you-on those great public ques-
tons which are undergoing discussion.
There is one important practical question
which will be settled at the coming cleo
ton. 1t isn't prohibition or any other
so-called moral question, but a business
matter. This is business, bread-and-
butter campaign. The issue is distinctly
made. 1t is renewal of the battle
which has been fought at intervals ever
since the foundation of the government
the battle between protection and free
trade. The facts involved should be TAX
ON neither from interastad nort;as nor
from mere doctrinaires bool,-vormS who
know nothing of practical affairs. but
formulate pretty theories on the basis of
what thev get out of books. The situa
ton now and that in 1850 has some strik
ing resemblances and equally striking
contrasts. There are those here who are
too young to remember that time. The
country had then been struggling along
under free trade. the Democracy having
declared for and established in 1856 a
policy of progressive free trade" as
they called it. All industries were par
alyzed, the treasury was without funds
and the national credit had been des-
troyed. The Republican Marty when il
came into power found PROSTATE indus
tries and an empty treasury. The first
problem was TO ill the treasury. for il is
fact that President Buchanan had to
get the draft for his salary "shaved."
What did the Republicans do? They
filled the treasury TO start with and nro-
yided funds to carry on a long and ex
pensive war-a war which i'm 1864 the
| Democrats declared a failure and nro-
posed TO give up. In 1861 the Republi-
cans enacted the protective tariff and es-
tablished the system under which the
country has ever since thriven bevond ali
DrecedeDt, They raised the credit of tha
government so that loans can now he
made at three ner cent. In 1850 the
wealth of the conntrv was but q billions
of dollars: in 1850 Il was III biIIions
transcendine that of ENGLAND and by
1890 II is likely to reach cd billions Tbis
is the outcome of the nrotective tariff
So much for the General rasult And
here iet me saw is wbere our Damocrat'
ic free-trade friends malle thar nre,t
mistake' They take FOO narroSy q y,eu,
of the subject DEALING alto~ether in com.
narativelv nettv details and iaavina
wholly ont IF the accomnt tho hroaJ an5
trne basis of nrotect;onNthe reSnit;no
General welfare D'''"s
Now Lot ns lool, ar rho interest of Neu,
England in tbe tariff She has Invested
in nn,anufacturing e, ;ndrstr eo5 ra;,I;ons
of dollars Her mills nov ont raarIv
s9O1 400 OOO In waras Ivnr,, M, 'seee'
600 0OO worth of raw nooter;als anS nrn-
dnce al 100 600 600 worth nf Ih tinished he'd
goods All his vast ;ndnstr,, hos a,rn,,,,
nm nnder the tariff and free trade wonId
destroy IL -'0' ''""o "'''"
II is sometimes said that the duties lev