Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-07-20

5th. HERBERT u. PETERS, OF henry.
9Th W. W. BERRY of Bedford.
9TH MICAJAH WOODS, of Albemarle.
sth E. Z. MEREDITH of Prince William.
9Th JOHN A. BUCHANAN, of Washington.
10th. r. b. POORE, of Appomattox.
But even if ali of them 1.-THE stockholders of
Low-Moor iron furnace should do so say
they 'approve the st. Louis platform on this
tariff question, or the Mills bill, Or the Presi-
dents MESSAGE, backed by the VINDIcAToR
and Mr.. H. st. G.. Tucker, that would not he
an argument in favor Of the policy. 1t would
only show that the Democratic party and all
who support it are practically enemies OF
American industries and American labor,
whether they know it or not. Partisan ext
gencies and local influences may change the
political relations and actions of men, but
they do not change principle or policy, or
the results of either. If Mr.. Low makes
choice of the party that tends to free trade,
because his interests are more allied to the
importing trade than to manufactures, and
the V1ND1oAToR and Mr.. Tucker take sides
with him from party necessity, it is no reason
why the wage-earners and the farmers and the
business men generally of Virginia should cut
their own throats because of the folly or delu-
sion of either or all of them. The practical
people of Virginia have their faces set against
free trade and any policy OF measure that
leads in that direction. The reform they
want must come from protective and not
free trade standpoint, and to attempt to de-
ceive them by loose and illogical statements,
or specious or false appeals, will be like
''biting file. "-V Valley Viayiniam.
The good or ill policy of an economic
measure is best tested by its practical ap-
plication, and by the good or ill opinion of
those interested in the practical results or
that application. Any tariff measure adopt.
by, or even apprehended from, the Demo
cracy towards the iron interest, has been
stigmatized by our Republican cotempo-
rary in advance as rulnous. Its prophecies
to that effect, of 1884 and 1886, are still
fresh in our memory, and its unchanged
foreboding in 1888 is familiar to our
readers. A Democratic President was
elected in 1884. followed by Democratic
Democratic House has prepared and sub
mitted to the country tariff bill dealing
with the iron interest. It reduces the
tariff on iron about, we think, from forty
to fifty cents. 1t leaves the tariff On coal as
it was before. So that there IS very little
difference between the protection given
by the Republican tariff and the protec-
tion given by the Democratic tariff. Not
withstanding this slight difference, our
contemporary persists IN characterizing the
bill that makes 1t, free trade' bill, and
insists that the only salvation of the iron
interest is in Republican Senate, which
has just heen pledged by It's party to give
free whiskey to the country before it will
make tariff reduction of single cent
on any article made or produced in this
country. 1t IS interesting for the people
to know just how much weight should be
given to this position, and whether the
Democratic party. which is composed of a
little over one half of the voters Of this
country, could possibly be insane enough
to adopt measure ruinous to the largest
interest in the land. The best mode of
obtaining that information is TO go to
where it can be had-an infinitely better
plan than celebrating and defending theo-
ries to the observation of facts. The best
place in reach, and a representative place
and one which has often been cited by our
contemporary as one devoted to ruin by
Democratic policy-is Low-Moor Iron
Works in the State of Virginia, and at
the front of the new industries of the new
South. The information we get from
cheese works is that one of the stockhold-
ers, a member of the Republican party
and son of one of the principal owners,
has publicly announced his withdrawal
from the Republican party, because its
tariff policy is not more like that of the
Democratic party. That would seem to
be very strong, but our contemporary seeks
to weaken it by saying that he has inter-
ests as an importer superior to his inter-
ests as an iron manufacturer. Therefore
we go further with the same question and
are assured upon the best authority that
the stockholders of Low Moor Iron Com
pany are perfectly satisfied with the protec-
ton gloe'a their business in the Mills BILL
A large majority of these stockholders
are Republicans. nearly all of whom live
in States north of US. There are no
'partizan exigencies'' or local infuen-
ces'' to operate on their opinion, which is
simply a business opinion founded on
dollars and cents. They have erected an
additional furnace at LoW-Moor under
Democratic Administrations; do not ask
a Republican Senate to intervene to pro-
tect them. and are perfectly satished'
with the protection given their enterprise
by Democratic House of Representa-
tives.
Now the iron interest is gigantic one
in the South and growing every day. No
quarter of the year has passed since 1884
that mary millions have not been inves
ted in it. 1t is subject to the same condi-
tions. the creation of new regulations, as
the Virginia iron interest. An apprehen-
sion entertained about one, may as reason
ably entertained about the other. Aud
here we have the owners of the most I'm.
varyingly prosperous of the Southern fur
naces declaring that they are ''perfectly
satisfied" with the Democratic protection
given their business. That ought to be
considered as settling the point. If our CO.
tenn porary has no stronger issue than