The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-08-30
M'KINLBY IN ATLANTA
His Great S!s, ecis Delivered Ge:Ore the
Piedmont Cisausauqua.

Piedmont Ci1ausauqua.
ATLANTA, Ga. Aug. 21.-This was the
greatest day Of the i iedmont Chautauqua
i he auuOunCrtnenL thai Cong tsounalI Nc
Kinney, Of ONO, the most p.unnGnced
edVucate of protective tariff in Congress.
was To deiiVel al ttduresS, drew thousands
TO the ASSEMBLY.
" han MaJJr Mckinley was introduced
he was received with hediiy applause. He
spoke III tnat clear, ps netratlug voice for
when he Is no!ed. ana was listened to with
marked attention. His Humorous argu-
nIeuts Iii suppoi of Il proteculee tariff were
literally applalnied. TIE principal parts
of i4.s address were as follows:
n GREAT NATIONAL QU ESTION.
FELLOW CITfzENs | make my ack-
Acknowledgements 10 the Piedmont Society for
the courtesy and curdlaIly Oh its invitation.
which has given me the opportunity to
meet for the first time an assem- blage OF
the citizens of Georgia.
L have come upon the suggestion OF the
committee to address you upon public
question of great national import. which
concerns hot only the prosperity of one
section but of all sections of our common
country, and which is of commanding in
terest to our sixty millions of people. 1t
is no new subject propose to consider 1t
is as old rs governments by men. Taxation
with few exceptions has been the chief and
absorbing issue for more than Century of
the republic.
revenue tariff is such a one 40 will
produce the largest revenue from the low
est duty. The lowest rate of duty will en-
courage importations. diminish home pro,
duction, ana inevitably increase the rrve-
nue.. twill OF necessity check competition
at home and send our merchants abroad to
pny ; 1t Affords no protection, not even in
cdental. for the very instant You discover
that such duty favors the home producer,
| thtt Instant you discover that lmportatOns
and revenue are checked, and that our own
producers are able to control the home
market OF a part of it. Then at once the
advocate Of revenue tariff reduces the
duty, brings 1t down to the true revenue
standard, for it must not be overlooked.
! according to the free trade maxim, where
protection teglns revenue ends, and the
| question OF revenue is a ways controlling
| revenue taIltf Is Inconsistent with pro.
lection it is intended for wholly differ
ent purpose. 1t loses Its force and ctarac
ter as a genuine revenue tariff when it
becomes TO any extent protec i've. 1t has
but one object. IT Gan have but one effect
that OF opening up our markets to the
foreign producer-impOveris the home
producer and enrichin2 his foreign rival.
England is more nearly q free trade poun
try than any other and her system of tax
alton furnishes an unmistakable eXarple
OF the practice and principle of a revenue
+ tariff. Her import duties are imposed al
most exclusively upon articles which can
not be produced by her own people upon
her own soil, Tobacco, snuff, cigars, chic
ory, cocoa. currants, figs, faisins, rum.
brandy. wine. tea and cOffee-these are
| the ARTICLES from which her customs reve-
nue. is Observation-Disclosures in the main, not
produced in England, but whi6h must be
supplied from abroad; while y a ;tically all
competing products of foreign make and
production are admitted through her
custom houses free of duty.
A brief statement of the dutiable i'm
ports OF Great Britain will not be without
interest.
! WOULD AMERICANS LIKE THIS?
1t will be observed that her duties are
more largely Imposed upon The peculiar
American products than upon any others.
| The duty upon tobacco is, according to
moisture from ga to 81 cents per pound
for the raw On unmanufactured article,
and If manufactured 1t pays duty of from
tureq article Is made dutiable at 20 cents
a pouLd greater than the raw product,
which, with all OF England's boasted free
| trade, is Intended as a protection to those
| engaged III The manipulation of tobacco.
1t Is almost prohlbltlve to A Americans who
woul1 export manufactured tobacco. The
ddyalorem equivalent Of the duty on to.
bacco is nearly 1000 per cent Cigars pay
a duty of Sl.32 per pound. and from to-
| bacco and snuff over S43 600 900 of duties
are COLLECTED annually. The duty on tea
IS II cents pound. How would the Amer
iran enjoy paying sach duty upon this
article OF every day use? The duty col
| ected from this source is over $4,000 OOG
annually. Coffee pays a duty of 8 cents a
pound. but if ground, prepared, or in any
way manufactured it must pay duty of
cents pound, another example of where
England protects those engaged in manu-.
facture. Cocoa pays duty of 9 cents a
pound. but if it is in any form subjected to
man ufacJure it pays cents pound. the
duty on the manufactured articles being
double that on the raw material.
BESIDES the articles named, there are
about ninety or hundred others. chiefly
OF American production, patented and
other medicines, which are dutiahe at
$3 50 per gallon. More than 500 600 900
or nearly one fourth of the British rev
enues, are raised from customs duties
GU VIII note the character of taxation to
which The revenue refOrmer invites the
people of the United States Both the
breakfast table and the sick room are made
TO bear d large part OF the burden under
the British system OF taxation. 1t is not
without significance that the nearer WE
app zach this system the mo re generous
he bestowdl of British commentator
Every step we take in that direction. every
enlargement OF the free list of competing
foreign products. every reduction of duty
upon such prod cts is hailed as a vjudica
ton OF Golden and teDeicence to Brit
lst interests. 1t is III vain for the British
statesmen to assure us that their system
is best for rs. We are not accustomed tC
look to our commercial ivals for disinter
ested favorS. 1t is foIly.'' said Wash
lngton III his farewell address, for ONE
nation to look for disinterested favors
from another; that it mus pay, with a
portion of its Independence for whatever
It may accept under hat character. There
can be no greater error than to expect OF
calculate upon real favOrs from nation tC
nation. 1t is an Illusion which experience
must cure and which just pride ought tC
discard" We are not, Mr. President. in.
sensible to the good opinion of maj kind
and of the English speaking race, hui
when it is to be had only at the expense of
our Industrial Independence. at the sacri.
lice OF the dignity and independence OF
labor and the destruction of national pros
perlty. we must regard it with supreme
suspicion and turn from it as the eulogy
of selfish interest and the commentator
Of interested greed
The other theory Of taxation. and the
one which l believe to be essential ia
American development and national pros
peiity. IS based upon an exactly opposite
principle. 1t permits all art icies of for
eign production, whether of the field. the
factory or the mine. except luXurlas only
| which we cannot produce in the United
States, to enter our ports free and uubnr-
dened by custom house exactions. The
duty is to be imposed upon the foreign
competing products that is, the product
which. If brought into this country, would
contend with the products of our own soil
our own labor and our own factories, in Our
own markets. Under this system If the
foreign producer would enter our market
with competing product he must con
tribute something for the privilege which
he is to enjoy, and this something. in the
form OF duties, goes into the Treasury
furnishing revenue to the government
and these duties operate to protect the
joint product of labor and capital against a
like foreign product.
fFbjc ton1o of Jpvv;pu d,,+soo