The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-08-16
THE REPUBLICAN RALLY
THE TARIFF DISCUSSED.

The Hon. George NJ. Dewey spoke to q
Full House In Library Han Monday
evenIng-This is a Campaign Of Ameri-
can workmen.
As announced last week, the rally of
Monday evening was addressed by
Michigan's orator, the Hon. George NJ.
Dewey of Owosso. The meeting was
under the auspices of the Republican
clubs and officers of both these orgaui-
cations were seated on the platform. to-
gether with other leading Republicans,
Judge Darling of the Young Mems Club
presided, and introduced the speaker of
the evening.
Mr.. Dewey's speech of an hour and
half was discussion of the tariff, from
a historical standpoint, from 1924 down
to the present time. This subject has
been so recently given q place in our
columns that we will not repeat in the
brief epitOne our space today admits,
1t was an able and unanswerable argu-
ment from the facts of history and in
dispu,able history at that, acknowledged
as such by Democratic as well as Rspub
lican testimony.
After delineating the distress which
followed both the compromise tariff OF
1889 3 and the sliding scale tariff OF 1915
6 I'm which latter the Mills bill attempts
TO repeat history, and the causes why
the crash was delayed until 1857, the
speaker came down to the protection era
subsequent 10 1861 when orr foreign
commerce has gwen yearly balance in
our favor Of Sl5i, 0OO, 600 o year as
! against q large volume the other way
undur sliding tariffs and Free Trade.
One illustration of the effect of the
Mills bill nsaltwe quote. 1t is striking
example of the way others than our
selves whose manufactures are largely
wooden goods, would be effected by the
| success of Democratic proposals, and we
| have q tolerable knowledge of wool and
other Vermont productions SO that we
omit that part of the discussion,
| Michigan has a salt deposit which ex-
| lends into the British Province of On
tario Under Democratic free trade fol
! lowing 1916 salt per barrel sold at whole.
sale for SO 90 and the State of Michigan
produced 400 barrels annually stimulated
by State bounty of sixty cents barrel,
| Under protection the annual product OF
salt State bounty long since repealed),
runs into the millions of barrels at q
selling price of (whOlesale) seventy cents
per barrel. The wages paid are (average)
81. 90 per day. Across the river in On
tario the same basin Of salt is mined at
"a cents day. Do American workmen
desire to work for the Mills bill and "a
cents wages with salt at SO 90 the three
hundred pounds, or for protection with
wages at 81, 90 and salt worth 70 cents
for barrel of 300 pounds ? This il the
issue which stares the American salt
workman and salt consumer in the face.
In wooden manufactures the speaker
showed that the aver ,ge daily pay of all
classes Unfortunately, men, boys, wo
men, etc., here, is $l.0S-in England the
pay is sixty-two cents. Which will
Bennington mill employees vote for-the
$l.02, or sixty-two cents
After Mr.. Dewey had concluded a
chorus choir of male voices sang Our
party flag" words by James II. White
music by r, o. Goldsmith, with fine
effect. In the gallery were large num-
Der of ladies and the thoughtful and at
tentive audience shows how much our
people are thinking of the Free Trade
issue pIecipitated on the country by
President Cleveland, the Southern Brig
adiers and the Free Trade Democracy
Mr.. Dewey IS speaker who will dc
much good in the Vermont canvass
Candid, logical and earnest, with mind
well-stored from public life of thirty
years, we are pleased to note that he is
to address Vermonters nightly during
the coming two weeks. lie spoke in
Dorset Tuesday.