The Grenada sentinel., 1889-03-16
"IARIFF BLESSINGS"
Republican Pledges That Have Bee
Broken Time and Again.

Republican Pledges That Have Been
Broken Time and Again.
The claim that the people can ex-
pect any proper revision OF the tariff
by the Republican party can only de-
ceive those who are wilfully blind.
The Harrison Administration and the
next Congress were elected upon a
platform declaring that they "would
effect all needed reduction OF the Ma
tional revenue by repeating the taxes
upon tobacco, which are an annoyance
and burden to agriculture, and the
tax upon the spirits used in the arts
and for mechanical purposes, and by
such revision of the tariff laws as will
tend to check imports OF such articles
as are produced by our people, the
production OF which gives employ
to our labor, and release from import
duties those articles of foreign pro-
duction Except luxuries) the like of
which can not be produced at home.
If there shall still remain larger
revenue than is requisite for the wants
Of the Government we favor the en-
tire repeal of internal taxes, rather
than surrender any part of our pro-
tective system, at the joint behest OF
the whisky trusts and the agents Of
foreign manufacturers. "
Here is a distinct pledge on the part
of the Republicans. Under it they
have succeeded in frying the fat out of
'our manufacturers" and with it
creased the way to power. 1t is not
supposed that the Leader considers
any pledge binding upon the men now
in control of the councils of the Repub-
lican party. For years they have made
that the party of broken pledges.
They have given the lie to their own
utterances, and proven false to the
teachings OF their best men. But there
are conditions under which even these
men will remember their promises.
They can look back upon the Infamous
surrender of 1882 without blush;
they can read with composure the plat
forms in which they have made to the
people promises to the ear, to be
broken to the hope; but the platform
of 1888 was a contract, not with the
people, but with the combined forces
of corporate monopoly and private
greed. A wholesome fear of losing the
support of the men controlling the
purse-strings will force the next ad-
ministration to stand by the pledges
made in the platform on which it was
elected. H.-
1t will be remembered that in 1884
the Republicans proposed to correct
the inequalities of the tariff They
had placed upon their ticket an avowed
tariff reformer in the person of John
A. Logan. Every act of the party had
been confession of the need of
complete revision Of the tariff But in
defeat as in victory, pledges to the
people were broken, and every effort
to revise the tariff was resisted and
denounced as the work of "agents of
foreign manufacturers.
1t Is well to keep before the eyes OF
the people certain facts in regard to
that protective system, which is so
sacred in the eyes of modern Repub-
licans, that they would main tain it at
the expense of free whisky and to-
bacco. When tariff for protection
has been made to cover more than the
total cost of oduction-including
both the raw material and labor-it
will be difficult even for protectionist
to claim that the laborer gets the benefit
Of the tax, or that the foreigner pays
1t. For instance, the duty on cylinder
and crown glass is equal to about six
per cent. more than the cost of pro-
duction. The presence of such law
upon our statute books is plain evil
dence of the corrupting influence of
the protective system. Here are
few articles that can be clearly con-
sidered as within the range of "the
inequalities of the tariff"
Per cent.
Cylinder and crown glass. ass................1O6 1O6
Steel for railway wheels ...................l0 l01