Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1890-07-31
A Democratic ''TarlG Reformer" In.
augurates the State Campaign
In Miller.
Street Corner Speech OF w. +. Harnden
Intermingling Sophistry with
Inconsistency.
An Interesting Letter Describing the
Bustling Northwestern and
Coast Cities.
HARNpEN AND TIE TARIFF.

audfeSstu bthhil crCWd on street. COfHCf
in Miller Friday evening. The burden of
his speech was against the Mckinley bill,
as is usually the case with tariff tinkeie. s.
it being SO much easier to criticise than TO
construct. This tariff question is knotty
problem, and as il is scarcely ever con-
sidered in its entirety, We are frequently
called upon TO form an opinion upon the
merits or demerits of the whole question
by reference to a few instances or illus
trations which may be only the exception.
So it was with most of Mr.. Harden's
address.
IL is admitted even by republicans that
a reduction of the tariff is necessary.
This being a foregone conclusion the
democrats purpose getting all the credit
possible by claiming that IS exactly their
position The present tariff and internal
revenues produce more revenue than the
expenses of this country require hence it
is a simple business proposition that the
receipts should be reduced to just nicely
meet expenditures But how TO do this
is the all important question.
Herein lies the origin Of the terms ap-
piled to the opposing forces on this ques-
tion. Those ON one side are called pro
tectionists," those on the other "free
traders"--the latter obtained from the
English method of commerce. Mr.. Harm
den said it was q misstate ment to call
democrats free traders, because they were
not. To certain extent this is true, be-
cause in the United States it is admitted
as fundamental principal that there
must be tariff upon foreign products as
the one means of getting an income
with which To conduct this government
SO the term free trader is somewhat of
a misnomer, supply because entire free
tade Is en- impossibility, But the demo
cratic doctrine is as close to it as possible,
because they believe in maintaining the
international revenue at high figure, in
order that the duty upon foreign products
may be kept as low as possible, thereby
bringing this country Gs near to free
trade With other nations as cIrcum tances
will permit
The protectionists, or republicans, be-
Iieye Ia the abolIshment Of internal reye-
nuos altogether, because they were
exiyencies of The war, now wholly un-
necessary, and because the funds needed
to conduct the government had better be
raised by duties on the products Of other
countries shipped to this-which results
in protection to similar goods manu-.
faetured here by our own labor In hand
ling this complicated aud seemingly
many sided question. the objective point
of Mr.. Harnden was evidently tie farmers
vote, and to secure it he INDUCED in glar-
ing misstatements, but those who follow
ed the thread Of his discourse must have
observed some Inconsistencies to which
we shall call attention.
The farmer was told he was unprotected
and thar he paid protective duty upon
his every article Of clothing and house
hold goods. As a matter OF fact the hay,
stock, iutter, cheese wheat, barley, corn,
wool, and nearly all other products of the
American farmer are as directly protected
by tariff duties as are the iron from our
mines and the cloth from our factories
History and precedent shows, too, that
these tariff duties have worked well both
ways. They have made large majority
OF the manufactured articles used by
farmers cheaper than they were under free
trade, or exceedingly low import duties,
and have gwen the American laborer SC
much better wages that he is able to con-
sumo more and better farm products than
the English laboree possibly can with his
pauper wages.
Mr.. Harnden advanced the proposition
that nothing but competition would brins
down the price OF anything and claimeC
that under protection competition wa
impossible. For illustration he supposed
Hand county was a principally and tina
Beadle was another. He placed two mill
in Hand county and one in Beadle an'
said those two mills in Hand did not at
ford competition, because they wer'
manufacturing and selling an article at al
agreed price of rs cts. The Beadle coun
~ mil cOulu iltnuthCtutc tho oohhN -
Gle and sell il at so cts. but to import I
into band county, duty Of 80 cts. mus
be paid, which was added TO the article
SO the two Hand county manufacture
''got together" and said "Now the peopl
need this article and as they cant ge
1t for less than Sl.0O elsewhere we ma
as we'll sell it for 81 90 also So by thi
additional so cts. practically given th'
home manufacturers by the tariff, the
were enabled to make a tremendous prot'
and rob the dear people. He said tn
only way to obtain competition and lowe
prices was to take of the tariff and adm
the article free from Beadle county.
The speaker here covered up and dis
Ruised the important point, which an
thoughtf.l mau must instantly see TO
the natural result This enormous prof
would certainly call for further invest
ment Of capital in the same channel. an
consequent competition and lowerin
OF prices to even less than 20 cts. woul
be inevitable. But the gentleman di
not want this point here, because
would be disastrous 10 his illustration
and because this was an article the farme
had to buy.
Now TO show his Inconsistency. II
said The Mckinley tanff of cts. per doa
on eggs would result in lowering tn
prlce Of fhia ..,nl,ot .hronoh hama com