Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-05-16
THE GREAT TARIFF ISSUE
That viii Make a Few MillionaireS iii
Short Order.
The Desperation of the Tariff Men i,
FerOeiouS.

The debate in congress on the tariff Is
the most important IN results that has
ever been had over the question. The
rank and file do not know il, the leaders
Of the republican party are careful - hood
wink the masses, but the tariff bill as pre-
pared by Mckinley and his co-couspira-
tors Is the most radical departure from the
matter OF tariff legislation, tor the carrying
out of the policy 50 boldly advanced in the
Chicago platform of tariff for the sup
preston of foreign trade in 50 far rs the
revenues would permit 1t has never be-
fore been proposed to raise duties and sup
press foreign trade in order to lower the
revenues; II has never before been pro-
posed to establish
High Protective Tariff in rerpctuity,
lifting it up step by step until importa
tionS have been stopped and the home
market has been absolutely secured to
home producers. From 1889 to 1884 tar
ifs in the main were imposed primarily
for revenue and incidentally for protec-
ton; now 1t Is proposed to reverse all that
and make the tariff primarily for protec-
ton and remotely incidental to revenue
to be raised instead of lowered to reduce
revenue. and to be Increased whenever and
wherever a monopoly of the home market
demands. Up to 1897 no considerable
number of people conceived of
Tarif Protection as a Permanent Policy.
to be intensified rs the years 90 10y until
all foreign trade communication WAS cut
off; Jut now it is proposed to make pro
lection Just that, to apply 1t iudlscrjmm-
ately and to fix the goal. not at ultimate
free trade or tariff solely for revenue. as
Clay, Bowen, McCulloch. Garfield and
the great body of protectioniStS from 1899
to the advent of Blaine in 1894 had done
but at tariff so high and etfectual as to
leave American
Isolated Commercially
among the nations. This is ayowcdv and
logically the aim and end of the new
policy, which for the first time has been
brought Ill concrete form into congress
And vet it is to be observed that at the
opening of the discussion on "Wednesday
there was so little interest manifested that
empty seats in the galleries and ON the
floor of the house were more conspicuous
than anything else, This can not
be taken as Il sign that
public interest in the question has
died out or that the gravity of the issue
raised is not generally appreciated, or that
the enactment of the bill into some form of
enduring law is accepted as foregone
conclusion. The fault is not in popular
or business interest. which was never live
ier, but in congress which nobody be
leves correctly represents the predominant
sentiment of the country ON Ibis question,
and which everybody knows is now a
Machine Registering the viii
of the party caucus and talking merely to
conceal the fact.
Whatever the action of this congress.
everybody is aware that the next house
will be elected on the very same issue; that
the last election was far from decisive in
regard to tariff revision; that the repubIi-
cans themselves are divided over the Nc
Kinley doctrine of complete commercial
seclusion, and that at the eud of this dis
cussion the question will be Us open as at
the beginning. Since the election of 1888
there have been great changes in popular
opinion in this respect. All recognize the
fact. and none more clearly than the con-
gressmen who will vote for this bill under
tho