Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-10-10
UNITED STATES SENATE.
WASHINGTON August IA. lSq

DEAR SIR: | have yours of the 3rd
Do not give yourself any concern about
my relations to tie republican party. DID
you never before hear of republican who
was such notwithstanding he did not be.
ieve in the highest possible protective
tariff and in gi ing to the manufacturers
everything they asked for? If all
these who believe with me were driven
out of the republican party beg you
to take notice that it would not be a very
powerful organization. 1t certainly would
not carry many of the western states
How do you account for the fact that a
majority of the farmers of New Jersey.
Delaware, Connecticut and d large pro-
portion of those of Pennsylvania, New
York and of Ohio are democrats.
Notwithstanding they live in the
shadow of the very chimneys for which
extreme protection is invited? Do you
think the tariff is of more
benefit to the people of Kansas
than it is to those of Pennsylvania and
Connecticut? How does it happen
that majority of the farmers of Indiana
ID great manufacturing state-are dem
ocrats? | am myself in favor of protection
but | believe we have gone far enough.
and neither We have gone far enough or
not | insist that if a manufacturer wants
more protection he must demonstrate the
necessity for it.
This has not even been attempted to
be done, but with an insolence which in
itself calls for rebuke, the manufacturers
and those who represent them have simply
said we want it, and that was enough.
There has not been an argument which
was worth the name offered to show that
higher protection was needed Il
is rather a poor commentary on
the American manufacturer that, after
having been given the local field for more
than thirty years by high duties, he is not
only still too weak to stand alone, but too
weak to even exist unless he gets still
higher protection than he has ever had.
Il am open to conviction upon this as
upon everything else, but cannot be
driven, and it happens at the present time,
ii the indications which multiply on every
hand can be relied on, that a very large
majority of the people of Kansas are with
me. | get letters and telegrams from
there by the hundreds indorsing my course,
and all from republicans, and | also get
scores of letters from republicans in the
eastern and middle states.
Isn't it quite possible now that man
may be a good republican and good pro-
tectionist without taking the same view
of particular duty which the manufac-
turers do? Isn't it possible that manu-
facturer who is to get the cash in his
pocket direct as the result Of the imposi-
ton of a duty is liable to be warped some
what by his self interest and isn't it fair
for the consumers of the u nited States to
say in a given case that even if tie given
duty may be necessary, the burden on
them is greater than they think they
ought to bear?
MY Judgment is the manufacturers are
making an issue which is going to be hurt
ful to them, as | also sincerely believe that
the imposition of the duties which they
are asking for will be hurtful to the coun-
try If this sincere belief makes me other
than republican, then haze never known
what the republican party was. You
quote Messrs. Mckinley and Reed t2 me-
They are two very eminent men, but hu-
man beings, and liable to oe mistaken
May | not, n opposition to that, quote
Mr.. Blaine to You? May also not quote
to you the thousands of republicans in the
state of Iowa who have left the party on
account of its position on the tariff, where
by that state, instead of giving $4,000 ma
iority, as 1t did in 1880, is now in the
doubtful column? Respectfully yours,
'P. B. PLUME"