Montgomery County sentinel., 1890-07-18
Meeting of Tariff Reformers.

i
Reform clubs throughout the State was held
in Baltimore on Tuesday last and largely
attended by enthusiastic tariff reformers
from all over the State and many prominent
advocates from elsewhere, several Of the
latter making pointed and eloquent speeches
on this important question, which is con.
fronting every man. The following address
was issued to the people:
To the Voters Of Maryland =
1t will be your duty to elect in November
next representatives TO serve you in the low
er House of Congress for the ensuing two
years. 1t is certain that, within the period
of their service, those whom you will elect
will be required to act upon measures of
the utmost importance to the common wei
fare. 1t is vital, therefore, that you should
exercise the utmost care in the selection of
candidates as well as put fourth your most
earnest efforts to secure their election.
Foremost among the questions to be con
sidered will be that of Tariff Reform This
issue demands that the views upon the sub
Just of the tariff held by your candidates,
shall be something more than mere per
functory adhesion to party platform. You
should see to it that they are men OF earn
est convictions which will hold them true,
at all times and under all temptations, to
the practical application to legislation Of
the principles they profess.
The cause of tariff reform is that of the
Democratic party, which, true to its tradi.
tioEs, has under the leadership of Mr.. Ceve
land, wisely and patriotcally made this
cause its own. 1t is true that there is a
| large and increasing number of thoughtful
Republicans who refuse to accept the high
tariff policy of their own party, but the
proceedings of the present Congress have
left these patriotic citizens no alternative
between the practical surrender of their in.
| fluence in national politics and coopera-
ton with the Democratic party. 1t has,
| therefore, become the duty of all who be.
| lieve that federal taxation should be reduc
ed, and not made an engine for the oppres
| sion OF the many and the benefit of the few,
| to vote for the Democratic congressional
| candidates, provided always, that they pos
| sess the proper qualifications of personal
character, ability and unquestioned fidelity
| to the principles Of tariff reform.
| The tariff question of 1890 is not the tariff
question of 1885, The tariff issue of 1888
| was in regard to the Mills bill a measure
which sought to reduce the taxes upon i'm
| ports from an average ad valorem rate of
| forty seven per cent. to forty-two per cent.
| The tariff issue in 1890 is made on the Nc
| Kinley bill, an act which, as it passed the
/ House, Increases the average rate from forty
seven % nearly fifty.thrgs per cEIC 1sT.
though the people in 1893 decided in favor
of the reductions OF the Mills bill by pop.
ular majority of 100000, the Republican
managers, placed in control by system OF
voting which, on this occasion, defeated the
popular will, determined to redeem the pol.
| itical obligations incurred in the purchase
| of the presidency by increasing rate OF
taxation, which, in 1888, they had promised
| to reduce. The money OF the tariff lords OF
the Republican party had put that party in
possession Of the taxing powers OF the gov
| ernment, and they proposed to use those
| powers "for all they were worth"
A speaker OF the House was selected
whose cynical contempt for law and prece
dent placed at their disposal an unheard -oi
and ruthless legislative machinery. Rules
were invented not to facilitate business
but to suppress debate and avoid delibera
ton. The Ways and Means Committee alb
dicated, at their bidding, its constitutional
| function of informing the House of the ways
| and means to secure the revenue requisite
| for the support of the government, and con
| sumed long months in ascertainng how
much more than what was sufficient for that
| purpose should be raised by taxation of the
| people to crafty the greedy creatures whc
| assumed to own the government The re
| suit was to be anticipated.
| mo reduction" says the report of the
| Democratic minority of the Ways and Means
| Committee, "has been made in the amount
of duties imposed under any schedule, ex
cept sugar and molasses In all the thirteen
schedules of dutiable goods. embracing al
most every important article the people use
except tea and coffee. which have been
free for many years--incfeases are made
and in many of them the increase is very
large"
These increases, Enthusiastically, fall
most heavily upon the poor. Under the
| Mckinley bill, the lowest grade of woolen
yarn pays a duty of 112 per cent, the more
| costly 72 per cent Cheap blankets pay LOG
| per cent, the finest 72 per cent; the cheap
est women's and children's dress goods, with
cotton warp, I06 per cent, the finest 73 per
cent; the lowest grade of wooden cloth 1876
| per cent, the highest SO per cent; the cheap.
| est knit underwear from 112 to 1888 per cent
and the most expensive 7S per cent? the
| lowest grades of woolen shawls 1876 per cent,
| the lowest grades of worsted goods 1870 per
cent, and the highest 80 per cent.-all in
creases. The duty upon tinplate, in which
| every poor man is co much interested, and
the Maryland Gamer yitally so, is increased
| to rate sufficent" "to close half the canning
factories in the country and to raise the cost
| of this article of general consumption by at
least 100000.
The trainers of the Mckinley bill with a
| fine irony entitled:
"a bill to reduce the revenue and equaize
| duties upon imports and for other pur-
poses" no longer restrained by surplus
they have squandered, and seeking safety
| from the wrath of the people in a federal
election law which substitutes partisan fed.
eral juries and the bayonets of the soldier
| for a free ballot box, do not "reduce," do not
"equalize," but they never lose sight of that
| "other purpose" viz to extort from the
people great fortunes for a favored class
| 1t is such legislation that you will be call.
ed upon to rebuke and condemn by your
voices in November The Mckinley bill is
| the definite expression of the tariff policy of
the Republican party. 1t is policy that
deliberately ignores the distress of the agri
cultural classes as it does of all consumers
| 1t turns deaf esq to the needs OF the manu-.
facturers of one section tc favor those of an.
other, and it denies to all many facturers the
benefit of foreign markets by the refusal of
the demand for free raw materials, asd by
inviting the retaliation of foreign peoples
and governments.
IL is IOE yOds e. OouiOCidto, dOtudVeu OJ
the true spirit Of democracy which Presi-
dent Cleveland has revived in the party, to
see that such system shall te;s fall receive
its death blow at the ballot-box, wka.her the
soldier or tho supervisor stands at your c!
bew The American people is greater than
its army, greater than the few whom the sol
dier or the supervisor will represent. Or
ganize your tariff reform clubs ip every dis
trict. and guard them against every approach
of the enemy, whether he comes as foe ot /
in the guise Of friend. Let none but the |
staunch and tried friends of tariff reform
control the organization and direct the |
march of your great party, which, under 1
Grover Cleveland, has come once more to |
the relief of the people, against whom the |
party Of monopoly and federal aggression Is
to-day arrayed as never before.