The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-05-12
A SOUND SPEECH
BY Congressman Atkinson on the
Mckinley Tariff Bill.
SOME LOGICAL ARGUMENTS
Showing What Protection Has Done
for the Comntry-liow tho Farmer
Farcs-A Picture OF tho In.
dustrics Of This City.
Special Corr,pondtnce Of a. Iu,,lio.n,,,

following Is tho full text OF tho remark
Of Representative Atkinson upon th,
Tariff in tho House last Friday night:
Mr.. Chairman, in ordinary business
transactions there is an apparent strug
ge for the survival OF the iittest. Mer
toll IRON early to late, day in and da,
out, 10 maintain themselves and those
dependent upon them. They use every
honest endeavor to gain point by ths
ups and downs incident 10 trade. They
try one thing and then another, usinI
this means md that, always striving t
get the greatest possible investment o
capital and the least possible expeneet
oienergy and effort. Experience bringt
TO each OF them certain line, OF opera
ton that prove the most profitable, and
to them they adhere, and by doing so
they prosper;
Mr.. Chairman, the Republican party
in the present tariff bill, as well as in all
It's past history, stands for our own insti.
tGtions nnd our own iifesides: stands BY
New England as against Old England
stands for the protection OF American
commerce; stands for American agri.
culture against destructive foreign com.
petition; stands for the protection
Of home invention, home skill,
lone labor, against free trade heresies
Of the Democratic party which would
pauperize and degrade them; stands for
the best grade Of American manhood by
Demanding for the workingman wages
sufficient TO enable him to be a freeman
in fact 40 well rs in name; stands, in
short, by our own homes, our own in.
dnstres, our own people, our own labor.
TIE GREAT AMERICAN IDEA.
This is protection" and this is why
am hero as an American citizen to
rlse my voice for this great American
idea, and to pledge to it my best en-.
deavors, even ut tho risk OF being called
selfish. because to maintain it l declare
myself absolutely against all other ma.
tions and people beneath the circle OF
the sun.
am, therefore, Mr.. Chairman, pro.
tectionist from principle and shall vote
for this bill, although there are some fea-
lures in it which do not by any means
measure up 10 my expectations aud de-
sires. II | could do it to-day l would
wipe ont the entire tobacco and cigar
tax. would restore the wool tariff OF 1867,
and would place a duty high enough on
sugar 10 encourage the growth OF cane
md beets out OF which to produce every
pound OF sugar that could be possibly
consumed. by the American people.
1t is q well.known fact, Mr.. Chairman,
that the obj jet OF tariff is .twofold !:
First, to raise revenue with which to pay
the expenses Of Government; and, eec-
ond, to protect our industries and our
labor from foreign competition.
The Democratic doctrine is a tariff for
revenue, with incidental protection,
while the Republicans advocate tariff
for protection, with incidental revenue.
I trust l will be pardoned for consuming
enough OF the valuable time Of the
House to enable Inc 10 briefly present q
half dozen to my mind substantial rea.
sons why l espouse the Republican idea
uponthis great question.
|. My first argument is the fact that O
protective tariff, such as is represented
by this bill, has brought to us national
prosperity. Right here, Mr.. Speaker, ]
assert, without fear Of successful contra
dction, that every oriod Of protection
in the history OF our country has given
to it prosperity, and every era for reve
nue has brought 10 it disorder. Any
student OF history well knows that those
years when tariff duties we're the Lowest
were years Of great business depression
The first tariff Inv was enacted in 1850
The Immediate result was stimulus ir
the direction OF manufacturing by oul
people. This law was strengthened by
another OF the game kind shortly altel
the beginning OF the century, and by
still another during. the war of 1Sl:
Great prosperity Immediately followed
From lSlG to 1924 tariff duties were ma
ierally lowered. Stagnation in busines
o. all kinds at once set in. Then cam
the protective enNctments Of 1924 an,
lS2S. Business again rallied. Alter tha
came the compromise revenue tariff O
1883 to 1912. More staguation.
Under the re-enactcd tariff OF 1S4
came revival OF business. Prospcrit
again dawncd upon our people. Mex
came the Walker tarilr OF 1916. followe
By more ruin, mofe disaster. which cor
inued up TO the time OF the enactmen
OF the Morrill, tariff law Of 1861, under til
,irst Republican administration Of tn
Government. From that time to tn
present VIC have lived under tariff 10
protection, and no one can truthful
deny that under it our national growt
aud prosperity stand unparalleled in tn
history OF modern civilization.
.. A protective tariff has made us in
dependent as nation. We have tn
climate, soil, intelligence, and enter
prise, everything necessary for nationt
greatness and national independence. ]
alltSe ports Of entry on both ocean
were tc.duy blockaded, so that no vesst
could ante, them bearing tho product
OF other countries. and war were declal
cd against us we gould, with our presenr
facilities, produce every munition {
warfare aud every atts3le that We mlst
need for our sustenance as a nation lor
! thousand years. We are to-day, in eyer
sense that the word implies. au lndeper
dent nation. What did 1t, Mr.. Speaker
Protection; and no man dare dlspu'
] the correctness OK this statement.
:, 8. Our protectiye.tariE system encou
2 qces the manufacture on our own sol
/ by our own people at living wage1.
tho raw n,aterials which 3 beneticel
Providence HIS placed Oh and under o.
soil. It is correct principle in polite
economy that u government which Sci
its raw materials and allows others 7
I manufacture them, and then purchas
the finished products, will alwRyG
poor. So long as We allowed the moth
country to do our manufacturing for u
instead OF doing it ourselves, We were .
Impoverished people. l'..{
The currency lsilver aud gold) was
that time constantly from US, and n
+ towards US. The balance Of trade "
always necessarily against us. und
protection the lido turned. We nc
manufacture our own raw materials q
keep our money at home, as people
common sense should at all times DO.
RAW MATERIALS. its.
While the saw materials in manuia
turing arc very sE,all, and ! may $
Z -