Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-05-14
WatertOWn Republican
WATERFOWL. WIS. MAY IA. 1890
The New Tariff.

Lie NEW ldIlHs
The debate on the new tariff bill
presented in the house of representa-
tives by the Republicans, was opened
by Major Mckinley last Wednesday
and his speech, occupying some two
hours, is said to compare favorably
with the best efforts of Blaine, Conk-
ling or Garfield. Hearty cheers greet
ed him when he exclaimed, with all
the eloquence he possessed:
l interpret this victory to mean,
interpret the majority in this house
to mean, [ interpret the incumbency
of the presidency of the United States
by the present chief executive to mean
that a revision of the tariff is demand
ed by the people and that that revis-
ion should be along the line and in
full recognition of the principle and
purposes of protection. The people
have spoken and they have asked
this congress to register their will and
embody their verdict into public law.
If the bill becomes a law, internal
taxation would be reduced a little
more than $40, 100000. 1t provides
that the government should retain
only L per cent. instead of 10 per cent.
of the duty paid on raw material
which was re-exported in manufact-
ured form. This would give the peo-
pie of the United States practically
free raw material for theexport trade.
This provision disposed of the Demo
cratic argument that if the manufact-
urers had free raw material they could
compete in the markets of the world.
Mr. Mckinley said that the asser-
ton of the minority that the bill
would not reduce the revenues was
misleading. The instant duties were
increased to a fair protective point
that instant the impertations dimin
ished and the revenues corresponding
ly diminished If the bill should be-
come a law, the revenues of the gov
eminent would be reduced S5O,OOO,-
900 to 500, 100000
We could not compete with the low
priced labor of other countries in the
markets of the world, but the exclu-
sion of foreign products would insure
the distribution at home of the $780,
900, 600 which was paid for foreign
products now. During the twelve
years of Canadian reciprocity the
United States had bought much more
than it had sold. The United States
wanted reciprocity with equality-re-
ciprocity that would give her her
share in the bargain she made with
the other countries of the world.
The important feature of the metal
schedule was the proposed increasein
the duty on tin plate. The committee
proposed to give Americans an OPP
portunity to make enough tin plate
for home consumption. Already the
announcement of the intention to do
so had crushed out the great foreign
combine on tin plate, and it would
stay crushed until the political COM
plexion of the house should change
and the duty be reduced.
Mr.. McKinleysssaid that uuder this
bill the foreign markets were as &C
cessible as they would be under free
trade. But he wanted to know if the
foreign consumer was any better con-
sumner than the American consumer.
The bill had been abroad because it
was an American bill made for Amer
lean interests. Why should we pass
over the best market of the world
our own market? Yet with all this
croaking our exports had increased
35 per cent. more than the exports
from free trade Great Britain.
In 1860, after fourteen years of rev.
enue tariff, the country was in state
of depression. To-day, after twenty
nine years of continuous protection,
wefnd ourselves in greater prosperity
than at any other time. Could any
nation furnish such evidence of pros
perity? Yet men were found to talk
about the restraint we put upon
trade. greatest good to the great
est number, the largest opportunity
forhuman endeavor, were the maxims
upon which our protective system
rested.
GEN. Braces PHILOsOPHY.-In a
Milwaukee interview Gen. Bragg de-