The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-12-19
DEMOCRATIC PLANS.


Attitude OF the Democrats on the Tariff
Question.
The Democrats are boasting that their
recent victory forebodes an early read
justment of the tariff according to the
platform of their party in 1888. But
how do they expect to bring that result
to pass? Surprising that they should
gain complete control of the Govern
ment two years hence where would they
begin their work of reduction, and
where would they stop? At that
time the tariff will probably not be
yielding any more revenue than the
Government will need to meet current
expenses The purpose of the Mckinley
law is to prevent the accumulation of q
surplus, and there is good reason to be-
lieve that 1t will have such an effect,
whatever may be said Of IL in other re-
spects. 1t must be remembered that
this law strikes of sixty million dollars
in sugar duties. Will the Democrats
decide to reimpose said duties for the
purpose of getting a chance to reduce
or abolish other duties? That is hardly
to be expected The voters of both par
ton to increase the price Of
that article by thus changing
the present law would GER
tainlY not receive their approval. And
if sugar is to remain practically on the
free list then how are more duties to be
cut of without at the same time reduc-
ing the revenue below the requirements
OF the Government? This is the ques-
ton that the Democratic statesmen
feres very seriously with their plans
and calculations
There can be but one answer in the
case The public expenses must be
paid for the most part by tariff duties,
and those duties, or such of them as the
Democrats shall be willing to retain,
will have to be fixed at the point where
they will bring the most revenue. In
other words, the reductions will have to
be so adjusted as to increase the i'm
ports to the greatest possible amount,
and that means free trade in the only
sense that it can be here applied, IL tho
tariff is to be depended upon for means
to support the Government These
increased imports, artifcially stimu-
lated by such system of levy
ing duties, would necessarily cause
a corresponding restriction of home
production. The competition Of foreign
goods would drive domestic goods out
Of the market, and the domestic indus
tries in that relation would Inevitably
languish and die. This is the situation
now presented. II the sugar duties are
not 70 be reimposed, it follows that the
Democrats can not reduce the tariff ex-
cept in a way that must so increase the
volume of imports as to precipitate .
free-trade policy, thus taking away the
props that sustain many Of our indus
tries and throwing thousands Of work.
ing-men out Of employment. There is
no other alternative as the matter now
stands and as it will stand two years
from now. The Democratic party will
not dare to deprive the people of the
advantage Of free sugar; and being so
forbidden to restore duties that the Re
publicans have abolished, it will have
no other chance to carry out its theory
than that of striking directly and ruin
ously at domestic industries and wages
There is no room left for subterfuge or
evasion; and the fight of 1892 viii be
sQuarely made between free trade and
protection.-St Louis Globe-DemoezsS