Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-01
TARIFF REFORM.
The Massachusetts Leagues
Annual Dinner.
SOME TELLING SPEECHES MADE.
Edward Atkinson and Roger @. Mills
Elucidate Their Views on
the Subject.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD

League dlned this evening, the occasion
being the annual dinner of the organiza-
ton. Among those present were Hon.
Roger @. Mills. of Texas; Hon. Thomas
G. Sherman, New York; Edward Atkin-
son; President G. w. Eliot, of Harvard
College; Charles Francis Adams, Hon.
John E. Andrew, Hon. Robert Treat
Paine, Hon. P. A. Collins and others.
President Pierce, of the League, spoke at
some length on tariff reform, concluding
as follows: "In the light of what has
been presented is it not reasonable to
conclude that the leaders of the political
party whose cornerstone is protection
are ready, in its interest, to sacrifice one
industry after another and as many in
dustries as may be necessary, to cement
the alliance which they have formed
with the wool-growere, the iron.masters
and coal barons of the country? 1t is no
small advantage that in the struggle be-
fore us we have for our leader man OF
moral courage, sterling honesty and
straightforwardness-the most interest
ing personality in American life, Grover
Cleveland"
EDWARD ATKINsON's REMARKS.
Hon. Edward Atkinson, in his re.
marks, said "All reason able advocates
of protection consider free trade the OBJ
jective point of their system, to be at
tained when the time has come to make
| it safe. All reasonable free-traders
claim that true protection to domestic
industry is what they aim at. The only
difference is on ths time of the conces.
sion. Why not begin now? When the
most mutual trust and confidence in the
sincerity of purpose Of all who engage
| in the work shall have been established
in the progress Of legislation, we may
then for the fret time since 1861 be in a
position in which the true tariff question
itself can be entered upon by reasonable
men in a manner consistent with com
mon sense and common honesty. More
than one-half the subjects of taxation
under our present tariff could be put into
the free list without diminishing ou,
revenue from customs Is per cent
| in what they have yielded ur
to this time. / refuse to believe
|
tional Republican party, to which was
proud to belong for so many years, have
become so narrow aud 80 bigoted in theii
sectional feeling as to be incapable o.
rising to the level of the present respon
sibility. In the time of danger there were
seven men in the Republican party who
saved the country from what think
nearly all reasonable men now admit
would have been political convulsion
| when they voted on their personal con
victions, but not with their party, against
the impeachment of Andrew johnson
Are there not now seven men in the Sen
ate and relative number in the House
who may at the present time be capable
of the same independent Judgment, who
may unite with their party opponents il
such q reasonable and judicious reform
of the tariff as will put US in the way o.
establishing condition in the future il
which this country may attain the para
mount position to which it is entitled ir
the great commerce OF the world"
| UTTERANCEs OF MIR. MILLS.
| Among the uttsrances OF Mills, oi
Texas, were these: "History repeats
itself, and we are here tonight renaon'
strating with our Government for its
wrongful interference with our private
business; depressing our industries, par.
alizing our labor, impoverishing our
people and cutting off foreign trade; anG
tonight We say to MIR. Harrison and Mr..
Blaine. as our fathers said to King
George and Lord North: you bave
no right to close our ports
"Grover Cleveland at the head of the
Mohawks in December, 1887, threw the
tea overheard and called on the battle
for the vindication of right. We had our
Lexipgtons and onr Bunker Hills in
1888; we had our Saratoga in 1889; we
shall have our Yorktown in 1892. II
restricting the purchase and sale of our
products to the American markets etimu-
lates industry, cheapens production and
increases wealth and wages, why should
| it not be a wise policy to
apply the principle to each one Of
the States. II it lie productive
of good to forty : two States, it
ought to be good to each one of them. 1t
is question of political economy, not of
patriotic sentiment. If the principle is
correct it will apply to small commun-
ity as well as to large one. Why not
carry it to it's logical conclusion and have
a Chinese wall built around each State,
and stimulate it to build it's industries,
increase it's wealth and give better en-
ployment and higher wages; and have
it's own people, within each township,
trade among themselves and bring about
home market. The perfection of the
principle would be to wall every man in
to himself, and thus foster and encour-
age him to develop his resources. In a
short time he would be sufficiently de-
veloped to raise his own grain, beef and
hogs; manufacture his own clothing
set his own hens and hatch his own
chickens. This policy means that a man
is raised to the highest happiness when
he expends the largest amount of labor
and obtains the least amount of pro-
duct. When followed to it's last
analysis, it is perpetual work and no
product. The best home market is the
one into which, is admitted the largest
importation, because the largest imports
tion means the largest expectation. and
that means an active demand for articles
exported; and that means increased
prices; and that means increased wealth
distributed among consumers; and that
will, in turn, create an active demand
for home products, which supply 80 per
cent. OF home consumption. An active
demand for home products creates a de.
mand for raw material and labor, and
that raises the price of both and gives
constent employment to all classes of
labof."