The Iola register., 1890-08-08
PLUMB ON PRoTeCT.oN.

The Kansas Senator speaks Against Fro
tecting the Manufacturers to the Detri-
ment of the People.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2.-When the
Tariff bill was under discussion in the
Senate yesterday, and the glass and
earthenware schedule was reached,
Mr.. Mcpherson moved to reduce the
duty on certain articles in that sched-
ule, and Senator Plumb voted with
the Democrats. He took a prom
inent part in the debate in
Weighing against the exorbitant de-
mands of the high protectionists He
produced a letter from merchant doing
business in St Joseph, No., and Atchi-
son. Kan, stating that on an invoice Of
crockery he had paid that day customs
duty of SIG. 40 and that under the pend
ing bill the duty on the same invoice
would be s31.32 and under the McKin-
ley bill S5E 12. The whole tendency Of
civilization, Mr.. Plumb said, was toward
the reduction of prices of all products
of human labor. To claim that the
tariff had been the sole or the main
factor in the reduction of the prices
of manufactured goods was to
ignore all the forces of civiliza-
tion. The American people were
entitled to have cheap goods, If
competition could bring that about
When, he asked, was the time coming
when the people of the United States
would get some benefit from the estab-
lishment of home industries? But just
as fast as the point was arrived at when
lower prices might be expected the
manufacturers went to Congress and
said that they wanted more duties,
whereby the downward progress of
prices might be arrested. The people
of the United States ought to have
their Inning" some time and he thought
that time had come. He had no idea
that what he might say was going to
affect the vote of the Senate. He could
conceive and he could see that the CO.
horts of protection were so organized
that the bill was to GO. through sub
stantially as it came from the Finance
Committee. The manufacturers had
had from Congress precisely what
they asked and yet, so far from
being satisfied, bill for their benefit
was to be put through without debate
(if that could be brought about on the
theory that the country was hungering
and thirsting for more tariff legislation.
He believed in distributing the duties
that were necessary for the purpose Of
raising revenue for the support of the
Government in such way as to equal
ize the conditions existing between the
manufacturers of this country and
would resolve that doubt in favor of the
American manufacturers, butif he knew
what the exact conditions were he would
put the home and the foreign manu-
facturer on the same footing precisely.
He should be recreant to his duty If he
gave his support to such proposition
as the chinaware schedule.
The Senate, Mr.. Plumb continued,
owed some duty to the American people
as we'll as to the manufacturers. There
was point where political sympathies
ended, and where business interests be-
gan. The Democratic party had its full
share of responsibility for the iniquities
of the present tariff law and of that
which was now proposed. The Dem
ocrats in the House had the opportunity
of correcting the errors and wickedness
of the Mckinley bill, but they had
sought to evade the responsibility of
their votes, when by joining with the
Republicans who were opposed to that
bill they might have eliminated many
of its errors. He could see the game of
battledore and shuttlecock between free
trade and protection constantly going
on for political advantage on the one
side and for the personal. advantage on
the other, and between the two ex-
tremes the great body of the American
people were being crushed and ground.
He would apply the rule that whoever
demanded tax for his own benefit
should be ready to shox conclusively
that his interest was also the public in
terest The demonstration should be
made that every single penny of tax
proposed was absolutely necessary.