The Portland daily press., 1890-11-17
THE ELECTIONS AND TARIFF.
Views Of Hon. John Lynch upon the
Political situation.

Hon John Lynch, of Washington. has in
the Washington Post of a recent date the
following letter in regard to the bearing of
the elections on the tariff;
1t is unfortunate for the business interests
of the country that the tariff has become
political issue, and particularly unfortunate
that the tariff policy, as embodied in the Nc
kinley bill, has been passed upon adversely
by the people Of the country before time has
been given to Judge of its results by its prac-
tical operation. It was claimed by those
opposed to the measure that 1t would in
crease the cost of the necessities of life, and
shrewd tradesmen were quick to make good
these predictions by an advance not only In
the price of articles on which duty had been
raised. but all along the line, including goods
which had actually been put upon the free
list. Mr.. Blackburn is reported in recent
edition of the Post as saying:
"why, every drygoods clerk in the land was
campaign orator for the Democracy. Every mer-
chant who told his customers that henceforth
paying for certain goods pleaded the cause Of tariff
reform"
These appeals to the pocket against the bill
were more potent than arguments addressed
to the understanding in regard to the bene-
iicial effects of the measure in the future
a
that the operation Of such a measure is to
advance prices somewhat at first, but that
this very advance stimulates home product
ion and home competition to snch an extent
as to insure a permanent reduction In the
price OF all protected articles. such, In TACT
has been the result of protection In the past,
and there is every reason to believe that
such would have been the result under the
operations OF the Mckinley bill had 1t been
given fair trial. Such fair trial the law
cannot now have. For although it will be
neither changed nor repealed for at least two
years, the result of the recent elections has
been such as to create doubts and uncer-
tainties In regard to its permanency which will
tend to prevent the investment of capital In
manufacturing enterprises, and in this way
neutralize the beneficial provisions of the
measure.
Immediately on the passage of the bill all
the signs Of the times pointed toward an I'M
usual increase In American manufacturing
industries favorably affected thereby. This
prospective increase was not only attracting
the capital OF our own country, but promised
to divert from foreign manufactures add
ttonal capital to swell investments In Ameri-
can enterprises.
This favorable movement has been checked
and the current changed by want of conf
dence In the stability of our tariff 1t is a
significant fact that while the lamentations
OF foreign manufacturers on the passage of
. the Mckinley bill were as loud and deep as
those of our own free traders, their joy at
what now appears to be popular disapprov-
al of the measure is even more exuberant.
Indeed, had the election of the next Congress
France. or Germany 1t would undoubtedly
have been unanismously Democratic. The
people of these foreign countries appear to
know instinctively what kind Of an Ameri-
can tariff they don't want. JOHN LYNCH.
WASHINGTON Nov. 7.