Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-08-15
GREAT WESTERN STAMPEDE
Blaine and Plumb Revolutionize the
Republican ointment in the
West.
Some Big Party Papers Come Out
Opposition to the Mckinley
Bill,
Lower Taxation Demanded-A New
Measure Must Be
Born.

The republican revolt against any in
crease In customs duties, which Mr.. Plumb
mas started in the senate, is a movement
in the right direction. Indeed. il Sbould
have been begun long ago. While the
Mckinley bill has some g>0d features, like
the alterations in the sugar Schadule. IL
has several bad ones. Against these bad
provisions the raising Of the level If I'M
posts in several schedules Of the biu-every
consistent and philosophical republican
should vigorously protest. The attitude
of the republicans of the west
toward the tariff may be outlined
in few words. Revision of the duties to
which the party pledged itself ia 1883,
they interpreted 10 mean reduction.
Every republican stump speaker who ap-
peared III the west during the canvass of
1883, and every representative republican
newspaper of the west understood and pro-
claimed that by revision reduction was IN
dlcatCd, The west insists that. when
duties are touched they shall be lowered
They say. leave the rates rs at present in
the eases in which it may appear deSiI-
able to make no notifications. but let
every change be a change downward.
80 far as we have ever been able 10
learn from a tOlerahlv careful and CON
ScIenUouS study Of the matter, there is
not the shadow Of an excuse for a single
increase of duty which Is made 10y he
Mckinley bill. Not one argument has
ever been presented in defense Of this
policy which Is worthy of a moment 5 scri-
Gus consideration. The industries
affected have been running along under the
prevailing impoStS since 1889, and If any
of them have suffered by the arrangement
in these seven years the fact was carefully
concealed troIi the country uutii the
framing of the new tariff bill gave am OPP
portumty to certain interests TO secure
higher rates and make greater profits
The time has come for western republicans
to openly and clearly define their position
IN tins particular. 1t Is unfortunate that
the uprising in the party against the
policy which would condemn il to destruC-
ton did not take practical shape in the
house, and manifest itself, as the Globe
Democrat urged at the time, at the
moment when the bill first made its ap-
pcarmce. There is time enough yet, how
ever, to strike many of the objectionable
features from the measure, and this will
be done if every republican senator who
is opposed to them shall courdgcously and
honestly be guided 10y his convictions.
In the Northwest.
In the northwest the st. Paul Pioneer
Press, the most influential republican
paper of that section follows up the attack
with these words: 1T is not amiss TO
keep reminding the senate that the Me
kinley bill has more faults than virtues,
and that the whole of it needs an over
hauling Two features Of it especially.
which are most of AL obnoxious to the
interests of the people, to the progress of
our industries and to a sound revenue
system, have been almost forgotten in the
discussion of the sugar duties. It is pro
posed to increase SO enormously the duties
on Havana and Sumatra tuhaCCOs that not
only the price of smokers goods must GO
up tremendously. but the great manufac-
turing industry of the country will fairly
be driven out of existence. This is Ger
tainly feature Of the Mckinley bill that
needs correction.
I'VE will also refer once more to tho tin
plate enormity, because it seems probable
that this most moustrous feature of the bill
will not be eliminated. Not even the pro-
ject to impose duty sn hides was a mad
der one. from the economic standpoint,
than that which increases by more than
100 per cent. the duty ON tin nplate. 1t is
purely gratuitous eXaction. 1t is not even
demanded 10y any existing industry.
ut will not do to forget these features
of the Mckinley bill. 1t is full of faults
from beginning to end. What it needs Is
not a revision 10y the senate committee,
but such am entire reconstruction ~ was
accomplished in 1883, by the substitution
of a senate bill for that which had passed
the house
In the Central West.
The Atchson Champion, foremost re-
puhI.rln newspaper of Kansas, says:
Nv hen such recognized republican
Leaders Us James g. Blaine and Preston b.
Plumb essay to depart very widely from
their Lifelong convictions on the tariff
question, it certainly will not be seriously
coz: ended that ether republicans who have
never faIiered in their adherence to the
protective tariff idea, forfeit their party
standing or furnish grounds for impeach-
ing their republiCanlsm, If they too. upon
mature deliberdion, make bold to ex-
press views on that subject, at variance
with the accepted party dogmas.
The western farmer has no interest what
ever in protective tariff. His interest
rather lies intIe direction Of free trade
of access to all maakets wherever his
products may be in demand. 1t is for
his interest to sell what he raises where
ever IN all the wide world he can find A
purchaser, and thus provide himself with
the means of dispOsing Of his surplus
crops. Not only is he vitality interested
in securing all possible markets, but
equally so in buying wat he needs ns
cheapIy rs possible. Sell where he may,
and buy at the lowest figures; This,
selfish as it may seem, is what most CON
Germ the western farmer.
Protection continued twenty years
longer, and the west, with its vast agrI-
cultural possibilities, would be a paupeT,
bound hand and foot. Let Us who live
here in the west be fools no longer, but let
us exercise our common sense and pro-
tect our own interests by obtaining, just
as quickly as possible, the lreest trade
with all its attendant benefits y
THIS business of s,,nding Ed. Coe 10
congress or putting him in the state de-
partment must be stopped? A legislative
session is coming on apace and the lower
house certainly cannot run in orthodox
fashion if Coe is not behind the clerks
desk
WISCONSIN has done we'll n the way
increase Of population the growth from
1880 to 1890 being 367 1873. and the per
centage q. Missouri increased % per
cent. and Massachusetts % per cent.
Dane coUnty's population has expanded in
the past ten years from SO, ,234 to 59,0.9-
an increase Of $50.
The Philadelphia LeCger urges the re-
publicans in the senate TO delay the pas
sage of the tariff and force bills until after
the election II Pennsylvania. 1t thinks
that either one Of those measures viii, if
carried through now. prove extremely
dangerous if not fatal 10 the republican
ticket
NEW ENGLAND IS indeed effete. 1t is
the home of Reed. Hoar, lodge and Chan
dler.