The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-08-21
SENATOR SHERMAN
reiis why Hs Il . Protectionist In Lam
guase That Can BE Under.
stood bv All,

guase That Can BE Under.
stood by All.
Senator Sherman has written letter
70 the Urbana Citizen, in which he an
,wers the question, "Why am q pro
tectionist?" Here lie the senator's let.
ter In full:
A protective tariff was the first measure pro
ytded by the first congress Of the United States
No nation can be Independent without divers
sity Of industries. single occupation may an
swer for an individual. but q nation must be
composed Of many men Of many employments
nations in respect TO all productions necessary
for life and comfort that can be made at home
These are axioms Of political economy 50 mani
testify true that they need no demonstration.
The measure of protection is q proper subject
OF dispute, but there should be no dispute Is to
the principle OF protection In country like ours
possessing almost every raw material OF nature
and almost every variety OF productions.
We have prospered most when our industries
have been best protected. The vast variety OF
our manufactures, now riyaling In quantity
those OF countries much older than ours, IL the
Washington to jackson. inclusive, declared In
favor Of the principles Of protection. Every en-
inent statesman of the early period, including
Calhoun, favored the policy. The owners OF
slaves, engaged chiefly In the production Of cot.
ton, became hostile to protection, and, with
those engaged in foreign commerce. were the
representative Tree tIaueTS OF the Oultcu Sb6tcos
Now that slavery is abolished, and the south
has entered upon the development of her vast
natural resources. and IL has been proven that
our foreign commerce is greater under protect
i've laws, there should be no opposition In any
portion OF our country to the protection OF
American industry By wise discriminating du.
ties.
The principle Of protection should be applied
lmpartially and fairly to all productions, wheth.
er OF the workshop or the farm. The object is
to diversity employment and to protect labor,
and this protection should be impartielly ap-
piled. without respect to the nature OF the pro-
duction. All experience has established the
ducing competition, in brief period lowers the
price OF all protected articles. In the whole
range Of productions this result has been uni
versal. Whenever 1t Is apparent that q new In
dustry can be established, as Is the case now
with the manufacture Of tin plate, IL Is good pol
icy to give to the industry liberal degree OF
protection with the certain assurance that, II
we have the raw material on equal conditions,
we can after time compete with the imported
article.
The policy of nation upon economic ques.
lions should be fixed and stable. The Mckin-
ley law as now framed, though IL may be open
to criticism as to Details is strictly protective
tries, with ample provisions to secure reciproc-
ity in the exchange of domestic productions for
articles we cannot produce. 1t ought to be
thoroughly tested by the experience OF several
years. II is not good policy to disturb IL or keep
the public mind In suspense about IL. twill as
l think, demonstrate its wisdom, but II not, with
the light Of experience IL can be modified The
highest policy and the greatest good to our peo-
pie lie in the full trial Of this effort to establish
upon a firm foundation the domestic production
Of every article essential to American life and
JOHN SHERMAN.