St. Paul daily globe., 1891-09-21
CALLED FREE TRADE,

1t is very significant that Congress-
man CABOT LODGE, who made himself
specially notorious in his advocacy of
the force bill, in his speech as president
of the recent Republican convention of
Massachusetts,. felt it necessary to as
sert that the position of the Democratic
party was that of unqualified free trade.
He used this language:
"a vote for Gov. RUSSELL means
free trade, not amendments to the tariff
of 1890; not free raw materials for the
benefit of New England, but naked free
trade"
A few years ago it would not have
been deemed necessary, even by so in
tense and unscrupulous partisan, TO
make such a statement. In the time of
the slavery agitation Mr.. LODGE would
have been of those who stigmatiZed the
opponents of the extension of the sys-
TEN as abolitionists of the darkest
complexion and admirers of the Qui-
Xotic assaults of JOHN BROWN. The
statement is an admission that the Nc
KINLEY act is so obnoxious to the peo-
pie of New England that its material
amendment is demanded. and that the
need of free raw materials for New
England manufactures is working mis-
chief IN the Republican party. To re-
strain the voters of the Republican
party from manifesting their dissatis-
faction with the protective system, it is
needful to charge that the Democratic
party means the most radical extreme.
When the Republicans two years ago
were cOnsenting to do the work of the
high priests of the monopolistic sys-
TEN, they probably did not real
iZe how serious would be the con-
sequences to the business and traffic
of the country, nor how unerring the
people would be in tracing the results
60 the iniquitous concoction forced upon
the country. No wonder they are
alarmed at the conditions they have
created. They are beginning to realize
that the people really meant what they
declared by their ballots last November
New England has hardly been behind
Pennsylvania in devotion to the pro-
tective idea. It's chief interests are
manufacturing, and the opinion has
been prevalent that the more tariff the
more prosperity. This has been the
theory of the dominant element,
but has been for years grow
ing more difficult to reconcile to
the local facts pointed out by the
tariff reformers. The vote of New Eng
land was unanimous in the senate for
the MCKINLEY act, and only the five or
six Democrats in the house voted against
it. But it is not producing the fruits its
supporters promised. AS it is enforced
it increases the prices of raw materials
and has worked great injury to the iron
and wool manufactures. Mills have
have been shut down, operatives de-
prived of employment or had their
wages reduced. The existence of some
of their leading manufactures depends
upon the cheapening of the raw ma
terial. This is evident in the conces-
sion of Nh LODGE. He sees before him
the menace of widespread desertion
of the party built upon exploded
fallacieS and worn-out traditions, and
welded to class and limited interests.
The young men of brains and sagacity
are leading the revolt to the higher
ground of the Democrats that denies the
right to tax the many to advance the in
terests of a part of the community
But it would seem that Mr.. LODGE and
those who echo his inverities were
greatly Understanding the intelligence
of the people they reach in snpposing
that his fabrication of a naked free
trade can stay the popular movement
1t is believed that Gov. RUSSELL viii
be indorsed by the intelligence of the
state more emphatically than last year