The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-09-03
INCONSISTENT.
A Corre spondent R,views Major Me-
Kinley's Speech
AT Miles, and Points Out Many Parts
Which are Entirely Inconsistent with
HIS Acknowledged Views.

EDITOR NEWS DEMOCRAT: One OF the
broadest minded declarations ever made
was that by Cicero, that "in discussing a
question, more reliance ought to be placed
on the influence of reason than on the
weight of authority This is a splendid
rule for men to follow in political matters,
IL their primary object is to get at the
truth frat. No matter from what author
itative sources an assertion comes, IL rea-
son does does not support it, it is unwor-
thy Of belief.
/ have special reference to the opening
speech of the Republican campaign at
Niles by Major Mckinley. There are in
consistencies in it which must be explain
ed away, or thinking men will not accept
them, merely because the statements
come from the voice of authority. Allow
me TO make some quotations to sustain my
assertion, and let any reader follow his
speech which has been published SO wide
ly, and see that no distortion of any state.
ment by the Major has been
made. A lot of assertions which do
not agree, and which are iliog-
ical, do not constitute an argument. Re-
ferring to q revenue tariff he said:
"If, in its operations it should favor
home production, il would be obnoxious
to the principle upon which it was origin
ally levied, and must be repealed or mod
fled" Then again: "A protective tariff
has proven an unfailing agent in raising
public revenues
II it is so obnoxious TO have a revenue
for tariff "protect," or, in palmer Ian
guage, benefits home industry, why would
| it not also be obnoxious to have n protect
| i've tariff raise revenue? But follow his
thought little further. He says q protect
| i've tariff is "a surer agent for raising
! revenue than q revenue tariff. If 1t is,
then how does protective tariff keep out
foreign goods2 II they do not come into
the country they will surely pay no tariff
| and there will be no revenue. IL reve-
nue. tariff allows foreign productions to
flood this country" those foreign goods
must pay tariff and hence create aIeve-
nue.. Then why is revenue tariff not
success even as an agency for raising the
money required for public purposes.U
Now compare carefully these statements
of the Major: I'VE have risin in inous.
trial development to the very first rank
in manufacturing, agriculture and mia
ing, leading every other country in the
world" Referring TO the enactment of !
revenue tariff he says the people would |
"buy foreign goods instead of domestic
goods. They may be cheaper for time. |
But this eventuates in the destruction OF 1
our industries, for II increases the use of /
foreign goods, and encourages the disuse /
of domestic goods and with the disuse of /
domestic goods comes diminished pro-
duction at home and less employment for /
home labor, and flpanally no employ
nent at ALL" Now what can that mean.
Evidently nothing but that, although we
do lead the world "in manufacturing, /
mining and agriculture" still these for
eign goods could come in here and drive
our own from the home market until
there would be mo employment at all.n
II we lead the world. in manufacturing,
mining and agriculture, we must do it by
the quantity, quality and cheapness of our
productions, for those are the features
which characterize superiority in
material production. Now, would
our people buy poorer article
from foreigners when they could
buy the best that is made from the
nation "leadinO the world" and that ma
ton their own? If they would, then we
have no clear title TO the claim to super
iority in production, In intelligence, and
keeness in commerce. Ordinary business
instinct teaches person to buy where he
can buy to the best advantage, and any
merchant knows that the best goods at
the lowest price take possession of the
market.
Let us take another step in this labyrinth.
He says revenue tariff would not light
a single fire in an American furnace or
mill, but would e1tinguish those which
now burn, unless our labor would work at
the same wages as the labor Of competing
He means by that, does he not, that
low selling price of European products,
enabling them to outsell our domestic
goods, results from the low wages which
are paid in Europe; that is, that when the
wages are low the selling price is low, and
when wages are high, as in this country,
for instance, the selling price must be
high. That is fair statement, is ii not?
Before we dispute it, let US accept it as the
basis of the Majors argument, as he
everywhere gives 1t to us, and see what
conclusion it forces upon the mind. On
this line let us quote him as follows: |
There are few merchants in the state of |
Ohio who have not suffered from the ex- {
aggerations of the importer and the false |
prophet, whose dire prophecies Of the ef-
feet of the new law caused them to in
crease their purchases and prices which
prices have since fallen; and in some in
the goods which the merchant has
on hand can be replaced at from ten to
twenty per cent. less than he paid for
them. Prices today in staple goods are !,
less than they were in October, November !
and December Of last year, and there is {
scarcely a manufactured article which
goes into the family, and which is classed
as a necessity, that has not fallen in price /
and is less than 1t has been for many
years."
This means that the protective tariff re-
iuces the price of goods. Then, If low
wages make low selling price, low sell.
Ing price must make low wages, for, the
Major says, one depends upon the other.
II wages in Europe make the selling price.
wages in United States must make the
selling price. II the low price of European
goods results from low wages, then a
low price of United States products will
also result from low wages, for the Major
binds them together as cause and effect.
How, then, can 1t be possible for protec-
live tariff to make low selling price and
hiph WAGES. when theV are oDposad IN