Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-01


meet these demands is insthe shape of
import duties SO imposed as to encour-
age our growing industries. To these
classes must be added large element
who believe in protection per Sc, and who
would be in favor of imposing heavy du-
ties on foreign staples even if the money
shonld be "blown in' on costly public
improvements. 1t is very likely that
this class is not more numerous than
the outright free traders. The last pres
idential election, with its side issue of
$40O, 900 corruption fund, may fairly be
said to have been verdict in favor of
protection, but the narrow margin by
which the Republicans won ought to
have caused the Republican leaders to
go slow.
Instead, they went wild. Very few of
the American voters dreamed of increas-
ing the already high war and post war
tariffs. They simply thought it better
to stick to the principle of incidental
protection, land many Republicans un-
doubtedlv supposed that their leaders
would try to steal some Democratic
thunder, making such brilliant flank
movement as that made by the Tories
on the disestablishment of the Irish
church, and as D'Israeli led on the ques-
tion of extended suffrage in England.
Few people dreamed that such mon
strosity as the Mckinley bill could be
enacted into law. This famous meas
ure, which has wrecked the Re-
publican party, is really the second
increase made by that party
on the abnormally high war tariff. 1t
contains such infamous exactions as the
increase of the duty on tin plate, which
enhanced that manufactured speciality
LIS box, and which has laid an ad-
ditional burden on the canning and
other productive manufactures of the
United States. This scandalous impo
sition was defended on the ground that
it would develop the production of tin
in this country. The fact was carefully
kept in the background that the Nc
Kinley bill imposed no duty on block
tin, which now enters the United
States free of duty, as it did
before the Mckinley bill was
passed. Those acquainted with the
facts claim that this feature of the Nc
Kinley tariff will put in the pockets of
the manufacturers of tin plate--which
is mainly iron with only thin veneer
ing of tin-quite 500, 900, 900 during the
next five years. The people OF this
country are patient to a degree, but
they cannot be humbugged in such a
transparent fashion.
The fact is that the Republican lead
ers are fairly ratified at the result Of
their gross subserviency to the manufac-
turers. Even so shrewd man as the
late autocrat of the house of represen-
tatives, the Hon. Tom Reed, completely
lost his head. He had himself inter
viewed in Italy short time ago, and
his views of matters and things were
circulated in this country far and wide
by the Associated Press. He at
tempted to explain the sweep
ing results of the late cleo
tions. Amongst other reasons he
ascribed the overwhelming defeat of
the Republicans in their heretofore
strongholds in the west by the great
financial stringency brought about by
the failure OF the Barings. This ratified
leader had forgotten that the Barings
incident occurred after and not before
those elections. The real cause of the
Republican downfall was the passage of
the Mckinley bill and the arbitrary
course of Reed himself as speaker of the
house of representatives, which seated
Republicans enough to rush through this
and other infamous measures, like the
Force bill, for instance, although enough
patriotic Republicans we're found to de-
feat the latter measure. The Reed rump
OF congress succeeded in doing enough
to permanently divorce the great west
from the Republican party.
In last weeks Afgonaut Mr.. Frank M.