The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-08-26

Mr.. Morrill, on the tariff of 1861. Not
only was he tho chief and responsible
author Of that tariff, but he was the
most notable victim OF the wholesale
lying, which produced temporary
fright and reaction with regard TO 1t. If
protectioniSts had taken alarm at the
defeat OF so many OF their friends last
November and had been disposed to get
ready to back down from the legislation
of last year, they certainly would not
have selected Mr.. Mckinley for the first
high Office to which he could be nomin-
ated We want no better champion in
this preliminary and most significant
struggle than Hon William Mckinley.
Ohio is nominally a protectionist State.
1t Is a community made up OF very diff
ferent elements. Tndustrially it repre-
sents pretty fairly the whole country.
Two-ffths and more of its people are
farmers. The crop runs up into the hun
dreds of millions OF bushels The tariff
has brought the manufacturer into close
neighborhood with the farmer, and has
created ample and. steady markets for
food and other farm products 1t has
utilized the natural resources OF the
State, until the value OF the manufact-
ured art cleS is now z eater than that of
the farm produce. This diyersilcation
of labor has given the people freedom of
choice as 10 Their occupation. Those
who have a preference for the industrial
arts have q chance TO find work In them,
instead OF being shut up to farming
alone. And the recent discovery Of nat
ural gas under the soil Of the State has
given new impetus to manufactures of
all kinds by reducing the cost OF power
Altogether Chic is fair sample of the
whole country, and It's share in the re-
dictionary "snap Judgment" Of 1880
makes its impending choice Of Gov
ernor highly significant, specially in
view of the fact that both parties have
drawn the Issue more distinctly on Pro
lection than on any other problem.
The issue in Ohio is between Free
Trade and Protection. There is much
less disguise and pretense now than
there was last November Those who
said Tariff Reform" then say "Free
Trade" now. That OF Itself is gain TO
the cause of Protection, which, in the
long run, will be found to more than
balance the loss OF the next House Of
Representatives The enemy have been
emboldened by their hit of sue ess to
abandon their ambuscado and - sight
in the open. The American workman
who votes now for an enemy of our
Tariff does so with his eyes open. lie
knows what 10 expect lie solicits the
free competition Of the depressed and
underpaid labor OF Europe with his own,
and with the certainty that his wages
will go down TO something like the Euro
pean level II he has gram OF sense,
he knows that the reduction of Tariff
duties to Free Trade level means tho
repeal of the laws forbidding the impor-
taton Of labor under contract These
laws are part of the protective legiSla.
tion Of the country. We cannot invite
the competition of European labor, and
forbi our capitalists TO bring IL into the
country for their own use e would be
as unjust as IL would be useless to insist
on such restriction.
The American farmer also knows what
is ahead OF him. The opposition now
stands for the free Importation OF Cana
dian farm produce, OF Australian wool,
of every sort Of food product from what
ever country can produce il cheaper than
we do. Their victory means the repeal
of the duty on wool, which has given
fresh stimulus TO Ohio's sheep farming.
1t means the expulsion of the anufact.
urer from the vicinity of the farm, that
the farmer may have the Joy OF sending
all his produce over land and sea at his
own expense, and OF bringing back a
scanty supply Of manufactured articles
I'm exchange. II means wholesale con
version of our population from other in
dustries to farming-tho conversion OF
the farmers customers into his competit-
ors in the food market It means vast
diminution I'm the purchasing power of
the bushels Of wheat and the carcass o.
pork. although this will be concealed
under the "chcapness" OF one half of the
farmers bargains
It will mean no reduction in the cost