The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-08-21


Issssss upon watch tbs Coming war VIII
II 10 wsgsd.
That the democrats Of Ohio would
set their faces against the Mckinley
tariff. and against protective tariffs In
general. and would renominate GOV.
Campbell were conclusions anticipated
before the meeting OF their state con-
vention What position they would
take on the silver question was mat
tsr Of doubt. The platform adopted
favors free coinage. but this resul. was
occurred only after stout battle on the
part Of the opponents Of that policy,
the majority being ninety mine in .
con vention Of seven hundred. This IS
not conclusive OF the attitude Of the
party in Ohio next year, when the is
sue will become more pertinent than II
Is now, but It is something which can
not be overlooked.
| The significance Of the Ohio cam
| pai-y will depend very much upon the
| way in which IL is conducted II is
| possible for the campaign managers 20
| give such prominence 10 the tariff issue
| that the silver question will be lost
sight Of for the time being. and this
| seems TO be the most probable course
o. events The republicans. by nomi-
nat ng Mr. Mckinley. have taken their
| stand on the measure which bears his
name. and the democrats have in ex-
| press terms accepted the issue 50 ten
dered. I'VE accept" they say. -'the is
sue rendered to Us BY the republican
party on the subject of the tariff. as
represented by the so-called Mckinley
tart Fl act. confident that the verdict Of
the people Of Ohio will be recorded
against the iniquitous policy Of so-
called protection. championei by the
repu blican party in the interest of
favored classes against the masses"
lf the speeches made in the conven-
ton may be taken as the keynote OF the
cam paign there will be. rs there ought
10 be. an illuminating and enlivening
disc ussion of the items of the McKin-
ley bill, and the republicans will he
put on the defensive at a hundred diff
feren points So long Is the contro-
verSy is waged over distractions very
little Roadway will be made. but when
the particular things in this measure
are brought under review, it will be
found to be essentially . dishonest
measure 1t is not necessary to affirm.
and we do not affirm, that the persons
who voted for il, or who now support
Il, are dishonest. The greater part OF
OF them are as honest as other people,
but the measure itself reeks with dis
honesty from beginning to end rs near
" AL the protective-tariff taxes ever
passed BY congress do. The reason
why they are filed up with swindIing
prov isions is perfectly plain When
congress attempts TO overhaul all the
industries of the country every man
who has any special pecuniary interest
In il is prompted tog 60 to Washington 20
work for himself. Congressman are
for the most part lawyers having little
acqu aintance with business, and even
II they had much acquaintance with
business in general they could not have
Il with eoch particular trnde Probably
The one having tho nont vnsiod informn-
ton IN the Lat conGron1 We G1ou<1nR
Aldrich. Yet TIE blnnders ho mado a
dealing with particular things were I'm
many cases startling and always per-
nicicus Probably ia each such case
he took the word Of some interested
party and made no independent inves-
tigation. for which, indeed, therewas
no time.
As illustrating Mr.. Aldrich's WAYS Of
arriv ing at the truth and IS exhibiting
the dishonesty Of protective tariffs in
general. we recall for moment a con-
fession made BY that senator when
somebody asked him how the duty on
iron ore had been fixed at seventy five
cents per ton in the tariff Of 1888. Both
houses had voted for fifty cents per
ton. although in different bills Not
vote had been taken authorizing any
higher rate Of duty. Morally. the COM
mittee Of conference. TO which the sub
ject was finally referred. was bound to
report the duty at fifty cents. neither
more nor less But when the bill was
reported this particular item had been
raised to seventy five cents, and 1t was
nece ssary for congress TO adopt that
rate and take the risk Of its far-reach-
ing conseq uences or to reject the bill
altogether When Senator Aldrich
was asked why this had been done he
said that il was done at the suggestion
Of BILLY Malone, Of Virginia. who
was not member Of the committee.
alth ough he was . member Of the SEN
ate 1T that time There Is no reason
apparently why any particular rate Of
duty once agreed TO BY both houses.
should not be increased in this UNDER
hand way at the suggestion Of any
body, either in or out OF congresa
There are several items in the McKin-
ley tariff involving very large interests
that were smuggled into the bill sur
rcptitiously in the same way As Ma
homes iron-ore tax was in the tariff Of
1883
The duty on tin plate was swndle
from the outset. The handspring Of
that increased duty was not the hope
and expectation Of starting the tin
plate industry in this country. but OF
compelling people to use galvanized
iron instead Of tin for roofing purposes.
The wool items of the tariff are full OF
dece ptive and swindling provisions
which have been repeatedly exposed in
the public prints and by manufac turers
who are themselves protectionists The
fact that these deceptive and under
hand provisions have brought no benc-