The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-13

CLEvELASD's TARIFF TRICK.
Before the appearance OF Cleveland's
letter Of acceptance the Chicago Herald. the
leading Semocratic organ OF the Middle
West, proclaimed that the Democrat who
By tongue or pen seeks to qualify or limit
the purpose of the party 70 destroy protec-
ton, root and branch. should pass over to
the enemy" The Herald, however. ac-
cepts Mr. Cieveland's letter a. its platform.
Watterson, Of the Louisville Courier-Jour-
mol, struck ont the protection plank OF the
Democratic platform of 1884. or, Is he
called il, "ihe stradiie Of 1884" from the
platform proposed for the Democratic
national convention and inserted the
plank for free trade. All summer long
Watterson proclaimed that the Democratic
programme was to rip up. exterminate,
abolish, annihilate, and in the foulest ig-
nominy and disgrace, every vestige OF
fraud called protection, wherever we can
find it," Today Watterson is willing 70
halt on "Mr. Cleveland's message and the
Mills bill, until 1t has control Of the Sem
ate and has placed Mr. Cleveland in the
White House" Other Democratic papers
interpret Mr. Cleveiand's letter as a modi.
fcation Of the national tariff platform, so
complete that the free trade principle is
substantially eliminated and IN effect the
plank OF 1884, which the national conven-
ton rejected. is restored. Free trade is
to the rear" says the Knoxville Tribune;
protection is no longer as unconstitu-
tiona az il was in June"
The anti-,arlf agitation is limited to de-
nunciation of the Mckinley tariff. It is
very plain today that the Democratic
party has been forced to retreat from their
platform and take refuge behind their
candidate, who stands evidently on his
tariff message of 1887, for free trade in raw
materials and protection to finished goods.
But il is not easy to understand why Cleve-
land is any more likely to win on this
platform than in 1888. when he was de-
feated upon it both East and West. The
Western producer loses his Eastern manu-
featuring market for his raw materials,
because he cannot endure the competition
OF free imported raw materials produced
by foreign cheap labor. The Eastern
manufacturer Of course will like free
| raw materials, with protection con-
t,nued to his goods, but he would be
| very short-sighted to accept this bride,
because the Western producers, the farm
ers, the miners. the wool growers, the
loggers, the hop growers, the fruit grow
| ers, etc, would at once rise up in revolt
| and say, This is not fair tariff; it is .
tariff for the Eastern manufacturer: it
| protects his goods and places our products
| on the free list; if we can't have fair
| tariff, like the Mckinley tariff, which pro-
| tects both producer and manufacturer,
| protects both East and West, why then
| we will remove protection from the East
| ern manufacturer and have free trade all
| around
On Cleveland's tariff reform platform Of
free raw materials and protection to fin
| ished goods the Western producer would
| be robbed of his Eastern market to make a
holiday for the protected Eastern manu-.
| facturer. As mere political bride or trick
to capture the manufacturing vote in the
| doubtful states of the East this kind of
tariff reform" is resorted to by Cleveland
to save New York, New Jersey and Con.
necticut, but as a policy it could only be
| pursued until the West had a chance to
understand and experience it's injustice
and then the country would surely go back
10 protection to both producer and manu-
fac.urer or forward to free trade, for the
| %Ala
tariff juggie as free raw materials and pro-
tected manufactures.
Asa trick, bride to secure the electoral
vote of New York and Connecticut, Cleve-
lands tariff reform" may succeed better
than il did in ISIS, but as policy it would
surely send US back to protection or for
ward TO free trade. If we went back to
protection that would be a Republican
triumph, and if we went forward TO free
trade how would the Eastern manufac-
turers feel who are nosing around
| Cleveland's tariff hook. baited with
free raw materials and protected fin
ished goods? The Eastern manufac-
turers who bite at this bride will
surely repent their folly ultimately
when An angry West wraps them in the
sackcloth and ashes of full free trade. The
long-headed wool manufacturers were
shrewd enough 70 see this At the last SEES.
sion OF congress for the WOODEN manufac.
turers joined with the wool growers in op.
posing the free wool bill. The National
Association Of Wool Manufacturers Cd.
posed the free wool bill, for they saw that
the removal Of the tax on wool would be
sure 10 make the wool growers move for
the removal OF the tax on WOODEN goods.
They preferred protection and fair trade
to free trade.