The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-07-27
the Castle Garden net were so coarse az
to let them through. Can't Ellis Island
be managed better?


ALDRICH'S SPEECH.
II was one of the hottest days OF hot
month at Washington yesterday when
Senator Aldrich rose to speak upon the
tariff question. His was mastery ad-
dress and one which sounds the keynote
of the campaign for American industries
and against their enemies.
Mr.. Aldrich's speech will be found in
full synopsis in another column. He
brushed AWAY at once the iimsy sophis-
tries by which the Journal and other
free trade papers are seeking to delude
the protected toilers of the North. The
tariff issue, he said, Is to be by common
assent, the leading issue in the approach
ing Presidential campaign. The radical
declarations of the Democratic platform
adopted at Chicago and the equally radi-
cal utterances of leading representatives
of the party insure this result. AT no
time in the history of the country have
the lines between the two great parties
upon this question been SO clearly de-
fined.
The common sense Of the country en-
dorses the statement, and any amount of
wriggling by Mugwumps who preach
free trade, and voice, for public effect,
hypocritical discomfort with Demo
cratic lukewarmness, is wasted.
The tariff is the issue. 1t is not the
only issue, for the menace of free silver
is upon us, and the denial of the right of
suffrage to Southern Republicans must
never be left out of sight. But the
tariff is in an industrial State the issue
which most keenly and closely affects
the interests of all.
Mr.. Aldrich naturally devoted much
attention to the report of the special
committee on the tariff, which showed
that the cost of living had declined 3D.
per cent. in May, 1892, as compared
with the period prior to the adoption of
the tariff act in 1890. The advance in
wages was 75 hundredths of one per
cent. Both results are reached by taxi
ing the averages or large number of
figures at many different points in the
country. They show that the slow and
steady process of improvement in the
laboring mans condition, which has
been going on ever since the Morrill,
tariff negatived the ruinous policy of
the Polk Democracy, did not stop with
the Mckinley bill.
These figures justify Mr.. Aldrich in
the conclusion that the cost of living is
not greater here than in Great Britain.
Why should it be? The three great
items of the cost of living are rent, food
and clothing. Rent is cheap in most
places here because taxes are low and
frame houses are easily and quickly
built Rent is high, relatively, in
Britain because taxes are high owing
to the crushing poor rates, and because
building in brick and stone is expensive.
Food is generally cheaper here. Cloth
ing alone is slightly cheaper there. But
does RHODE ISLAND, which makes cloth,
wish to see clothing cheaper?
The rule of tariff legislation was well
stated by Mr.. Aldrich when he said that
protective duties have but the one pur-
pose of maintaining the high level Of
the wages and comforts enjoyed by
American workmen. When this pur-
pose Is not attained under the tariff it
can only be because of internal compe-
tition, and this is less under the tariff be-
cause of the general prosperity and the
freedom from foreign competition.
Aud we believe Mr.. Aldrich is right
in saying that the common sense of the
American people will not permit this
bulwark of our prosperity to be broken
down.
Are you going out or town for the
summer?