Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-14
FREE TRAoe REFORM.


lucky. THE Democratic party u tree
trade party or it is nothing" The less
honest members Of that party have made
and still make strenuous efforts to hide
this truth from the people. With their
free wool bill and their free cotton tie and
cotton bagging bill, and such other free
trade bills sent to the senate IS they see
st to pass before the adjournment OF
congress, they will find their task more
difficult in tho approaching campaign
than ever before. Too many bold free
trade speeches by representative Demo
Gratis have been placed on record. too
many bitter and unqualified denuncia-
tions Of protection in the abstract for
successful deception.
One little occurrence we particularly
wish to call to the attention Of our read
ers.
On April II Congressman Burrows, Of
Michigan, called the attention Of the
house to the fact that Democratic con-
gressmen had been inserting, - their
remarks on tho free wool bill, long ex-
tracts from Henry Georges Protection
and Free Trade" It further appeared
that this was merely the carrying out
Of scheme to give Mr. Georges work
wide circulation at public expense. a
number Of Democrats had divided the
book between them, each taking CON-
'plete q number Of chapters in consecu-
tive order, which were regularly insert
ed by them in The Congressional Record.
Thus the whole work was printed on
the installment plan, and having ap-
peared in The Record could be sent free,
according to law, through the mails.
This accomplished, all that remained to
do was for each member in the scheme
to order large number Of copies Of his
own speech" and the party had BE-
tween them an equal number Of Henry
Georges work complete.
We do not care at this time to CON-
ment on the fragrant abuse Of congress
sional privilege in thus utilizing the
United States government as q free
trade campaign bureau. nor do we care
10 dwell upon any other Of the disrepu-
table features of the free trade scheme.
But we do want to call the attention OF
American voters everywhere to the char
acter Of tho literature which these Dem.
ocrats are sending out IN defense Of their
misnamed tariff reform" movement.
Do you know Who Henry George is
what kind of q book his Protection and
Free Trade" is?
Henry George believes that it is NOR.
ally wrong to own land; that it Is no
better than robbery. What teach.r
and guide for farmers and the hundreds
Of thousands Of poor people whose saw
ings Of . laborious lifetime are invested
in modest homes. His book on the tariff
does not advocate tariff reform
However much we may disagree with
him, we must confess that he 10 honest
IN his convictions--too honest not to see
and to acknowledge the duplicity Of that
bogus term. He believes in free trade
as he delights to put it himself-f-r-e-e
trade free trade. That Is, he would
annihilate every custom house touor
row if he could.
And such is the doctrine the Demo
Gratis of the Fifty-second congress circu
late a. tariff reform" Yet IN . very
few months their army Of hired orator.
VIII Be around abusing every ono who
accuses them Of leanings toward fre<
trade. and again their uniformed thou
sands Of pAraders viii Be- shouting II
unison from one end Of the country X
the other, a. they did in 1888:
Don't don't don't b afraid.
Tariff reform u not free trade.
One brief extract from Mr.. George,
book sums mp his tariff creed. On
page So be says: Those protection
lists fhe mentions Henry c. Carey
and Professors z. P. Smith and r. E
Thompsonl are night who declare ths'
protection is the only justification Ton Z
tariff. and the advocates Of tariff fol
revenue only have no case" And it Il
that unequivocal prououpciamento fol
absolute free trade in the literal sens<
Of the term, by . man who calls land
ownership sin, which Democratic con
gressmen are scattering broadcas'
among farmers in behalf Of tari6 re
form" Gentlemen, you are working
out the perpetustion Of the principles o.
the Mckinley tariff. And ~ rsjosc1
in the success OF your sehene.