Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-08-05
M,kINLEY FUSTIAN.

While in Madison Mr.. Mckinley de-
scended to a style Of argument entirely
unexpected in man of his acknowledged
soIidity. what is tariff reform?' asked
he with pretended seriousness. Then he
proceeded to relate how, in his judgment,
no democrat seemed to know.
Such talk was entirely unworthy Of the
man. It was as big sham as the pre-
tense of tire Wisconsin republicans of
being shocked at democratic apportion-
ments which are modelled so closely after
republican precedents as to be lndistln-
guishable from them.
The tariff plank in the democratic plat
form exhibits true tariff reform as believed
IN by the democratic party. That plank
is identical with the views Of Sam
ueI j. Tilden as expounded Ill the
platform Of 1876. 1t is, however,
an improvement on that one, insofar
as it is palmer and less perplexing to even
the simplest minded. 1t is, IN short, a
declaration that the tariff or tax on i'm
ports should be so regulated that its pro-
ceeds shall cover the expenditures of the
government; that the tariff shall be what
its legitimate functions should be, and not
a law to fill the pockets of few citizens
by enabling them to levy tribute upon the
people.
This tariff for revenue plank is exploit
ed by our friends tie enemy for all it is
worth. it is decried as an out-and-out
free trade, pure Golden measure, and
the republicans verify believe they can
deceive the people, and especially the
workingmen, AS they did four year S
ago. When Cleveland issued his ia
nous message to congress, it
was hailed with delight by the republi-
can leaders, because they saw their oppor-
tunity, The people had to be educated !,
and the presidential campaign became one
of education. The people have been
educated since, and their education is not
yet finished. But one thing Is certain
they canno. be deceived any longer, and
they no longer put any faith in the profess
sions and hollow, insincere promises Of
republican politicians.
But is tariff for revenue a free trade
measure? Not only is it not, but freq trade
Is out of the question in a nation which
calls for the annual expenditure Of over
S4OO, 00o, 700 and has to raise it by q tax on
imported articles or by an obnoxious
direct tax. AS long as our main source of
revenue, and it can be made the only
source, is the tax on imports, free trade is
out of the question.
That protection is misnomer when
piled to workingmen is well illustrated
In the case of the Homestead men. Steel
and iron, as is well known, forms one of
the best protected articles in the Mckinley
tariff. The ironmasters Of PENNSYLVANIA
had great dsal of fat to spare and it was
fried out of them to considerable extent,
of course with promised compensation.
But one article was relieved of tax, and
that was steel billets Here it is where
the 'nigger in the wood pile" is disclosed.
Steel blilets, that is, the market price.
formed the standard by which the wages of
the worklngmen were to be measured and
egulated. Its minimum price at which
1t sold then, of s25 per ton, was to form
the basis of the pay of the ironworkers,
and IN accordance with it the wages were
scaled. If, therefore, the price of steel
blliets could be lowered, if it could be de-
pressed so as to rate in the market below
20, the opportunity was given to reduce
the scale Of wages of the nottingham.
!rs Old contract which the iron barons
aad @s'h their men ran out on July l.
an sssfssore, the price OF steel bilets
haa y " lowered so as to diminish the
$500 = wages. This was accordingly
a2ts. snd steel bi!.ets commanded only
Sl<5o II the market, and the wage
workers are not asked. but commanded. to
aoeep. d lower rate of wages. And thus
are the 1orkingmen protected by the
tariff.
As 1t is with steel billets, so it is with
the majority Of articles in the Mckinley
list. Whenever manufacturer pleaded
for the protection OF his monopoly, and
his name was found on the list OF the con
trlbutors to the republican campaign fu I'D.
his request was complied with. McKip-
ley's tariff was truly measure of protec-
tlon-not for the workingmen's wages.
but for the monopolist's income.
Democrats are not averse TO protection.
but they demand that it be made incl
dental to revenue raising; that it be side
issue to the necessity which compels the
collection Of s400, COO 900 annually for the
maintenance of the government.