The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-30
POLITICS AT CHAUTAUoUANs.
Speeches by st. John, Mckinley and .
Tariff Reformer.


Tariff Reformer.
MADISON, Wis. July 29.-Ex-Governor
st. John, of Kansas, Governor Mckinley,
of Ohio, and w. c. Warner, of the New
York Tariff Reform Club, addressed the
Mona Lake Chautauqua Assembly to-
day. Henry Watterson was also to have
spoken, but was taken i'll at Chicago.
ST. John spoke in the forenoon, on
prohibition and the tariff He recited the
prohibition arguments and said that under
the present system the liquor traffic had
grown faster in the past three years than
ever before. Over the counters OF the
$40. 797 saloons in the country $780,
100000 passed last year. This would
pay the national debt. st. John
took the position that the whole
tariff system is wrong in principle. because
il levies the burdens on what We consume
instead of what We possess. Fifteen or
twenty men control today all means of
reaching the markets of the world, and
our merchant marine is practically driven
from the high seas. The farmers possess
less than one-fifth of the wealth of the
country, while they had tive-eighths forty
years ago, and still the farmer is consoled
with the blessed assurance that he is PRO
tected." Capital takes $l6 net income
from steel per ton. while the gross receipts
of labor are but $L57. and because the
laborers refuse to submit to a reduction of
% per cent. capital confronts him with an
army OF hired Pinkertons, and when he
defends his interest he is called muir
derer
In the afternoon Governor Mckinley
addressed an audience of Is, 90 people. In
speaking of political issues he said:
What is tari f reform, anyway? Who can tell?
Cleveland SAID several wears ago that he knew
nothing about the tariff. From the date OF that
ustcrance down to the present time he has
given no evidence Of having increased his origi-
nal store of knowledge on economics. The
Democratic majority in congress passed bill to
untax wool fox the sole benefit of New England
manufacturers, and for the injury OF all farmers,
while leaving the duty on all wool articles man
bill TO lift the tariff on cotton
ties for the benefit of the South.
while almost identical iIon bands in other cali
ings retain the old duty. Ii this is the economic
policy of the Democratic party il might better
be called policy at all, for it obviously repre-
seuts no system and can produce no uniform
results.
On the question of Taxation Mckinley
declared the country must raise 800 100000
annually to defray the expenses of the fed
eral government. There are only two ways
possible-levying direct tax on the peo-
pie or an import tax on the products of
foreign nations. There can be no evasion.
The nation must adopt One or
the other. Mckinley dwelt on the
disadvantages of direct tax
system, and quoted Jefferson and Madison
as earnest opponents of it in times of
peace. Thirty years of protection had
placed this country in financial position
unrivaled among nations. Thirty years
ago 95 per cent. of the hardware in this
country was of English make, while
now 80 per cent. is American. The
Democratic revenue tariff is always
paid by the consumer Tariff or free trade
has nothing 10 do with strikes and lock-
outs. nothing 10 do with differences be-
tween employer and empioye. Mckinley
accused the Democratic congress of de-
featihg the Worlds fair bill and doing
nothing for the benefit of the country.
Tariff reform, said Warner, is the great
est issue of the day. Do not think the
farmers are ignorant of these questions
as they were four years ago. 4 stipend
Gus kick Will be made next November.
Protection ia = means of taking money
from one class OF people and placing IL in
the pockets of another through the
sanction of the law. The Demo-
Gratis propose to take the tariff off articles
used by the poor and put them on luxUr-
les. etc. Warner claimed that free trade
was misnome-. BY a tariff for revenue
the government could raise over 500. 600
90 annually, and the advantage of the
system is that the amount Is taken from
the outside as far as possible