The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-08-12
TIE LIVING ISSUE.
Protection the True Principle of
American Independence.
A Policy as Old as the Government and
Upon Which Rests the Prosperity
OF the Nation - Free
Trade FalIacies.

Upon invitation of the Chautauqu;
committee Gov Mckinley, of Ohio
made lengthy speech before the peO
pie of Beatrice. Neb.. on August ,. upor
protection and its influence upon tn,
commerce and industries OF the United
States. and delivered in glowing term.
his views upon free trade. The follow
ing contains the gist of his remarks:
have come here TO discuss before this as
scmtlage the question Of tariG and taxation
which has given to il added importance tli
year. because OF the sharp divisions amon- m,
people as expressed in the latest platforms O
the two leading parties Of the country. learr
that on this platform you invite the freest dis
CUssiOns and welcome men of every phase o
parry and political belief; that all the parties
except The republican have been heard aud
you have been kind enough To assicu 10 ms
the presentation Of republican belief arl
conviction upon the great issues whicl
divide the parties tins year.
viii not discuss former issues. but the
living one, the one which affects
The revenues Of the government ana the occu
paticns and cmployments OF the people. ] sup
pose that no one VIII question that citizens OF
Other countries desiring 10 bring their products
into this country can do so only, upon the coudi-
tions this government may prescrbe-thc terms
Of their admission here 10 be fixed by Us rs il
may seem best 10 US This plain principle viii
be admitted bv all The question OF difference
viii be the conditions to be prescribed and this
difference marks the divisions among our
people and between the two great political
uartics of the country. The terms which both
parties would prescribe recognize primarily the
revenue needs Of the government and both pro-
pose 20 provide for them. The one has that for
its sole purpose; the other has that for one Of
its purposes. coupled with another which
takes into account home and country. and fixes
tie conditions so as TO promote our largest in
dustri3l prosperity and tho highest develop
meut of Our natural resources. The terms
which orr political adversaries would e y regard
only revenue. The terms which we prescribe
secure ample revenue for the treasury and the
highest rewards 10 the industry and activity OF
our own people.
The latest national platform Of the democrat
ic Tarty Is bOldpr recognition Of free trade
than any Of its predecessors. An analysis OF il
Is necessary 10 lis full understanding. and TO
that full understanding We mus; know what
was reported, whai was stricken cut and what
was adopted as a substitute for all The report,
as IL came from the committee on resolutions,
declared that:
when customs taxation is levied upon arti-
cles of any kind produced in this country, the
difference between the cost Of labor here and
labor abroad fully measures any possible bene-
fits 10 labor"
That was stricken out and this difference in
favor of the American workinEman is no longer
TO be recognized by the democratic party in its
arrangement Of the tariff. Again:
But in making reductions in taxes, it is not
proposed TO iniure any domestic industry"
That is stricken out and in their revised edi-
ton they take no care OF any domestic industry
and the reductions hereafter TO be made in the
tariff will be needless OF the injury that may
follow TO our Industrial interests.
Again the report declares:
From the foundation Of this government
taxes collected At the custom houses have been
the chief source Of federal revenue; such they
must continue 10 be-
This is stricken out which indicates most
strongly that the new leaders Of the democratic
party propose 10 abandon their old policy OF
raising revenue from customs and rely solely
upon direct taxation for the revenue needs OF
tie government They give up their old the
ories Of taxation ana are ready 10 accept the
land tax scheme Of Henry George or adopt the
system OF direct taxation which Thomas Jefier-
son declared was too odiOus and ouCroCs 10 be
thought Of except in q great national emergency.
Again. the committees report declares. so
that every csanEe Of law must be al every step
regardful OF the labor ana capital involved.
That, too, is stricken out, and any change OF
Law hereafter % De made Is not 20 be rc-arlful
OF the labor employed and capital invested in
the great industries OF the country.
Again: The processes Of reform must he sub
ject 10 the execution Of these plain dictates Of
Justice"
That was stricken out and their new process !
Of reform is not even 10 be framed 0a the plain
principles Of justice ror tempered with a single
quality Of mercy. No quarter Is 10 be given. /
but all our vast enterprises must surrender 4
without terms 10 the demands of tariff reform. (
Ard having stricken that ali out thcy denounce Z
republican protection as a fraud.
The robbery Of the great majority Of the I
American people for the benefit OF ;he few
They declare that congress has 10 constitU- F.
tional power 20 enforce and collect tariff duties
which are protective in their nature.
The cOnstitutionality Of a protective tariff has I
not been seriously questioned in more than one 4
hundred years Never, believe. before was il :
questioned in the national platform OF any
party The platform Of to-day reads like the .
ordinance of nullihcation which passed q gen
eral convention in South Carolina sixty years .
ago. Indeed, after carefully reading the two .
documents, you may gravely suspicion that the I
latter was copied from the former. ANY par
ticular in which you may find the IaSi instru-
ment differing from the first TO which l have
referred, You Will find that il is because the !
latter has more closely adhered 10 the confeder-
ate constitution than 10 the ordinance Of nullifi-
cation.
Protection unconstitutional 4 policy which
is as old as the government; a policy which
commenced with the government. a policy
which was recognized in the second act ever
passed ny tie congress Of the United States by
congress participated in by many Of The franz
ers Of the constitution, fresh from the prepara-
ton and prCmulgation OF that great instrument
That congress passed a law in l7S9, the prcam-
bic Of which declared il 10 be:
"EOr the support Of the government for the
discharge OF the debts of the United States
ana for the encouragement ana protection OF
manufacturers 80
That law was passed by unanimous vote in
the senate Of the United States ard by a ma
Jority OF five 10 one il the house OF representa-
tiveS. was reported by Mr.. Madison. who was
afterward president OF the Unitad States. and
was approved by George Washington.
II 1t Is il violation OF any constitution il Is
mol that Of the United States l. Is manifest
violation OF the constitution OF the confederate
states. Possibly that Is what they mean. Hap
PLY for US, however. We don't recognize that III
s;rUment-aud never did, and we are not oper-
atiug under IL l. went down before The resist
less armies Of TIE union commanded bv Grant f.
ami Sherman, and the constitution Ct Washing
ton and Lincoln was sustained, which from It's
birth time until now has recognized ana 1uSti-
ned the principle Of a protective tariff ham
1tpn and Madison, Jefferson and Calhoun. Clay
and Webster Adams ana Jackson always as
serted ana maintained the constitutiouality Of
protection
Now, upon what terms shall we admit foreign
goods 10 the United States: What is best for
Is; What y best for the people A. large:
What terms viii secure the greatest good 10
tne masses OF our Countrymeu. The terms pro
posed by those who differ from Us on this cues
uon-the democratic party-are thai everything
shall come iato tais country free from abroad.
except those products which we cannot our-
selves produce Having il view revenue and
only revenue, and being opposed 10 protection
IN any degree 70 domestic industries. they i'm
pose tarir upon foreign products the like OF
which cannot be grown upon our soil Or made IL
oUr shops
Roger Q. Mills put this in a frank ana force
ful way on the 24th OF April. 1875. in the house
Of representatives. in the discussion of The