The free press., 1892-10-13


imports is undisputed, but its constitu.
tional power to impose a tariff for any
other ostenslble purpose is questioned.
The conclusive and sufficient objec.
ton to protective tariff is that it is an
abuse OF the taxing power of the Gov
ernment; it compels the whole people
to pay tribute to a few; it is a system
based upon injustice and unfair discrim-
nations, and tends to build up monop-
olies.
The Democratic position is so plain
and reasonable that he who reads may
understand it. 1t believes that the true
and constitutional purpose of tai1f is
the raising of necessary revenue for the
support of the Government--and that is
all. Let the tariff be high or low as the
needs OF the Government may require.
Let it not be so high or low as to create
a surplus in the Treasury. The place
for surplus taxes is in the pockets of the
people and not in the Federal Treasury.
The Republican position is that the
Government should use its powers of
taxation to build up private industries
by placing tariff rates so high that they
will absolutely prohibit foreign importa
tions or prevent any serious competition
with such industries. The Republicans
believe that the question of revenue
should be minor consideration in the
forming of tariff bill, and that the fost-
ering of some industries should be the
primary one. They shut their eyes to
the fact that they are unnecessarily inter-
fering with the natural laws of trade.
They ignore the value of foreign trade or
assume to believe that foreign countries
will trade with us although we purchase
nothing from them. They forget that
reciprocity cannot be one sided. They
appeal to the selfshness of the people
and 10 their natural jealousies of and
animosities against foreign countries.
The arguments of the Republicans in
support of this system are inconsistent
with each other. they in one breath alleg-
ing that high protective tariff keeps up
prices and in another breath that it re-
duces them. "You pay your money and
take your choice" Our opponents are
as versatile and accommodating in their
argument in this respect as was
the ignorant village schoolmaster
who had made application to teach
country school and when exam
ined by the local committee as to his
qualifications was asked the question
"whether the world was round or fat?"
replied that it made no difference to him
that he would teach "that the world
was round or fiat just as the committee
preferred"
do not believe that our American
manufacturers require the protection
which the Republican Party seems to be
so anxious to foist upon them, especially
if they were provided with free raw ma
terials as the Democratic Party proposes
to do. We are already underselling for
eign manufacturers III most or many OF
the markets of the world, and if we can
compete with them abroad, especially in
their own markets, there would seem to
be no real necessity of taxing our people
longer in order to enable our own maau-
facturers to compete with foreign ones
at our very doors.
All that America needs Is free field
and fair fight in the race of life and
she will prove invincible in nearly every
department of human activity. 1t Is
narrow and contracted view, however,
that seeks to keep our country from con-
tact with the commerce of the world.
The Republican orator who boastingly
Al. Al
and manufacture everything we need,
that foreign commerce should not be
sought after or foreign markets consid-
cred, aud that our American farmers
should be content with home markets
and home prices, and that we can and
should be independent of all the rest of
the world, may crafty the selfish and
false pride of his hearers, but he only ex-
hibits his ignorance of history and his
lack of comprehension of the true
sources of genuine prosperity.
THE DAVENPORT FORCE BILL.
The last step which the Republican
Party took in the direction of central
lied government was In the attempted
enactment of the offensive and iniqultous
measure now known as the Davenport
Force bill. When this bill was pending
in Congress in the summer of 1880 | had
the honor OF speaking in reference to its
provisions as follows:
''If the people are thoroughly aroused
to the nature and iniquities of the bill,
the party which has conceived it and is
now fastening to enact it will be buried
under an avalanche of remonstrance at
the next election"
The election of that fall showed that
the people were intensely aroused and
that the bill was most emphatically con-
demned by an indignant people. Yet
Immediately after that election the Re-
publicans attempted to pass the bill, but
thanks to the bold stand of our Demo
cratic Senators in Congress, aided by a
few independent and fearless Republi-
cans, its enactment was prevented and
the country was saved from its disgrace,
l have read in detail the prolix and