Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-28
SENATOR HILLS STRANGE LOGIC.

ond speech-the one ct Buffalo Saturday
night-he said explicitly that tax on i'm
ports was "the best and easiest method Of
raising the needed revenue for the support
of the Government He administered q
rebuke to the ''extreme men now osten-
sibly serving with the Democratic party,
who are opposed to all tariff taxation, +"
and remarked as his conclusive judgment:
"There can be no reasonable doubt that
tariff taxation will continue to be the
permanent policy of the Government, not
withstanding the opinions of those sim
cere but impracticable theorists who ad-
wise its abandonment This is pretty
tart advice for the free traders; but, as
will be seen farther on, the Senator, hav-
ing parted company with them, soon gets
lost himself.
Having got so far as this, almost upon
the exact lines, and in very nearly the
same words as were simultaneously used
by Congressman Dalzell in addressing a
Republican meeting in this city Saturday
night, Mr. Hill comes to the turn in the
road. Admitting that tariff duties must
continue to support the Government, Mr..
Hill expressly denies the right to so I'M
pose them as to foster American indus
tries. This is strange conclusion to ar
rive at, and the reason he gives for 1t is as
equally curious. Hear him: '1 am will
ing to concede that the first effect of a
high tariff upon a new industry is to stim-
ulate business, but this effect Is generally
followed by undue competition occasioned
by the very success incident to the favor
itism shownj then overprodu ,tion results;
and in the end stagnation in business, and
reduction of wages, and fall in prices, and
bankruptcy"
How does this comport with the cry of
the party organs that the tariff keeps up
excessive prices of articles to consumers?
Senator Hill's complaint is that the tariff
soon makes the prices so low as to bank.
rupt the American manufactured Ac-
cording to that view the tariff would be
good thing for the consumer, but bad
thing for the manufacturer. But will
Senator Hill explain why, then, American
manufacturers are almost unit for a pro-
tective tariff, if the tariff thus threatens
them with bankruptcy.
Of course the Senator will not explain,
for his statement is q misleading tumble
of fact and fiction; and he knows that
American manufacturers depend upon
and ask for a protective tariff. He speaks
of the competition at home to which their
success under a protective tariff subjects
them; but they are willing to take the
success and the home competition with it.
AS Senator Hill must know, it is the COM
petition from abroad which they fear-the
competition of the products of labor fifty
per cent cheaper than prevails in the
United States.
The logical outcome of Senator Hills
remarks is that it would be better if
American industries were not started, or
had no temporary success, than that they
should increase and multiply at the risk
of brisk competition at home He would
subject them, however, to the severest
competition from abroad, so that they
should never grow too healthy or too pros
porous, should not expand, nor yet COM
NIT the bankrupting folly of making
prices too low to the consumer.
In contrast with this is the protectionist
policy of so distributing the tariff duties
which Senator Hill admits must be
imposed as to encourage Ameri-
can manufactures. The protection
policy Is to put tariff on such
foreign articles as can be produced
at home in quantities and equal to the de-
mands of our people-thus encouraging
their production at home, and thereby
giving remunerative employment to skilled
labor in thousand forms; and, at the
same time, to admit free those articles
which cannot be produced in America.
Mr.. Hills plan is either to impose the
tariff at hap-hazard or to studiously avoid
any placing of it which should foster
American industry, lest the fostering of
the same might lead to multiplication of
such industries, and business might be-
come too brisk and prosperous
This Is an astounding position for a
Senator and statesman to drift into. As
Senator Hill, equally with Mr.. Dalzell,
admits that the $685. 100000 per year
needful for the Government must be
raised by tariff duties, the question for the
people who, under either regime, will have
to pay this 1856, 900, 900 is whether they
want it so levied as to foster and multiply
our industries or to shut these Industries
down. Is it true, for instance, that we
have too many iron and steel mills and
too many glass manufactures in Western
and Eastern Ohio and West
and would 1t really be good
thing, as Senator Hill argues, if half or
three fourths of them had never been
started or were to close tomorrow
When Senator Hill decided to part COM
pany with the free trade wing of the
party there was no legitimate stopping
place for him short of protection. His
position betrays the fatal weakness of his
party in this campaign.
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