The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-06-17
Decline Of Free Trade.

The election In Oregon q few days
ago, following soon after the rout
OF the free-traders in Rhode
island and like the latter state CIV
Ing an unexpectedly large Republl-
can majority, knocks the prospective
props OF the Democracy completely
from under the party and marks the
collapse OF free trade. Oregon Is a
wool growing State. Rhode Island is a
wool manufacturing State but neither
OF them wants the Springer wool
Tariff Reform" bill, as it passed the
house. The free WOOL bill, maintained
something OF the real essence OF tariff
reform, emhodying the famous prln-
ciple which Grover Cleveland empha-
\ sized In his famous free trade message
! fa Congress in 1887, aud most igno.
hnlously sought to suppress in the
st. Louis Convention few months
later when no was renominated for
President.
Free wool was the very foundation
stone OF tariff reform, but as embod-
led In the Springer bill, the idea has
snow fallen dead npon the countryand
is CONTEMPORARY rejected by the
manufacturers in Rhode Island and
tho wool grower and farmer in Oregon.
Ten thousand Republican majority for
small State like Oregon, with about
the same number OF voters as Rhode
Island is enormous, the like was never
known before.
Great reforms, however, never go
backward. Judged by this maxim,
Free Trade is certainly very far from
being great reform. After five years
, OF noisy. persistent endeavor. it is
generally recognized that the free
trade cause is weaker than when the
agitation began. II reached its climax
In the Misrepresentation OF the Nc
Kinley tariff, which resulted in the
elections of 1890. which placed the
present Democratic House OF Repre-.
sentatives in power. Since then, Free
trade has been going steadily down
hill. .1[-
The recent election in Rhode Island
demonstrated the fact that the Repub.
lican party in that State, after several
defeats had regained its courage and
was as strong as in 1883. and In Ore
gon IL lie shown that it is stronger than
It ever was before. The fact has been
plainly demonstrated that no consid-
cradle body of voters In this country
II left to their own reflections is at.
tracted by the plain issue of free trade.
The only method by which the advo.
Gates Of free-trade can make any head.
way is by Disgusting the real character
OF the Issue and pretending to he
something. which they are not. This
policy adopted by Grover
Cleveland, which for a time was sue.
cessful. In the Eastern States nota.
bly, In Massachusetts which had been
o stronghold OF protection, it caught
some manufacturers by the bait OF
free coal and iron, aud oti1Ss by that
= OF frse-wool %
But these q Eoon discovered their
mistake, as q Democratic Congress
=. would not be very likely to let in free
Iron and free coal when they had the
great coal and iron states OF Alabama,
tennessee and tho two yirginias on
their hands ready to fly into the arms
Of protection, and they began also to
see that free wool could only be secur-
cd at the price of ruinous reduction
In the protection on the finished IA.
brics, These discoveries sealed the
fate OF tariff reform in New England
In the direction of free trade.
One more defeat, says the "Bostor
Journal" in a national election and
free trade will probably sink into that
condition of 'inocuous desuetude'
whichit held for twenty-six years ate,
the strong Free Trade States seceedet
ut the outbreak Of the civil war. Pre-
sent indications are that defeat is Ger
lainly impending.