Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1892-10-21
THE PROTECTIVE POLICY.

~'~> PS~sAA S3~ONS'
THE PROTECTIVE POLICY.
The following editorial from the
columns Of the Minneapolis Journal,
although somewhat lengthy, is such
an excellent and lucid Interpretation
of the stand taken by the Republican
party that it is here reproduced:
There may be found in another col
umn today a communication from
Fred E. Hardenbergh, in which Mr..
Hardenbergh asks a civil question
and to which there is due a civil an
swer. 1t is to be hoped that it will
not be regarded as uncivil, however,
to say that Mr.. Hardenbergh takes a
rather superficial view Of things.
Otherwise he could not very properly
claim to be an observer of its policy
and at the same time accuse the Jour-
nal Of being high tariff paper. The
Journal is not a high tariff paper,
and, as it's readers know, does not re-
gard Mr.. McKinley's schedules or
any other schedules as sacred and un-
alterable. 1t is, however, in favor Of
protection and opposed to free trade,
and holding such views it is not diff
cult to see why it should support the
Republican instead Of the Democratic
candidates. The Republican plat
form of 1892 says nothing about any
schedules or high tariffs; it declares
in favor of such discrimination by
protective duties as shall cover the
difference between American and
European wages. It will be conceded
by Mr.. Hardenbergh, doubtless, that
there is such difference; that Ameri.
can wages are higher. At all events,
such is the fact. It will probably al
so be conceded that if there were no
protection, no discrimination in favor
of the home manufacturer, wages in
many cases would have to come down
or the home manufacturer would have
to 60 out of business. The Journal
does not contend that these discrimi-
nations in favor of the American
manufacturer are always fair; it does
not believe they ever will be entirely
fair until this matter of schedules is
taken out Of politics and referred to a
non-partisan commission. But it be-
lieves that there ought to be some
protection; that experience has shown
it to be wise thing for the develop
ment Of the resources of the country,
and as the Republican party is the
only party that favors protection at
all, the Journal could not "conscien-
tious]y support the candidates of any
other party.
1t was that great apostle of tariff
for revenue only. Samuel J. Tilden,
who said that compromise and conces-
sion was the secret of successful states
manship, by which he meant that as
two individuals cannot often agree
perfectly on given subject and as a
party must be made up Of individuals
it is necessary that its members who
cannotagree perfectly must meet each
other on middle ground. The Jour-
nal does not believe that any of the
Republican candidates for congress
in this state are what are commonly
called high tariff men. In the Fifth
district we have a staunch Ropubli-
can for candidate for congress who is
not high tariff man. He is, how.
ever, protectionist. So much for
the attitude of the Journal and of the
candidates whom it supports toward
the tariff.
Mr.. Hardenbergh then proceeds to
argue that because the Northwest is
all agricultural country, and because
the foreign demand determines in a
large measure the price of grain, the
! Northwest ought to be in favor of free
trade. He contends that it is to ou1
disadvantage that the price Of grain
should be fixed in foreign market,
but is opposed to that policy which
would make the American farmer less
and less dependent on that foreign
market by substituting a home mark
ct for the foreign. His argument,
carried to its logical conclusion, would
hold that it would not make any diff
ference to the farmer if there were no
other industries in this country than
his own, and that, SO far as his bust
ness success is concerned, everybody
might as we'll be farmer. 1t is easy
to see that that is absurd. The farm
er raises something else besides grain.
When he becomes Independent of his
grain crop he is usually accounted
fortunate. And not only does the
employment Of large populations in
the manufactures and other industries
than farming create better demand
for his grain and other products, it en-
ables him to buy the articles he needs
cheaper than he could otherwise OBJ
tain them, and in his sense the farmer