The record-union., 1892-10-17

Republican legislation" I differ from
my friend on the construction he places
on that plank in his party's platform, but
will not ask my hearers to accept my un-
supported view of its meaning. When
/ that plank was proposed in the National
| Democratic Convention at Chicago, my
distinguished friend here and mis- associ-
ates from California voted against it.
They were against it then, but now they
are advocating and defending it before
the people and are ready to vote for 1t at
| the coming election. When was my
| friend Mr.. White in the right-then, or
now?
Quoting from the Democratic platform
where it characterized the Republican
tariff policy as a fraud and a robbery of
the people, Mr.. Estee asked: Now, If
the people had been robbed and plum
dered by the Republicans for the last
thirty years, what would have become OF
them by this time?
II that Democratic plank means any
thing 1t means that the Government has
Lo constitutional authority to impose d
protective tariff; and yet Mr.. White says
hls party believes in protection to GER
tain extent.
The simple truth is, as the plank really
| means, the Democratic party is opposed
70 protection of any kind. 1t has always
peen opposed 10 protection of our home
| industries. There will be nothing left of
the Democratic party after the next cleo
tion-nothing except the solid South.
In 1886 South Carolina, Democratic
State, nulllfied-or attempted to nulhfy-
an Act OF Congress passed for the protec-
ton OF our home industries. President
jackson, himself a Democrat, but loyal,
! tarseeing man, declared that the conduct
OF South Carolina was simply treason, in
attempting to defy the Congress of the
Nation.
The solid South always has been, and
still IS, for free trade. The people there
have always been frank and outspoken
on this subject, and they control the
Democratic party of the Nation. The
Northern Democracy is but the tail to
the real Democratic kite, which is the
solid South. Hence the plank in the
| Democratic platform which the solid
South forced upon the party in the Ma
tional Convention against the wishes of
| Northern members who, like my friend
Mr.. White, voted against its adoption.
Talk about our tariff laws being fraud
ulent and unconstitutional Why, the
| Supreme Court of the United States has
declared that the Mckinley bill is consti-
tutional. President Washington signed
| the first protective tariff law on July 1,
l1S9. This law remained in force until
1916, when it was amended by largely
lowering the protective duties of the
original law. England, though defeated
! IL eiiO val Va 1o1%, Sdlu0Q
commercial victory over our country in
1916 by controlling our markets through
the free trade Act of that year. Lord
| Brougham, then Commoner, said in
speech made in Parliament at that time:
lit is well worth while to incur loss
upon the first expectations to America in
order, by glut, to stifie in the cradle
those infant manufactures in the United
| States which the war of 1872 has forced
into existence" And from that day to
this England has endeavored, and now
is endeavoring, through the aid of the
| Democratic party, to stif1e in the cradle
every American industry which COM
| petes with that country.
Andrew Jackson, when President of
the United States, in message to Con-
greSs, declared that, in his opinion, Con-
gress had the constitutional power to levy
protective duties on imported articles,
and his opinion had been shared by
Washington, Jefferson, Madison and
Monroe. The Democratic platform of
1882, on which President Jackson was
elected, provided "that an adequate pro-
| lection to American industry is indis-
pensable to the prosperity of the country"
If the power were not in the Constitu-
| ton we would be defenseless against the
| impositions of other countries. Every
nation holds this right, and ours is no
| exception.
Mr.. White declares that the Republi-
cans have been robbing the many for the
| benefit of the few. / deny tit is not
true. Not but that the honorable gentle
man believes the assertion to be true, but
he is mistaken, for it is false. / want to see
| the man who has been robbed, and l want
to have him tell how he has been robbed.
l leave it to any lady or gentleman here
| tonight to say whether or not they have
purchased all kinds of goods or articles
cheaper within the last ten years than
ever before. Perhaps there are some
among the ladies here who can recall
their shopping experiences of thirty
years ago, when they paid many times as
much per yard for the single article OF
calico as they pay to-day in any of your
stores in this city.
Formerly all articles in daily use were
made in England and sold here at much
higher prices than people have to pay to-
day, because now there is home cOmpe-
tition. Before this competition the Eng
lish manufacturers fixed the price; but
| American protection enables our home
manufacturers to produce these things
and compete successfully against foreign
manufactures.
| Mr. Estee then reverted to the raisin
industry, and told how much cheaper
raisins can be produced here for home
consumption than what Americans had
to pay for good article when the Malaga
raisin-makers controlled the market.
Referring to Mr.. Whites remarks
about the alleged necessity for foreign
wool. he said we do not need the Aus
tralian article. The staple is just as long
in the East as in Australia, and we don't
need to 60 outside to procure long staple
| wool to mix with the California article
Once open our ports, he said, to the cheap
labor goods of foreign countries, and our
Iown laboring people at once come in
competition with the labor of those
countries.
| Self-preservation forces us to be self
sustaining, our conditions being different
! from those Of older countries. Our pro-
tective and revenue laws must be made
to fit these conditions. We must largely
make at home what we consume at home
| We must secure and maintain our home
markets, because ninety-five per cent. of
everything we produce is consumed by
our people. We must pay large wages for
labor because there is more for man to do
here than anywhere else, and because the
laborer lives better here than in Europe
and requires more to live upon, and lastly
and infinitely more important, because
he is an American sovereign. We must
encourage universal education, because
general knowledge is necessary to a free
people in a republic. We make new and
useful inventions and encourage the poor
to become rich and the ignorant to be-
come wise. Doing these things we must
be self-sustaining; we must protect our
labor and defend our industries.
| Some years ago California voted almost
| unanimously to keep out cheap Chinese
labor, because the people did not want
their laboring classes to come in compe-