The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-10-17
ILLOGICAL AND ABSURD,
Claims of the Extreme ProtecttOnists De-
nounced by Merchants.

Claims of the Extreme Protectionists De-
nounced by Merchants.
NEW YORK, Oct. 16.-The conference COM
mittee made up of representatives of the
various Business Men's Cleveland and
Stevenson clubs has issued the following
address to the voters:
We, the undersigned organizations, rep
resentinG in our membership interests of a
varied nature, Including farming. manu-
featuring, transpo' ting and merchandising
defying any man or body of men to Sc
riously question our patriotism. affirming
that we acknowledge no class of citizens as
more deeply Interested i'll national pros
perity than ourselves, realizing that in
creased activity in business on a reasonable
and stable basis is always a public bless
ing, unhesitatingly declare the present
claims of republican managers, in 80 far as
they relate to business matters. illogical
and absurd.
We deny that there has been. or is likely
to be, as a result OF the extreme protective
policy of the republican party, any general
increase of wages or enhancement of PROS
perity.
We stigmatize the principle involved in
the Mckinley bill as Il long step back ward
in the direction OF feudalisn, subyersive of
individual prog esq, which is the founda-
ton of the greatness of this tspubIic, and
as Leading to the creation of 4 new element
in our society of q class of citizens pro
teoted by the Cove nment from the opera
ton of natural laws against which the great
majority of our oiti2ene have to contend.
We charge that the price paid for such
protection is feAlty to the republican party,
right or wrong, and lice al contributions Of
meney for it's perpetuity, to the detriment
of all other citizens and by which the
money ID first taken from or afterward re-
paid by the people.
We charge further that the alleged solici-
tude of the republican party for the work
ingn,en ID insincere, and append facts and
testimony to substnntiate our stat ments.
and. while inviting an examination of
them, we urge all citizens to throw OFF tho
traditional influences of the republican
party and unite in the election of Glove
land and Stevenson, thereby demonstrat-
ing 10 the republican politicians that the
public cannot be fooled.
TIE address is signed by the representa-
tives of eighteen clubs composed of NOR
chants, including produce and shipping
men. the dry goods trade, hide and leather
business, crockery and glassware people.
the hardware trade, etc.
A statement of facts is appended to the
address. Among other things it says:
THAI protection neither protects the la
boring man nor aids in the industrial de-
velopmeHt OF the country, and that the
reciprocity scheme fails to enlarge the field
for American manufacturers is shown by
the following statistics; Our exports to
countries against which We discriminate,
because they decline to negotiate treaties.
have fallen off in a given time from March
/ 20 Aug. / about 4319 per cent. 10 tho
seventeen other countries south of us who
have declined to negotiate treaties, tand
yet for inscrutabls reasons they ara not dis
o%rtminated against) IN the same time our
ext orta increased l1A por cent. To the ak
countries with which we have tt~ entiss, our
exports have increased in she same time
324 Ter cent. but if the exports of farm
products brought aboat by last years.
famine in Europe are deducted. tho total
exports to said countries of manufactured
articles falls short of the corresponding
period whom We had no treaties with them"
An extract 10 also gwen from the article