The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-10-08
:. bRSUS THEORY.
Colonel A. x. Mcclure Answers
McKinley's Taleories with Stub
born Facts.

Col. A. X. Mcclure, editor of the Phil
adelphia Times, failing to arrange joint
discussion with William Mckinley, the
outhor of the Mckinley bill, by invitation
of the Philadelphia Tariff Club answered
the speech of Mr. Mckinley, at the Acad-
emv of Music, and did it very effectively.
He said:
"In response to the invitation OF the
Tariff Reform Club, of this city, | appear
tonight to answer the recent address by
Gov. Mckinley, in which he attempted the
impossible task of justifying the Mckinley
Tariff law: and shall proceed with direct
ness to the purpose. shall not deal IN
partisan platitudes, nor glittering general
tiles. nor special pleading of any sort, but in
Main. incontrovertiblc facts.
| believe l. fostering every infant indus
try that promises to advance the prosperity
of the whole people; and quite agree with
Colonel Ingersoll when he said that he be-
Iieyed in protecting infant industries, but
when the infant industry gets to wearing
No. II boots, and proposes TO get up and
kick him all around the room if he stopped
rocking the infants cradle, he thought 1t
about time to call halt Laughter and
APPLAUSE
EXPECTED To HAVE MET MCKINLEY.
| regret that 50 eminent a national states
men as Governor Mckinley consented to be
muzzled on tariff discussion by the acute
sensibiIities of the Manufacturers Club
people. Laughter | had hoped to meet
him on this platform, where we could turn
on the light and illustrate the robbery OF
labor that is now so strangely called the
protection of labor, face to face with the
author of the present tariff and the masses
it robs, Why that discussion was declined
need not be stated 1t was not for want of
ability or skill in the author and the ablest
defender of high tariff taxes, but 1t was
because searching tariff debate cannot be
invited by the advocates of our present
policy. All who heard Gov. Mckinley on
Friday evening noted the studied evasion
of every vital feature of the present tariff,
We had platitudes in elegance and abund-
=.
outside of glittering generalitieS He re
Cerred TO the Confederate Constitution and
nullifcation eleven times, but did not quote
one line or oae 6gnre from the Mckinley
tariff. Laughter and applause. The
Manufacturers Club muzzlcd bin entirely
against joint debate, and when he came to
give Us a solo performance, he was muzzled
against the utterance Of any important
statement or vital illustration Of present
tariff taxes that could invite discussion.
He broadly defended our present tariff
taxes, and TO the Mckinley tariff must
address myself, with Mckinley largely
omitted Applause.
There were good reasons why Mr.. Me
Kinley could act be permitted to open the
Pandora box of tasiG taxes in Philadelphia
and before the members Of the Manulac-
turers Club, They had contracted by pur
chase for increased taxes upon the people,
and Mckinley, as Chairman OF Ways and
Means. was made the auditor to appOrtion
the tariff-tax raimcnt of the people among
its purchasers. laughter.
Butthe people cannot be muzzlcd Cheers
aud applause. The Mckinley tariff was
appealed to the people and repudjated bya
full million majority shouts of applause !,
aad in 1891, when it was claimed that itS
heaeicent effects were obvious, MasSachu-
sets in the East and Iowa in the West, old
Republican Gibraltars, elected Democratic
Governors ON the distinct issue of tariff re-
form. But, explains Governor Mckinley,
the people were cheated, No, they were
robbed and they decided Bot 10 be cheated
by monopoly taxation thinly sggayeoated
With mock protection. [Applause.l
AREYENrK TARIFF NOT FREE TRADE.
Governor Mckinley knows that reve-
nue. tariff does not mean free trade if he
knows anything about the subject, aud why
not state the truth? He knows that We
have had revenue tariifs-I mean tariffs
confes-edly based ON the clear constilu
i0ual theory that revenue must be TIE
siasis of all tariff laBs-under all admins
trations from Washington down to lin
ealn, and no one ever proposed free trade
as feature Of our national policy laGl
Mckinley frs: gave it birth in the awk
ward reciprocity provisions in his tariff
[ Laughter. Reciprocity is simply plain,
unauthorized free trade, with variations
only for equal trade, neither Of which rap
he protection as he now teaches it.
If Governor McKinley's sweeping accu
sat:on of free trade purposes against all
who demand a return to the revenue tariff
standard, is just. then Washington, Jeffer
son, Jackson and even Clay were free trad
ers; and coming down to our own time, he
must proclaim Grant, Hayes, Garfield,
Arthur and Judge Kelley as free traders.
They all demanded the reduction of war
tariff taxes when they were lower than are
the tariff taxes levied by the Mckinley
bill, and President Clegeland's long con
timed cheers message of 1887. That Me
Kinley denounccs as free trade papcF.
WAS simply concentrated reflex of the
appeals made TO Congress by the four Re
publican Presidents who preceded him.
| Applause There Was no assault upon
hopest protection TO American isboS All
demanded return to the revenue stand
ard, and quoted the large Treasury surplus
as conclusive evidence of the necessity for
tariff reduction, and all demanded the en-
largement of free raw materials
GROVER CLEVELAND MENTIONED.
In this contest there is one man whose
defnitioa Of revenue tariff is entitled to
greater respect than that of any other citi-
zen or official refer to Grover Clevc-
land. [Shouts of applause. He is Il
man of conviction; man of courage; Il man
of truth. Cheers. And he is the Que
nan who, AZ next President prolonged
cheers is more than likely to shape the
new revenue tariff standard to which the
country is now certain to return. ] quote
from his official message to Congress- on
the subject
sit is not proposed to entirely relieve
the country Of this taxation. 1t must be
extensively continued as source of the
Governments income, and in the readjust-
ment of our tariff the interests Of American
labor engaged in manufacture should be
carefully considered, as well as the preser
gation OF our manufacturers.
"The question of free trade is absolutely
irrelevant, and tie persistent claim made
in certain quarters that all efforts to re-
lieVe the people from unjust and unHeees-
sary taxation are schemes of su-caled free
traders is mischievious and far removed
from any consideration of the public good