Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1892-01-20
"Young Democrat Replies to
"Old Democrat"

December So, ON page z among your
editorials l read can old Democrat
has something to say in today's TRIR-
uNE." / stopped short and looked for
what the "Old Democrat" had to say
and after that l read your statement.
VIII you kindly allow a young DEM
ocrat" to say few words to the "Old
Democrat" through the columns of
your valuable paper9 | agree with
the ''Old Democrat" that Cleveland's
ideas of tariff reform are in perfect
keeping with the ideas of the people
of the Northwest and even with some
Republicans, but he continues, and it
is an incontestible fact that Blaine's
reciprocity doctrine is largely in keep
ing with Cleveland's tariff reform
doctrine. l must say to my unknown
friend that l cannot agree with him
on that point. Cleveland in his last
message to congress said: "Give us
freer trade" Blaine in his campaign
speeches of 1888 said: Before we
give up our protection system, we will
rather to reduce the surplus, make
whiskey and tobacco free" On this
issue Cleveland was defeated in spite
of his plurality of 9s,Ol7 over Harris
son, the high tariff candidate. That
our tariff laws needed some revision
was admitted even by Republicans,
but it should be left to the friends OF
the tariff. The friends of the tariff
made revision, which is known as
Chapter 1914. An act to reduce the
revenue and equalize duties on inn
ports and other purposes (the Mckn-
lev tariff act). Nothing was said
about this bill by Mr.. Blaine until
about the time of the last reading
then he came out with his reciprocity
scheme. Mr.. Blaine, who always
throws tho anchor windward, is a
shrewd man, anyhow shrewd enough
for AL average Republican rural voter.
He foreSaw the disaster which was to
come on his party and which did come
in 1890 and he had little oil ready to
pour on the roaring water. This bill
does not open a market for a bushel
of wheat or a barrel of pork, and thus
his reciprocity clause was not inserted
in the so called Mckinley act. The
bill did not open a new market for the
American farmer, for it was the inten-
ton of the trainers of the bill to do so.
Did Mr.. Blaine's reciprocity scheme
open a market for our surplus farm
products? Surely not, for our South
American neighbors do not want our
farm products; all they want is steel
rails and machinery to develop their
resources, to become in time rival in
the world market to our farm surplus.
South America has an extensive trade
with Europe, but very little with the
United States, as the report of the
Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury
Department shows. According to this
report we exported to Brazil in 1890
for S11, 942, 1876 worth of our domestic
goods and imported from her for
$59,31s,576, leaving a balance in her
favor of $47, 416,26O. Protection liars
say we paid this sum with our gold.
The fact is that so much of our sur
plus farm and dairy products was
shipped to some foreign port, perhaps
Liverpool. Our American exporter
received letter of credit on Rio de
Janiero and on the strength of it he
could buy in Brazil what he wanted.
Exports pay for imports; not dollar
in cash is used in foreign trade. In
this way it was possible for the Amer
lean exporter could dispose of some
American farm products and Mr..
Blaine's reciprocity scheme is made
up to deprive the American farmer of
his lost change and take away from
the laboring man and the farmer the
inalienable right to sell the product
of his labor where he can get the most
for it, and transfer this right to his
favorites, the protected 1850 million
aires. Mr.. Blaine's reciprocity is
"Protection running mad" The idea
of Mr.. Blaine being on the road to
tariff reform is ridiculous and Mr..
Blaine himself would call it an insult
on him. But how is it about his
bushel of wheat and the Darrell of
pork for which he wants a markets
Ny friend, for the last twelve years
protectionists used to bring the Amer
lean laborer to the front, to keep his
wages up high-above the European
pauper wages-they wanted protec
ton for him. It seems now the lab
orers think they have protection
enough; some of them have gone sc
| far to talk about free trade and some
labor organizations actually advocate
free trade. 1t is not safe for protec
tionists to shield themselves behinc
this kind of men. But Mr.. Blaine
therefore throws his anchor windward
He knows that the old Moss Bacl
Farmer likes to hear from a new
market for his wheat in the western
states and for his pork in the eastern
and middle states; and if he can catcl
him, protection is sure of another tern
of robbing the people. Mr.. Blaine il
| speaking of wheat and pork on]v add.