The morning call., 1892-10-23
FACTS WE'RE THE FOILS.
Close of the Big Estee and
White Debate.
FAIR AND FREE TRADE.
s!.va7-Tonguei oratory at the Wigwam
Presents the Leading National Issues
Ia Concise Form.
FAIR AND FREE TRADE.

big as it is, to contain all the citizens VINO
desired to hear last nights debate between
Hon. NJ. NJ. Estee and Hon. stephen NJ
White.
This was the last debate in the present
encounter between these noted silver
tongued gladiators, who have travelled to-
gether from Los Angeles TO this city,
battling. as it were, every step OF the way.
The rostrum was crowded with some or
San Francisco's most honored citizens, rep
resentatives of all political compilations,
but above all American in sympathy and
honestly DESTROYS of weighing the truth OF
common national issues.
Both eakers had fair play. Hon. S. Nj.
WL.te opened the debate, Hon. NJ. NJ Estee
replied, and thereafter Mr.. White closed ID
q brief address.
Both were listened to attentively and ap-
plause inteligently pUnctuaUed the points
made By each, { being noticeable that WINE
many were temporarily carried away by The
Democrat the more cOldly reasoned presen-
tation OF the Republican commanded closer
attention and seemed to invite more abld-
Punctuallv at S o'clock President a. p.
Williams introduced the first speaker, MI.
White. who, without much preliminary
skirmiShiug. jumpedrigbt at the heart OIL
the discussion by com airing the positions
of tile two great parties as regards free
trade.
Tie Republicans, he said, want tariff
for a surplus; the Democrats wanted one
merely 10 carry on the business OF the
country. That was the objection to the
Mckinley bill
But he questioned the very power of Con-
gress to indcrse that Mckinley bill as valid
and constitutional Was not its purpose TO
enrich the manufacturers only?
Ii had been held By certain justices OF
the Supreme Court Of tie United States
that taxation for individual manufacturers
was unjustihable.
The speaker would assume that all were
agreed that excessive taxation is undeslra-
BILE Taxation should be limited to what
was necessary for the maintenance OF the
Government
Now, was the tariff tax?
The consumer, the speaker maintained,
practically paid the tariff, because the small
dealer would have to enhance the tariff ex-
actions.
In illustration he quoted letter from q
dealer in tobacco to Governor Mckinley,
in which the tariff charges on certain to-
bacco amounted 10 1924, while the tobacco
Itself cost SCI 60, the dealer asking to whist
foreigner he should apply for the tariff
charge, said to he payable by the foreigners.
Tie tin tariff emily benefited few who
undertook TO supply the American people
with tin If they were gwen sixteen millions
Any one could carry n an industry If he
were given money to do it with.
Tariff on tin was promised to make tin
cheap Ia the future a little time ago tariff
was taken of sugar in order to make sugar
cheap. Thus the imposition and the taking
Of Of the tariff were both said to make
commodities cheap.
a Republican preferred dear clothes. dear
wool and dear everything, because cheap
things degraded him in his own eyes. Ii
would be beneficial to import Australian
TfasF .E,c cd f,.a ma
and everyone would be benefited. President
Harrison had said that cheap clothes make
cheap men,"
Lumber, another necessary, should not
be taxed.
The Democratic party did not propose to
make wine free, but h the present high
tariff promoted the popularity OF wine?
What was the purpose Of tariff on raisins?
Speaking Of the iron and steel Industries
Mr.. White said the reduction In prices was
not attributable To the Mckinley bin, but
TO the improved processes OF production.
IF bought article made in foreign cOun-
Try was not cheap then gift from foreign
country was not cheap.
The Republicans had increased the price
Of carpets and the price of iute sacks, the
farmer in the latter case being supposed to
be compensated by a tariff on wheat.
AS 10 farming implements the speaker
held that they could be bought cheaper IN
foreign Countries than at the manufae-
tories in This country. Qicksiver was
cheaper in Australia than in the United
States. Wooden vessels we're often sent 10
Australia 10 be coppered because Of the
tariff.
He denied the alleged general benefit ae-
crubg to labor from the protective laws of
the United States; they only benefited a
few. Wages were high because marke [
conditions made them so and not because Of
the Mckinley bill Tie prosperity of the
land was so in defiance Of the Mckinley
bin.
Applause greeted the speaker as he
closed bis argument and q fresh Outburst
welcomed Mr. Estee, who took his place.
Mr.. Estee said:
If stranger in our country, one unae-
Quanted with our institutions and IN
familiar with the two great political parties
now cOntending for supremacy, had visited
this city and listened To the opening speech
of Mr.. White, he would not have failed
TO have been impressed with the fact that the
people Of his great republic were in dire
distress; that we had secluded ourselves
from not only the commerce, but the civillZa-
ton of the world that we had builtla Chinese
wall around our country, behind which
we stood prepared to defend ourselves
against the approach of any other or diff
feTent civilization; that the majority of our
people had been robbed for the benefit Of
the few, and that one of the great political
parties, representing, numerically, one-half
committing a fraud upon the rest OF their
felOw-citZens.
The position Of the Democratic party in
this canvass ls peculiar. 1t has a platform Of
primer pies which in California no intelli-
gent Democrat believes 10 or will defend,
and SO my friend evades the question by
trying to make its platform convey a DIFF
fereut idea than that intended, and, al
though it has been called TO your attention
by the gentleman who preceded me, l will
fa ,.fa - h1 H.,
cratic platform which relates TO the subject
Of tariff:
We denounee Republican protection as
p fraud, robbery of the great majority of
the American people for the benefit of the
teU, We declare il to be fundamental
principle OF the Democratic party that the
Federal Government has no constitutional
power to enforce and collect tariff duties
except for the purpose of revenue only
This is the plank OF the Democratic plat
form relating to the issues before us TO-
night, namely, the tariff question. And here
let me say that there are two propositions
which the gentleman and myself will doubt
less agree upon:
That there must be revenue collected
from tariff duties sufficient to maintain the
Government, and that the only issue be-
tween the two parties is as 10 how this rev
enue shall be collected.
THE Republican party claims that tariff
duties shall be Imposed only upon those ar
ticles which compete In an American mar
ket with American products, and that such
tariff duties shall be imposed in such way
as to be protection TO American industrie.
and American labor.
''Tbe Democratic party claims that i'm.
Tort duties shall be imposed for revenue
only, and that any protection to American
Industries or American labor is unconstitu
ti0nal.
Sir. White was a member of the Demo.
cratic delegation from California in tbf
National Convention, ana be and every
other California delegate to that convention
on square test vote voted against the