Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-29

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 MR PREsIDENT-Perhaps I ought to apologize to the senate for attempting on such day as this, and at so late period in the session, to occupy any part of it's time in the discussion of subject which we all agree cannot be disposed of; but the recent report made by the committee on finance in relation to the prices of commodi- ties, the rates of wages and the cost of liv- ing in the United States has been so thoroughly misunderstood or so grossly misrepresented in the public press and elsewhere, that have felt it to be the duty of some one on this side of the chamber who assisted in making that investigation to state our views of it's results.
 think it is the unanimous opinion of economists and statisticians who have in- vestigated the subject that for many years, in all the great industrial and commercial countries of the world, the prices of com modities have been decreasing and the rates of wages, especially in those occupations which require a considerable degree of skill and intelligence, have been increas- l ing; of course there are very many and very conspicuous and aggravating eXcep- tions to this general rule, but they are all | attributable, in my opinion, to abnormal and artificial conditions, created by un- equal and unjust tax laws and by improper | affairs of the people, discriminating in favor of some and against others.
 Tho Folly of Protection. | Whatever makes it easier for the people | to live decently and comfortably, what | ever makes the nccessaries of life which l the people are bound to buy and use cheap l CT and less expensive to the masses, is 0 blessing to mankind, and 1 have never been able to appreciate the wisdom of that policy which compels men to work longer and harder in order to procure food, raj mcnt and shelter for themselves and their families; 1 have never been able to appre- ciate either the economic truth or the hu- manity of the proposition that the people can be made happy and prosperous by tax atiOn, whether the purpose of that taxa tion be to dcfray eNtravagant expenditures on the part of the government, or to in- crease the prices which the people pay for what they eat, drink and wear
 MT. Presidrnt any one who contends in this day, as the senator from Nevada ( Mir Stewart) apparently has this morning, that high prices of commodities are ben eficial to the community at large, is at war with the spirit of the age in which he lives, at war with the genius of discovery and invention which during the last half century more than during any other like period in the history of the world has ameliorated the condition of mankind by bringing all the necessaries of life, and many of it's luXuries, within the reach of every man who is willing to work. speak of production and distribution Together, because cheap and easy diStribu- tion is just as important, both to the pro Iducer and to the consumer, as cheap and easy production; therefore every shackle Imposed upon commerce, every restriction upon honest trade, every interference with
 
 kets of the world increases prices and de prives the people of the benefits which they have a right to enjoy, and which they l otherwise would enjoy, resulting from i'm l proved industrial and commercial methods.
 But, Mir. President, it is unnecessary to }, pursue this line of argument further be cause at last it appears to be admitted by the friends of the protective system that c cheap commodities for the use of the people Q are beneficial, and the senator from Rhode o Island (Mr. Aldrich), speaking here three days ago as the chosen champion of that system, bases his defense of the tariff act
 of 1890 almost solely upon the ground that It has reduced prices and enlarged the for
 eign commerce of the country.
 That was not the purpose of the author1 . and supporters of that law at the time
 passed congress, as is conclusively show1
 by the report which was made to tn lhouse of representatives when the bill wa
 presented to that body. In that report MT Mckinley, speaking for himself and al
 the Republican members of the committee
 said:
 "We have not been so much concerned
 nbout the prices of the articles we consum
 as we have been to encourage a system o
 home production which shall give fair re
 muneration to domestic producers and fai
 wages to American workmen, and by ir
 creased production and home competitio
 insure fair prices to consumers" ,rI And again, the report says
 "Your committee has not sought by tn U' proposed legislation to further cut dow
 prices at the expense of our own prosper
 ty, but to provide with certainty agains v that increasing competition from othe countries whose conditions our people aI . unwilling to adopt. We have not believe
 that our people, already suffering froi
 low prices, can or will be satisfied wit Legislation which will result in lowe Sy prices"
 It's Advocates Swept Aside.
 Here is a clear and emphatic declaratiC
 by the authors of the measure, that it WI
 not intended to reduce prices, that it wou'
 not, in fact, reduce prices, and that u
 people would not be satisfied with ar
 Legislation which would produce that T
 suit.
 The theory that high prices of commod
 ties are beneficial to the community
 large, and that the Mckinley law wou
 increase them, was abandoned by the a . vocates of that measure immediately aft
 its passage, and in every part of the cou
 try they faced about and either denied tn higher prices, in fact, prevailed or conten ed that they were not produced by u
 tariff act. The people, however, knew be
 ter from personal experience and observ
 tion in their daily transactions, and in N
 vember, 1890, the authors of that tariff a
 were swept from the house of represent
 tives by q majority of more than s60,C
 votes. Never in the history nf tho ""''