Omaha daily bee., 1892-07-30
ALDRICH ON THE TARIFF.

The speech of Senator Aldrich of
Rhode Island on the tariff, made in the
United States senate on Tuesday, is
accepted as giving the keynote of the
republican campaign on this issue and
it is hardly possible that the protection
ist side of the question will be more
thoroughly and ably presented. SEN
ator Aldrich Is as familiar with this
subject as an man in the country and
as a member of the subcommittee of
the finance committee of the senate,
which for sixteen months was investi-
eating the effects of the tariff on prices
and wages, is in possession of an array
Of facts which make his position i'm
pregnable.
Senator Aldrich pointed out that the
democratic platform of 1892 is in many
respects radical departure from any of
the previous official utterances of that
party AT no time in the history OF the
country, he said, except in the course of
the movement for notification, has any
attempt heretofore been made to make
the doctrine of the unconstitutionality
of protective duties the essential ele.
ment of political creed. The democ-
racy has reached its present position by
gradual steps. The platforms of 1854
and 1888 were so constructed as to secure
the approval of large number of in
cidental protectionists who then held a
place, nominally at least, in the demo
| cratic ranks; but in the platform of 1892
all disguises are thrown off, and for the
| first time the party is arrayed in en-
| phatic antagonism to the tariff rates
| which contain any element of protec-
ton.
Proceeding to an examination of the
| the tariff act of 1890, Mr.. Aldrich OBJ
served that the best proof of the wisdom
| of the adoption and retention of the pro-
| tective policy was in the progress of the
| country under it during the last thirty
| years. The facts obtained in the inves-
| tigation of the effect OF the present tar
| iff on prices, the report of which was
approved by the democratic members
who participated in the in vestigation,
were freely drawn upon by Senator Aid
| rich to show the unwarranted character
| of the democratic claim that the tariff
| law of 1890 had largely increased the
cost of living in this country and low
| cred wa ges. The senator said it wae
| difficult to see how the results of this
] inquiry could be surprise to any one,
| unless he should be professional tariff
reformer, for the reason that it has been
for many months apparent to the great
mass of the people OF tho United States
that none of the democratic predictions
in regard to higher prices and greater
cost of living rs the result of the tariff
legislation of 1890 had been fulfilled
The decline in the cost OF living from
June, 1889, to May, 1892, as shown by
the report of the finance committee, was
3.4 per cent. The advance in wages as
shown by the Same report was 10 of
per cent. This makes an average ad-
vance in the purchasing power of wages
OF A Is per cent Assuming 5000 as the
| average income OF the families of
the country, this would be equiva-
lent to say S25 per family, or an
| aggregate saving for l3,000,000 families
of 1926, 100000 for each year. 1t is sig
nificant, said Senator Aldrich, that
while the cost of living in the United
States declined for the period covered
by the Investigation of the finance com.
mi.tee the cost of living in England in
creased 10 per cent.
Senator Aldrich had no difficulty in
showing by indisputablo facts that the
commerce of the country had been very
materially enlarged since the present
tariff law went into effect, and also that
the agricultural interest had been more
prosperous during this period, while,
with regard TO the absurd charge that
the tariff is responsible Tor the labor
disturbances, il was shown that within
a certain period labor troubles were far
more numerous in Great Britain than in
the United States, aud involved moro
than three times as many persons in
proportion 20 the number engaged in
useful occupations in the respective
countries On every point OF fact made