The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-10-11

uecu' ue now nOluS IL UNCONSTITUTIONAL
to do so.
The Republican makes the competing
foreign product bear the burden of taxa
ton and, except as to Injuries, he per-
mits the non-competing product to come
in free Of duty.
He gives you tea, coffee, drugs, etc.,
untaxed. The Democrat puts wool on
the Tree llst-an article in direct competi-
ton with an important home industry.
The two systems are irreconcilable.
One or the other must fall. Both cannot
stand.
Tariff for revenue only ignores the
principle of protection.
Now, / do not hold that free trade, such
as exists in England-or tariff for revenue
only-may not, under certain conditions,
and IN other countries, be wise policy.
But claim that such conditions do not
exist IN this country at this time. This
Is precisely where the two parties divide
the Democrats claiming that we are
now prepared for free trade, which we
deny.
The laws of Great Britain were once
highly protective, and so continued to
within recent history. They went SO
far as to make it a crime to import certain
articles.
AS late as 1912 the custom tariff num-
bered l, 200 articles, now only nineteen.
Their custom revenues come almost en-
tlrely from spirits, tobacco, tea. coffee and
fruits,
But there is not a single colony of
Great Britain that has not adopted our
policy of protective tariff, and | know of
no country, except England. where free
trade is an accepted Government policy.
REPUBLICAN POLICIES EXAMINED.
Practical craftsmanship never worries
itself about the maxims of theorists.
That which in a period of years has been
found to promote the general welfare
may be accepted as sound policy, how
ever much it may appear TO conflict with
conventional rules of political economy.
l know of no surer way to bring the Re-
publican policies to the highest test than
to examine the result OF those policies. If
they bad been in operation only four
years the result would have small signifi-
canoe: II ten years, 1t would be stronger
evidence; if twenty years, still stronger.
After thirty-two years OF practical APP
plication we ought to be able to rest with
some security upon the lessons they
teach.
The Democratic party denounce these
policies las a fraud, a robbery of the
great majority of the American people,;
| and the Mckinley tariff law is character
lied ''as the eliminating atrocity of class
| legislation" They deny that there has
been an increase Of prosperity TO the
country since that tariff went into opera
tion," and they promise it's repeal as
one of the beneiicent results that will fol-
low the action Of the people in intrusting
power to the Democratic party"
This is the Indictment which you. fell
low-citizens, are to try. This is the ar
raignment of the party whose great lead
ers you have trusted for nearly thirty-two
years. Lincoln, Grant, Garfield, Lo-
gan, Blaine, Harrison, and mighty
| host of statesmen, living and
dead, whose splendid services
are written upon the brightest pages, OF
| American history. These men and their
solemn manner with having instituted a
system of fraud robbery of the great
majority of the American people.
Let us examine the evidence. Let US
see if Republican protection is a fraud
Let us see if it has robbed the American
! people. Let us examine into the work.
| ings of the eliminating atrocity-the
Mckinley bill.
WAR TARIFF.
We began this system or policy of
alleged fraud and robbery in 1851. The
circumstances were extraordinary. We
| had an empty treasury and great war
| confronting us. Extraordinary condi-
tons required extraordinary remedies.
! We enacted a nigh protective tariff
| among the means to obtain revenue.
! Democrats have constantly charged that
we have done nothing to relieve the
country from the burden of that war
| tariff.
What are the facts?
| DUTIABLE AND FREE LIST COMPARED,
| will not stop to point out how, by
! successive Acts, the dutiable list has de-
creased and the free list increased.
! l will not stop to tell you how many
| millions of dollars went on to the free list
in the items of coffee and tea and sugar
| and other important items.
One short, simple table will tell the
story of how the dutiabIe list has shrunk
and the free list has grown under Repub-
! lican legislation.
the free trade period prior to 1861, years
ending June 30th:
Period. Dutiable Imports. Free Imports.
1s47 to 1857. So per cent. IL per cent.
1898 70 1874 $sa e per cent Per cent
1854 to 1890. go per cent. 33.5 per cent.
In 1861 only per cent. of imports were
on the free list. Under the Mckinley
bill for the year ending June 80, 1892, the
free list had reached 55.4 per cent. For
the first time in our history we import
more free goods than dutiable.
There is still another way to prove that
the burdens OF the high war tariff have
been removed.
In 1872 we collected S. 26 per capita of
our population for custom-house dues.
In 1892 we collected only 50 62 per
capita In the past ten years we have re-
| duced the custom dues more than one
half per capita.
INCREASED IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, BUT
| RELATIVE INCREASE OF EXPORTS.
We are increasing both imports and
| exports because our trade is increasing
| but one OF the beneficent results of our
protective laws has been to decrease the
| relative quantity of imports and increase
| the exports. In other words, we are buy
ing less than we are selling. and this was
never true under any tariff for revenue
only. A simple table will demonstrate
what l say:
YEAR. Ay. Annual Az; Annual
| Lean Imports. Exports
1547 to 1861 S34S.00o,0o0 S2o5, 100000
1876 to 1890 626,o00,O00 73o,OoO,OoO
Here are fourteen years of free trade
and fourteen years of protection.
During free trade the annual balance
against us was Sl43,0 100000
/ During protection the annual balance
in our favor was S104,00O,0O0.
In the fiscal year 1892, after the Mckin-
| ley bill, our exports exceeded imports
500, 81, 342.
Another important fact is that we eX-
ported SI95, S54 SIC more of merchandise
| in 1892 than in 1891.
| / see no escaping the conclusion that
our notifications of the tariff law have
been many and that they have increased
the free list enormously and at the same
time have increased the balance of trade
in our favor.
| EFFECT OF TARIFF ON PRICES.
| Mr.. Cleveland in his famous free-trade
message to Congress claimed that the
effect OF a duty was to add nearly the
amount to the cost of the article here to
the consumer. This is the persistent and
constant claim OF his party, and herein
lies the robbery of which we are accused.