The Portland daily press., 1892-12-07

#oulu De OHenSlVe TO suggest CnaC Jne pre-
/ vaillng party will not carry into legislation
the principles advocated by it and the
| pledges given to the people. The tariff bills
| passed by the House of Representatives at
the last session were, as l suppose in the
| opinion of their promoters, inadequate,
4 and justified only by the fact that the Senate
and House of Representatives were not in
| accord and that general revision could not
therefore be undertaken.
Leave it to the Democrats.
I recommend that the whole subject
| of tariff revision be left to the
| incoming Congress. 1t is matter of
regret that this work must be
DELAYED for at least three months; for the
threat of great tariff changes introduces SO
much uncertainty that an amount, not east
ly estimated, of business inaction and of d.
minished production will necessarily result.
1t is possible also that this uncertainty may
result in decreased revenues from customs
| duties, for our merchants will make cautious
| orders for foreign goods in view of the pros
pect of tariff reduction and the uncertainty
| as to when they will take effect. Those who
have advocated a protective tariff can well
| afford to have their disastrous forecasts of
change of policy disappointed, if
| a system of customs duties can
| be formed that will set the idle
wheels and looms of Europe in motion and
crowd our warehouses with foreign made
goods and at the same time keep our own
mills busy, that will give us an increased
! participation in the 'markets OF the world
of greater. value than the home market we
surrender, that will give increased work to
foreign workmen upon products to be con-
sumed by our people without diminishing
the amount of work to be done here, that
will enable the American manufacturer to
paw to his workmen from so to 100 per cent
more in wages than is paid in the foreign
mill and yet to compete in our market and
in foreign markets with the foreign pro-
Queer, that will further reduce the cost Of
| articles of wear and food without reducing
! the wages of those who produce them, that
| can be celebrated after its effects have been
realized, as its expectation has been in
/ European as well as in American cities, the
authors and promoters of it will be entitled
to the highest praise.
| We have had in our history several expe-
! riences of the contrasted effects of revenue
and of protective tariff, but this genera
ton has not felt them and the experience of
one generation is not highly instructive to
| the next.
The friends of the protective system, with
undiminished confidence in the principles
thew have advocated. will await the results
| of the new experiment. The strained and
roo often d;stnrhed relations existing between
the emnlovees and the EMPLOYERS in our
groat notwithstanding establishments have
not heen favorable to a calm consideration
hv tho wage GARNER of the effect upon
wages Of the nrotect;ve system. The fact
that his WAGES were the highest paid in
| 1;ka callinos IN the world and that main.
+enanca of tb;s RATE of WAGES in the alb
/ senca of ineffective dnties unon the product
/ of bic labor was ;mnossible- were obscnred
| br tho nassion evoked bv these contests.
| IL nav oo,v he abla n review the onestion
in the LIGHT of his personal experience I'M
dar +bo o,era+;on Of tariff for revenue
on1., IF that exner,ence shall DEM
| o,st,o+e that tho nresent rates of
waves arc thereby maintained or
;ncroasad either absolutely or in their
,rohos;,,, ,,oner and that the aooreoate
l,o1,,a IF 1rork n be dona in this Country
| ;s increased we've even maintained so that
+bora arc move ~. az many days work in A.
voar .+ as Good mr. better wages for the
American Workman as has been the case
,r,dar tbo nrotec+;va system every one will
re;o;ce 4 GENERAL nrocess Of wage reduc-
t;oT cannot be Contemplated bv anv patri-
ot;c o;t;za, without the oravest annrehen-
| sion r. NAV he indeed believe is. posi-
HE for the manufacturer to compete
successfully with his foreign rival in MANY
brsoches IL rroduct;on without the defense
| of nrotective duties if the nav rolls are
eons1;zed hnt the conflict THAT stands be-
tween the nrodncer and that result. and the
Distress of onr working people when it is
attained are NOT pleasant to contemplate.
/ The society of the UNEMPLOYED. now hold
inc it's freonent and threatening parades in
tbe streats Of foreion cities. sbouid not be
allowed 70 acouire an American domicile.
The renorts of the heads of the several
execnt;ya denartments. which are herewith
| submitted have very naturally included a
resume of the whole work of the admins
tration With the transactions of the last fiscal
vear The attention NOT onlv of Congress-
Int Of the country is again invited to the
netbods If administration which have been
nnrsned and TO the results which have been
attained.
/ Public revenues amounting TO AL .414.O79.-
/ 900 % have been collected and disbursed
| ..... II