Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-18

crease the prices whioh the people pay ror
what they eat, drink and wear.
Mr.. President, any one who contends In
this day, as the senator from Nevada Mr.
Stewart) apparently has this morning,
that high prices of commodities are ben
eficSal 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 its luxuries, within the reach of
every man who is willing to work.
speak of production and distribution
together, because cheap and easy distribu-
tionis just as important, both to the pro-
ducer and to the consumer, as cheap and
easy production; therefore every shackle
imposed upon commerce, every restriction
upon honest trade, every interference with
the free exchange of products in the mar
kets of the world increases prices and de.
prives the people of the benefits which
they have a right TO enjoy, and which they
otherwise would enjoy, resulting from i'm
proved industrial and commercial methods.
But, Mr.. 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
cheap commodities for the use of the people
are beneficial and the senator from Rhode
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 authors
and supporters of that law at the time it
passed congress, as is conclusively shown
by the report which was made to the
house of representatives when the bill was
presented to that body. In that report Mr..
Mckinley, speaking for himself and all
the Republican members of the committee,
said:
"We havenot been SO much concerned
about the prices of the articles we consume
as we have been to encourage system of
home production which shall give fair re-
muneration to domestic producers and fair
wages to American workmen, and by in
creased production and home competition
insure fair prices to consumers
And again, the report says:
''Your committee has not sought by the
pTOpOSeQ ltSlSidUlOU W luTluSr CuU uOWu
prices at the expense of our own prosperi-
ty, but to provide with certainty against
that increasing competition from other
countries whose conditions our people are
unwilling to adopt. We have not believed
that our people, already suffering from
low prices, can or will be satisfied with
legislation which will result in lower
prices"
Its Advocates Swept Aside.
Here is clear and emphatic declaration
by the authors of the measure, that it was
not intended to reduce prices, that it would
not, in fact, reduce prices, and that the
people would not be satisfied with any
legislation which would produce that re-
suit.
The theory that high prices of commodi-
ties are beneficial to the community at
large, and that the Mckinley law would
increase them, was abandoned by the adj
vocates of that measure Immediately after
its passage, and in every part of the coun.
try they faced about and either denied that
higher prices, in fact. prevailed or contend
ed that they were not produced by the
tariff act. The people, however, knew bet
ter from personal experience and observa-
tion in their daily transactions, and in No
vemoer 1890, the authors OF that tariff act
were swept from the house Of representa-
tives by & majority of more than 100000
votes. Never in the history of the coun-
try has there heen such n storm of popular