The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-02
A GREAT CAMPAIGN SPEECH.

The Congressional Record OF July q con-
tains large portion of the great debate be-
tween Mr.. ALDRIcH OF Rhode Island. speak
ing for the Republican party, and Mr.. VEsT
OF Missouri, for the Democracy, upon the
policy of protection. Mr. A. Is the best
equipped speaker on the Republican side Of
the Senate, and Mr.. VEST is The ablest de-
batter on the Democratic side upon that
subject. From ALDRIcH's remarks il trans
pired that the Republicans have been CON-
pletely driven from the position taken in
their platform OF 1883. and Of which the
MCKINLEY act was the practical result.
The Rhode Island Senator nov declares the
new tariff was made to equalize the differ
ence between labor abroad aud in the
United States but the Platform announced
that protective duties were to be imposed
t. exclude ali foreign production from
competition here, ana the MCKINLEY act IN
every clause denies MIR. ALDRIcH's asser-
ton. Tariffs have been increased at the
behests Of the manufacturers who were
called in and given what they asked. Logi-
cally America should be the workman's
paradise, instead of which be is either "a
brute without intellect, an anarchist by ma
ture or else he is totally oppressed and
robbed by the employer"
Referring to the depression of agricul-
ture, land being its basis, Senator VEST
affirmed that the price of land has steadily
gone down in the agricultural states under
the high protective tariff, and in some
there is absolutely no warrant for it. This
statement being doubted or controverted
by some as the western Senators, the
speaker wanted to know what has caused
the Alliance to spring up. Are the farmers
idiots, and do they not know what is the
matter with themg 1t will be agreeable in
telligence to the cotton planters, the cattle
raisers and the wool producers TO be told
that agricultural products have advanced
in value.
AT one stage of his remarks Senator
VEST was interrupted by Senator ALLISON.
whereupon the former adroitly drew an ex-
tract from speech of the latter on the
wool tariff OF 1883, which he said kept out
fine wool and therefore limited the manu-
lecture Of the finer wooden fabrics in the
United States, In the course Of his reply,
in which he said he had changed his views,
would also say to the Senator that have
not been in full sympathy with the extraordi-
nary demands that were made by some OF the
industries in 1899 upon The existing tariff. 1
have believed that some of these duties were
higher than necessary, as believed in 1870
TO this VEST rejoined that. in relation to
the duties imposed by the MCKINLEY act,
which did no receive his conscientious and
Intellectual assent. it would have been bet
ter if he (ALLIsoN) had followed the exam
pie Of three OF his colleagues (PLuMB, PER
mcREw and PADDocK) and made known his
opinions at the tine.
Senator VEST read the protection plank
in the Republican platform Of 1855, upon
which they won their victory bought with
the money OF protected industries, bar
gained for commercially, paid for and de-
lvered at the polls. and which the people
Overwhelmingly reversed two years after
wards, IN which they said not word about
revenue, or labor, but detiantly that they
proposed TO levy duties TO exclude compe-
tition from abroad with American pr0duc-
tons. BY means of the MCKINLEY act
erected on this platform, the foreign COM
merce has only been increased by the free
list, the revenue has been decreased and
the amount of duslable imports lessened.
Along with this is the tendency of the tar
if to create trusts, protect them and aug
ment prices.
In this connection Senator VEST put in a
large additional list of trusts to the one
submitted some time ago, including the
i
flint glass, oatmeal. paper bag, starch,
wool hat. and many others. followed by an
almost interminable catalogue Of articles of
household necessity, the prices of which
have been largely increased since the high
tariff act Of 1890 went into effect. prsc-
tical illustration was given in the case Of
buttons. The Senator and colleague went
to 8 Washington Republican firm of i'm
porters and wholesale and retail dealers
aud found in eight separate lines differ
ence between former and present cost Of
from 50 to more than 100 per cent.
Upon this Mr.. ALDRIoH made the state
ment that before the act OF 1890 pearl but
tons had been made in Austrian prisons at
prices for wages no American could afford
TO take. Here again the quick wit of
Senator VEST served splendidly. 1.-THE
Senator, said he. admits it was the duty
which increased the price. That explodes
the old fallscy and humbug that the tariff
has nothing to do with the price, We have
always heretofore been told that it was the
foreigner who paid it.'
Mr.. VEsT's speech, made on the spur of
the moment, though with ample materials
at hand, fairly bristled with incontro-
vertible facts. IL will make most valu-
able campaign document, and it is to be
hoped it win be circulated by the hundreds
of thousands throughout the country dur
ing the Residential contest.