Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-09-16

VI taN'S LAVlN0
sitions which had before received the sanction
of Democratic National Conventions was not
GUS leadership to which the party has now
committed itself than the substitute which
was adopted. This substitute declares that
lrOtect1On, low prOtccttOn-all uncOnstitu-
ttOnal. A Democratic Congress holding this
view cannot enact nor Il Democratic President
approve any tariff schedule the purpose or
effect of which Is to limit importations or to
give any advantage to an American workman
given to the importer under this view of the
Constitution in order to increase important
i nnly' is iSe li hmh a3 tine r nseinroc tor " 81 ofe conrae
falls under this denunciatton, for its object
and effect are not revenue, but the promotion
of commercial exchanges, the profits of which
go wholly to our producers.
MIR. Harrison denies that the policy
of h Democrats to-day was the policy
OF Jefferson or jackson, and character
ICES the present doctrine as destructive
and un-American." He says:
There is not Il thoughtful business man i'll
the country who does not know that the en-
actmcnt into law of the declaration of the Chi
cago convention on the subject of the tariff
would at once plunge the country into II bust
ness convulsion such as it has never seen; and
there IL not a thoughtful workingnan who
does not know that it would ut once cnorli-
ously reduce the amount of work to he done in
this country by the increase of importations
that would follow and ncccssitate Il reduction
of his wages to the European standard. If any
one suggests that this radical policy will not
be executed il the Democratic party attains
power what shall be Thought of u party that is
capable of thus thrilling with great interestsI
The threat of such legislation would be only
less liurttul than the fact.
And nov 1. few words in regard to the exist
Judge of its influence upon production and
prices by the market reports. The day of the
prophet of calamity has been succeeded by that
of the trade reporter. An examination into
the effect of the law upon the prices of pro-
lection products and of the cost OF such arti.
e1na a = ~, II, ar N N 4 In. iyir,, ne nn,,t uf Syt,ntl
means has been made by a committee COM
posed of leading Senators of both parties; with
the aid OF the best statisticians, and the re-
port. signed by all the members of the COM
mittcc, has been given to the public. No such
wide and careful inquiry has ever been before
made. These facts appear from the report:
!. The cost OF articles entering into the use
of those carning less than Sl,w per annum has
decreased up to May, 1882, IA per cent. while
| In farm products there has been an increase in
prices, owing iii part to an increased foreign
demand and the opening of new. markets.. In
living increased IL per cent. Tested by their
power 10 purchase articles of necessity the
earnings of our working people have never
been as great lis they are now.
.. There has been an average advance i'll the
rate Of wages of 80 of ! per cent:
:. There has been an advance in the price of
all farm products of 1856 per cent. and of all
cereals ~ ~ per cent.
The ninth annual report of the chief of the
bureau of labor statistics of the State OF New
York. Il Democratic. officer, very recently
issued. strongly rorroborates. as to that state,
tllc liClS IOU1u ny tkc ocIl;ttc CoIllIllttct.
In view of this showing ii is plain that this
tariff law has not imposed burdens hut con-
fcrrcd benefits ON the farmer and the working
man.
Some special effects of the act should be no
ticcd. 1t was II courageous attempt TO rid our
OF. the production of tin plate, pearl buttons.
silk plush. linens. lace, etc. Once or twice III
our history the production of tin. plate had
been attempted, and the prices obtained by the
Welsh makers would have enabled our makers
to produce it at IL profit. But the Welsh max
ers at once cut prices to u point that drove the
when this was accomplished again made their
own prices. \ correspondent ut the Industrial
World. the official organ of the Welsh t!n-platc
workers, published at Swansea, in the issue of
June 10. lsaa, advises Il new trial OF these meth
DDS. He says:
and worklncm to produce tin-platcs, tarlff or
no tariff, ut a price that will drive all compete
But in spite of the doubts raised by the cleo
lions of 1,oo. and of the Vaccinations of
foreign producers to maint ain their monopoly.
the t%in-platc industry has been established in
the United States. and the alliance between
the Welsh producers md the Democratic party
for its destruction will NOT succeed.
The President then shows that in this
country the past year there was pro-
duccd over 5000, noo pounds of tin and
tcrnc plates. In continuance:
Another industry that has been practically
created by the Mckinley law is the making of
pearl buttons. Few articles coming to us from
abroad were so distinctly the product of star
vation wages. :
but. without unduly extending this letter. l
cannot follow i'll detail the Influences of the
tariff law OF 1880. This tariff law has given
employment to many thousands of American
men and women. and will each year give em-
ployment to increasing thousands. Its repeal
would throw thousands out of employment
and give work to others only at reduced wages.
In considering the motives OF Dem
The appeals of the free-trader to the
w%orkingman are largely addressed to
his prciudices oil to his passions. and
not ~inirequcntly are ~pronouncedly com
munislic." But of the outcome, he says,
They will settle the tariff contest in
, the calm light of their November fire
sides. and with sole reference to the
prosperity of the country of which they
are citizens and OF the homes they have
founded for tL-eir wives and children"
No intelligent advocate of Il protective tariff
, claims that it is able of itself to maintain !,
, uniform rate of wages without regard to hue
t ~tuations in the supply of and demand for the
> products of labor, but it is confidently claime(
: tina. protective duties strongly tend to hole
r up. WAGES. and are the only barrier against 4
reduction 10 the European scale!
a The southern States have had n liberal par
: ticipatiou in the benefits of the tariff law
. ard. though their representatives have gener.
ally opposed the protection policy. reioic.
= that their sugar. rice. coal. ores. iron. fruits
t cotton cloths and other products have no,
v been left to the fate which the votes. of thcil
! representatives would nave brought upon
+ them. Ia the construction of the Nicaragua
canal. i'll the new trade with South and Cen.
: trail America. in the establishment of Ameri.
r can steamship lines. these States have also
$ special interests. and all these interests vii
( not always consent to be without representa-
Il ton at Washington.
n Shrewdly. but not quite fairly. our advcr
i sarics speak only of the increased duties I'M,
v posed upon tin. pearl buttons and other arti
Giles by the Mckinley bill. and omit altogethel
any reference to the great and beneficial en-
largcmcnt of the free list. During the las
!, fiscal year :4aS. 900. T72 worth of merchandise, o
q i5.3' per cent. of our total impOrtatiOns cam,
in free the largest percentage In our history
while in lsS9 the per cent. of free importation
was only a4.42 per cent. The placing of suga
f upon the free list has saved to the consumer ii
: duties i'll fifteen months. after paying til,
n b%ounties provided for. $500, go. This relief ha
s been substantially felt in every househ oil,
Z upon every saturdays purchase OF the work
! tngnan.
. One of the favorite arguments against n pro
\ tective tariff is that it shuts us out from Il par
ticipation in what Is called. with swelling EN-
plasis. the markets of the world" If thti
n view is not u false one, how does 1t happen tina
= our commercial competitors are not able Il
q bear with more serenity our supposed surren
der to them of the markets of the world, " an
Z how does 1t happen that the partial loss of GU
= market closes foreign tin-plute mills and plus
: factories thatl still have all other markets
I Our natural advantages. our protective tartf
= and the reCiOrOCfty OOlicy make 1t OOSSible 70