Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-09


From it we are asked to derive the prin
ciples of political action in fiscal affairs
and upon it the toiler is asked to lean il
the day of his tribulation.
II an equal distribution of wealth i
desirable, it ia ill-advised to restric
monetary acquisition to few, upon th,
theory that those few will distribute i
equitably. Well may the laboring mar
of the United States declare with tn,
Democratic party, Republican protec
tion is fraud"
PROTECTION THE FOE OF LABOR.
Mr.. Schurz clearly proves that protec
tion, as administered by the Republican
party, is the foe of labor, and that it il
in this respect, rs charged in the Demo
cratic platform, fraud. He says
The Republican party, as the advocate
of the protective tariff, is fond of calling
itself the champion of American labor
The only pretext for this pretension LIEF
in the fact that the Republican party
by its tariff policy, enriches certain en-
ployers of labor, and then trusts them
with being 30 philanthropic as to pay
their workingmen more than the market
rate OF wages-according to the well.
known scheme of benevolence which
consists in making the rich richer, 80
that they can take better care OF the
poor. This country never had pro-
tective tariff in its whole history before
the enactment of which the people were
not assured that this was the utmost
measure OF the demands that would be
made, and after the enactment Of which
the clamor for more protection-higher
duties-did not soon again begin. 1t is
the experience not only Of this country,
but OF the world, and it is in the nature
of high protection. So it will be again
with the Mckinley tariff if the Republi-
cans are entrusted with full power.
More will be asked for: more will be
granted by the Republican party, for
more subsidy to keep the party in poss
eesion of power. But even il the duties
were not increased, the arrangement to
preserve those now existing would be
substantially the same"
RECIPROCITY.
Reciprocity is the suggestion OF Mr..
Blaine. 1t resulted from the protest
interposed by that statesman against
the Mckinley bill. Said Mr.. Blaine, in
his celebrated letter to Senator Fry:
"The charge against the protective
policy which has injured it, (the pro-
tective system), is that the benefits go
wholly to the manufacturers and capi-
taliste. and not at all to the farmer"
In order to lessen the effect of this
just accusation and ameliorate public
wrath, the Republican party adopted
reciprocity features and gave to the
president the power to say whether or
not the provisions Of the act with refer
enae to reciprocal intercourse between
the United States and other nations
should or should not be enforced. 1t
was supposed by some of our ablest
lawyers that this portion OF the measure
was invalid. 1t was deemed delega-
tion Of legislative power, and scarcely
any well-informed person doubted that
the supreme court would declare it in
valid. But majority of that tribunal,
yielding to party appeals, affirmed its
constitutionality. and delegated to the
president of the United States that au-
thority which seemed to belong to con-
gress. The original scheme introduced
by Mr.. Blaine included Canada. But
the opposition of New England against
this competition forced him to abandon
the Canadian feature and confine his
efforts to 'the countries south of us;'
and, in accordance with the arrange
ment then made, freedom OF commercial
intercourse was established between
Brazil and other South American states.
All this was done because large por-
tion OF the American people recognized
that the day had arrived for the
abandonment of the Chinese policy OF
exclusion, and non-intercourse, for
which the Republican party has been
so long contending, and which is advo-
Gated in this platform. But the alb
eurdity of declaring commercial hostility
against the country which purchases
almost our entire surplus of agricultural
products, and at the same time pretend
ing to create a market for the American
farmer, is too palpable to need amplif-
cation. Mr.. Mckinley increased the
protection to the manufacturer, but the
farmer must be satisfied with the as
surance that those who follow similar
pursuits in South America will cease to
grow wheat and cattle, in order to be-
come consumers of beef and -four from
the United States.
The situation OF affairs has been no.
where better expressed that by the Hon.
William 1. Wilson, who presided over
the last Democratic national convention,
when he said ''And now we are told
that reciprocity is to be their battle
cry. Already we are regaled with the
pictures of Benjamin Harrison clad in
armour and going forth to battle with
reciprocity, on plumed steed. Simple
Simon fishing for whales in his mothers
rain barrel, and in great triumph cap
turing an occasional wiggle-waggle, is
the only true realistic picture of the
reciprocity of the Mckinley BILL"
If there is anything good in the Nc
Kinley bill, or particularly in its reci-
procity features, it ia because those
provisions indicate disposition to
abandon that Republican protection
which the Democratic party denounces
as fraud. If it is advisable to estab-
lish reciprocal relations with those
countries which consume 30 little of our
surplus products, it follows obviously
that it must be the part of wisdom to
open our doors to the nations upon whom
we rely for the disposition of those
things which we produce. In 80 far as
reciprocity means anything, it is the
establishment at the will of the presi-
dent of free trade relations. 1t is true
that there is not much of it in the Nc
Kinley bill. 1t is true that the shackles
OF commerce are not greatley weakened
by that portion of the act, but it indi-
Gates consciousness of the necessity of
tariff reform, and in so far as it is
recognition OF the folly of previous Re-
publican legislation and present Repub-
lican theories, we must give it some en-
dorsement With Mr.. McKinley's reci-