Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-27
REPLY TO M'KINLEY
By Colonel Alex. Mcclure,
WhoHolds a Sort of One
Sided Tariff Debate
IN THE MAJORS ABSENCE.
The Philadelphia Champion of
Grover Cleveland Declares
FREE TRADE ISN'T A QUESTION,
And lie Mildly InsinuateS That Governor
Mckinley Knows 1t.
IN THE MAJORS ABSENCE.
FREE TRADE ISN'T A QUESTION,
THEN HE TALKS In A FREE TRADE VEIN

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. pa crowd oi
nearly 5000 people filed the immense
Academy of Music here, tonight, from the
floor to the highest gallery, while others
occupied every seat upon the vast stage,
stood in the flies, pushed up the aisles and
thronged vainly at outside the doors to hear
Colonel A. X McClure's reply to Governor
Mckinley. of Ohio, on the tariff question.
Much interest had been excited in the
ranks of both parties by Colonel Mcclure s
challenge to the author of the tariff law to
joint debate, and the subsequent refusal
of the Republican National Committee to
allow Governor Mckinley to enter such a
contest was disappointment to the Demo
cratic editors numerous friends. When 1t
was announced, however, that Colonel Nc
Clure had accepted the invitation of the
Tariff Reform League to reply to the tariff
champions recent speech in this city the
enthusiasm was great and large audience
was the result.
Cleveland There in a Frame.
There was almost a total absence of deco
rations on the stage, which was occupied by
a large delegation of prominent citizens,
but prominently in front stood large
cravon portrait of Grover Cleveland, draped
with an American flag, while overhead
hung large tin plate, inscribed: 'tAmeri-
can tin, made at Norristown, Pa Imported
tin, imported iron, imported labor, imported
capital
Colonel McClure's entrance was the sig
nal Tor shout of applause that shook the
house Far up near the painted ceiling
workingmen in their shirtsleeves arose,
cheering and waving their hats After the
applause subsidized a preliminary speech
was made by Dwight NJ. Lowrey, chairman
of the Executive Committee of the Leag ue
who referred TO Governor Mckinley as
THAT most distinguished statesman among
the modern Levites OF the superstition that
public taxes make public wealth
Mr.. Lowrey was loudly applauded when
he referred TO tariff monopolists as ''clad in
Scotch wool and English linen, and drink
ing German beer and French wine"
Heartier applause followed when he intro
duced as the chairman of the evening a
manufacturer and member of the Manu-
facturers' Club-but a Democrat-William
NJ Ayres" The latter, with but few
words, introduced the orator of the evening,
Colonel Mcclure, who was again the recip-
lent of long-continued applause.
He Jumps on McKinley's Bill.
Mcclure said: SIN response to the invi-
tation of the Tariff Reform Club of this city
l appear tonight to answer the recent ad-
dress by Governor Mckinley, in which
he attempted the impossible task
Of iustifying the Mckinley tariff, law.
Henry Clay protected labor when our
manufacturing industries were in their
infancy. Mckinley protects capital when
industries are fully established, breeds
monopoly and trusts, limits our market, op-
presses labor by lessening employment and
increased taxes on the necessaries of life,
and his most conspicuous products are
rapidly multiplying millionaires and
tramps
''There were good reasons why Mr.. Nc
kinley could not be permitted to open the
pandora box of tariff taxes in Philadelphia;
and before the members of the Manufact-
turers' Club They had:contracted by pur-
chase for increased taxes upon the people,
and Mckinley, as Chairman of Ways and
Means, was made the auditor to apportion
the tariff tax raiment of the people among
Its purchasers
As to the Tariff of 1S46.
1.-THE tariff of 1916 is given by Governor
laws. 1t was revenue tariff-w1th Incl
dental protection-as was Claws tariff of
1912, differing only in the lower stand
ard of tariff taxes. If the tariff of
1916 was free trade, what was the
first tariff passed by Republican
House when it greatly reduced the tariff
taxes of that time. In this contest there is
one man whose definition of a revenue
tariff is entitled to greater respect than that
OF any other citizen or official 1 refer to
Grover Cleveland. He is a man of con-
viction, man of courage, man of truth,
aud he is the one man who, as next Presi-
dent (prolonged cheers, is more than
likely to shape the new revenue tariff
standard to which the country is now
certain to return.
"There is no free trade issue involved in
this contest; there is no free trade candi-
date; there is no free trade party, and do
not wish to transcend the lines of courtesy
in this discussion when / say that Governor
Mckinley knows that what declare is the
truth.
The Alleged Oppression of the Bill.
''The Mckinley tariff" he continued,
''was oppressive because it taxed many
necessaries of life. In 1873 Congressman
SchultZe, of New Jersey, a Republican,
said unless the leather industry were
giving hides, it would die. Hides were
free and as a result the American shoes
were the best and cheapest in
the world. The tax on lumber was useless
because it did not protect labor Free
iron ore was necessary because Pennsyl-
vania ores were valueless without it. To
restrict 1t would be to diminish the con-
sumption of domestic ore
"And why should coal not be free?" he
asked. Canada imposes a reciprocity tax
on coal equal to ours, and it would be made
free there any time it is made free here. If
we had open doors to the Canadian markets
We would sell 100000 tons of our coal
there
LET us see what Governor Mckinley
has done for the farmer by his tariff He
has increased the tariff taxes in the
name of protection on nearly all the
products of the farmer. The Mckinley
tariff is bald fraud in its pretense of pro-
lection to the farmer, and that fraud is used
to deceive the farmer into submission to
enormous taxes on everything he buys for
himself and his family"
The Colonel continued in the same strain
for over two hours