Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-08-27
THE ARGUS.
SATURDAY, AUGUST %, 1892.
STEVENSON OPENS.
Speech by the Democratic Vice
Presidential Nominee.
HIS KEYNOTE FOR THE CAMPAIGN.

The Tariff Discussed from the Demo-
cratic StandPoint-Good Times During
the Low Tariff of neutrality-suspicious.
Charged. with Reducing the Taxes of the
Rich and Increasing Those of the Poor
Some Remarks About Financial
Policles-A Deficit Predicted-Presi-
dent Harrison Talks ut Malone, n. v.
BLOOMINGTON, Ills, Aug 27.-Hon. Adj
lai L. Stevenson, Democratic candidate
for vice president of the United States,
opened his campaign this afternoon by
speech which WAS listened to and heartily
applauded by very large audience of his
friends and neighbors as well as many cit
liens from the towns and country around.
The speech was largely devoted to the tar
lH. He said that Cleveland's adminlstra-
ton was confessedly honest, and none of
the evils predicted by the Republicans fol-
lowed his inauguration. At the close of
the administration surplus of SIS, 0oC, 900
was left IN the treasury, and the question
was what should be done with the surplus
Whnt Republicans Have Done.
The Republicans have answered that
question. The treasury was now threat
ened with bankruptcy. Default had been
made III providing for the sinking fund,
ami II provision was made for that the de-
fciency staring the country in the face
was $52, J0J,O0O. This state of affairs had
two causes; The Mckinley bill and the
lavish appropriations of the Fifty-first
congress- ana its reckless legislation. He
criticised the action of the treasury in ex-
tending the payment of the bonds, instead
of rederming them at maturity. as had
been done under Cleveland. The large APP
preparations of the ipresent congress were
made because the Republicans had made
it impossible to avoid them-they were
required by laws made by the Ffty-first
congress.
Coming Down on the Tariff
After stating that for twenty-four years
previous to Cleveland's administration the
Republicans had legislated for the coun-
try and the Democrats opposed that legis-
1ation which had burdened the people with
taxation, Mr.. Stevenson came to the tariff
question, declaring it the all-important
question of the day. He said the Repub-
licans favored prohibitory tariff
and the Democracts tariff reform
The Republican policy was one that en-
riches few at the expense of the many.
The Democrats would reduce the tariff,
give manu- facturers cheap raw material
and consumers cheap accessories. Henry
Clay hid always held that protection was
only temporary and that soon cur
Industries We're established duties ShOtlu
be reduced. and he would be free trader
now, if living.
The Low Tariff of 1876.
Referring to the low tariff of 1916,
Stevenson said that it II tariff for
revenue, and added: "The decade and a
half extending from the passage of the
low tariff law of 1876 to the beginning of
our civil war, has been truly called the
golden period of our history. The cost of
the necessaries of life had reached the
minimum, and at no time in our history
was it .easier for the wage-earner to sup
port his family. The farmer, the me-
chanic the day laborer alike realized the
benefit of low taxation. benefit whyf
Simply for the reason that it lessened the
cost of food, of clothing, of every article
that conduced to his comfort. Our
manufacturers did not languish. The
fires did not go out in our furnaces. The
wheels and spindles were not idle in our
great hives of industry. The demand for
labor was not lessened, nor its value
deprecated" As u comparison he said
that the tariff duties in 1851 averaged 10
per cent; under the Mckinley bill they
were ~ per cent.
Special Taxes During the War.
During the war taxes were imposed on
corporations, Incomes. etc.-those in fact
who could pay them easily-to a large eX-
tent, and $500, 600, 600 per year were paid
into the treasury from these taxes, but
when the nation yet groaning under
the burden of debt all these taxes had been
swept away instead of those which
the common people paid. Why did not
congress first take the taxes off the neces-
saries, instead of off the corporations and
the wealthy.
The Mckinley Tariff Bill.
The avowed object of the Mckinley bill
was to check importation by prohibitory
tariff 1t gave its beneficiaries practical
monopoly and enabled them to levy an ad-
ditional tax on the consumer to that ex-
tent to which the duty was increased. 1t
was idle to speak of its benefits to the
American farmer. He wanted both a
home and a foreign market. He is COM
PEELED to sell lin the markets of the world
and should be permitted to buy there.
The bill had benefited neither the farmer
nor the mechanic.
Did Not Increase Wages.
Had the bill increased wages in single
instancef 1t had made living cost more
How then had it benefited the working
manf The bill was delusion. Wages
were governed by the law of supply and
demand and tariffs had no effect upon
them They had constantly been reduced
in the most highly protected establish
ments in the land. He quoted Daniel
O'Connor as saying that protection was
robbery of the poor by the rich. The de-
felt in the treasury was caused in q meas
ure by the Mckinley bill.
The Matter of Sugar.
That bill had repealed the sugar tax and
then given the sugar grower for fifteen
years a bounty of SIC, 0OO, 600 per year. This
was another delusion. The consumer was
told he was getting free sugar when in re-