The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-02
Think The New Bill Is About The
Right Thing.
SPEECH BY CONGRESSMAN HARTER
In which He Predicts Prosperity for
sIanufscturcrs-He Talks Very Cheer
fully to the Members OF the Tariff
Reform League.

/ BosroN, Dec 2-The New England
! Tariff Reform league had its monthly
| dinner at the United States hotel last
evening. Fully POO members were present.
| After the elaborate menu provided for
the occasion had been disposed OF and
cigars had been reached, President Pierce
congratulated the league upon the brigh,
outlook for tariff reform promised by the
| Wilson BILL aud introduced the principal
| sreaker Of the evening, Hon. Michael ID.
Harter OF Ohio.
After some introductory words, used tc
express his feeling that "the present situ-
alton" was one of hopefulness and promise,
Mr.. Harter said in part;
Barter's Address.
"The situation requires of US unswerv.
ing support Of tariff ref rm. The condi
tion of the agricultural class. making up
as it does 40 per cent OF our por7iation
and furnishing the basis OF all our pros.
per,ty, is as bad, yes, worse than 1t was in
1892
"The great onsuming masses. who may
be said to embrace the entire nation, were
never in more need OF ren'f than now.
Labor. in all our history has pever been
SO poorly provided with employment,
while manufacturers having outgrown
| tne cOiO!LlDls pauCcA hIJii Out ShopS ahu
factories, have reached a point where,
without substantial reductions in tariff
taxation, profitable continuance Of opera
tion by many is impossible.
"From every side COMES the call to con-
gress for relief through reduced taxation.
This call is louder and in tones more elo'
quent and commanding than ever before.
The monopollst pnss cries 10 us, and the
high tariff leaders demand of Us that we
allow the existing high taxes to remain.
Suppose we heed this demand, in what
way is prosperity 10 flow upon and among
the manufacturing industries of the coun-
try?
Can they not see that under our present
system of taxation our power to produce
Il far greater than our ability TO consume,
and tnat a continuance OF our present
policy means stagnation and starvation?
Do they not understand that by wise re-
vision md reduction of the tariff nearly
oil our industries eau be promptly placed
upon their feet?
New Tariff Defended.
"They ought to see clearly that reduc-
tion in the raw materials of the factory
will result in an enlarged demand for its
goods, because of the lower price il can
afford To sell them at, and that this de-
maud will come not only from our own
people, but from abroad. The man who
cannot ses this is blind, indeed.
''rake up the governments report OF
our exports for the past eight months, and
you will read there that we have been able
ioexport nearly all classes OF manufac.
tured goods; goods of which the raw ma
terial was iron, steel, cotton, lumber, cop
per, paper aud even wool.
"Such goods we have shipped abroad by
the millions. La this fact we ought to
read the very plain lesson that the tariff
bill which the present congress will pass
will give to American manufacturers such
prospect y, snch an increase ia trade, such
an enlargement in profits as to throw into
the shade any apparent prosperity which
we have been acqua nted with III recent
wears. Why, tnen, this howl and opposi-
tion?
'Protection n Curse"
81 believe so-called protection has always
been IA curse TO our people and a weight
upon our manufacturers, but even those
who disagree with me in this viii! find it
impossible To deny that for many years,
at least, protection has simply operated to
give to Europe and to project her in the
possession of vast markets which other
wise would have been controlled by
American manufacturers. Vita the pas
sage of tie ways and meaus bill all this
will be changed, aud the American manu-
facturer aud his employees viii come to
their own.
"The two things which make up the
cost of manufactured article are, first,
material, and, second, labor After the
passage of the ways aud means bill the
American manufacturer will have his ma
terial AS cheap, or cheaper, than his for
eign competitor He already has, as you
have seen measured by its productive
ness), the lowest cost labor in the world.
NOW, unless you credit the American
manufactures with less capacity than his
foreign competitor possesses We can see
that, after the bill becomes law, the pros
perity Of the American manufacturer will
eel pse that of any other manufactures in
the world, and his productions viii girdle
the earth and fill its marIs. You II
then find goods made i'm American fac
tories by American workmen on all the
shelves aud in every great warehouse on
the globe.
a Rap at Mckinley.
''It is said that a man is rash who makes
predictions, but / am quite willing TO
assume the risk, and tonight, when my
good friend, Governor Mckinley. is dis
mally foretelling ruin and croaking about
the future, declare tito be my conviction
that every effect and result Of the reduc-
tion of tariff taxatioa now about to be
made will prove advantageous to the coun-
try, and that these advantages will be so
conspicuous that from this time on the de-
mand will not be for the restoration OF
high taxes, but that congress will be urged
to make more reductions in number aud
larger ones in amount"
Resolutions were adopted declaring that
the New England Tariff Reform league
approved Of the tariff bill prepared by the
ways and means committee OF the national
house Of representatives ms decided step
In advance In the direction OF freer trade,
and, to that extent, cmbodying the princi-
Piles which the league was organized to
support