Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-09-21
ToNGue-LAsHlnG THE PEOPLE.

49, -
The Apostle Of Protection In HIS Great
Act ~ Preoeptor.
Gov. McKinley's opening campaign
speech at Akron, O., was prolonged
scold at the American people for re-
jecting the ism which bears his name
at the polls last November. Mckinley
thrashes the people over the back OF
the democratic party, but he knows
whom he is hitting.
In speech delivered last January,
Senator Brice said that the question
whether the government should at
tempt to create or build mp American
industries of any kind by the use Of the
taxing power has been answered
by the American people for the present
at least, and their verdict must be
carried into execution" Quoting this,
Mckinley does not venture to deny
that the American people have
answered the question most distinctly,
but he remarks: 1.-THE democratic
theory must be carried into execution.
It is that which has alarmed the people,
and well it may" He impudently says
in effect that the people have alarmed
themselves Talking to the democrats,
but at the people who have frightened
themselves, he says: ''Now if they will
only change front, if they will only re-
consider, if they will only assure the
country that this deplorable change
will not come, they will fill the hearts
of millions with cheer and courage and
confidence" and various other things.
No doubt if they will only reverse their
verdict against the system of licensed
robbery the robbers will be happy.
Concerning the Sherman act McKin-
ley has to say that the great majority
of the republicans in congress are
openly committed to its repeal. The
republicans were responsible for that
act, just as the democrats, as Mckinley
asserts, will be responsible for the acts
of the present congress The repub-
licans admit that the Sherman act, for
which they were responsible, has
wrought great harm, else they would
not be SO eager for its repeal. The
party is not infallible, therefore, by
McKinley's own admission. If it great
ly injured the country by passing the
Sherman act it may have injured the
country far more by passing the Nc
Kinley act.
But Mckinley, of course, thinks it
did not. On the contrary, he thinks it
did the country a vast deal of good.
The people, in his opinion, have
brought ruin upon the country by COM
missioning the democratic party to re-
peal that act and give the country a
revenue tariff insteaA cit is the antici-
patton Of tariff reform, or free trade, or
a revenue tariff which has set the
country where it is" It is this alore
that has caused ''this wholesale cur
tailment of production and dismissal of
employees from their accustomed work
shops" 1t is by this alone that 1.-The
splendid prosperity of year ago has
been transformed into situation of
such business gloom
All this has been said before and
completely answered by the organs of
the protected industries themselves,
which have compiled statistics showing
that there was an increase instead OF
a curtailment of production for six
months or more after the verdict of
the people was rendered and known.
But we may let Mckinley answer
himself.
Speaking of his own precious infant
industry he says: 81 assume that tin
plate is to be made free because the
last house of representatives, which
was democratic. made it free by
a party vote. The splendid (tin plate)
industries which have been built up in
our country. and which have supplied
employment for so.many workingmen,
are to be closed and this, the greatest
consuming nation of tin plate in the
world, will hereafter buy this product
abroad, unless our labor is brought
down to the degraded level of COM
peting labor"
Now, the free tin plate bill was
passed long before the election of last
November and when the people gave
political power to the party which
passed the bill at that election it was
just as certain that tin plate would be
made free as it has been at any time
since. The tin plate industry ought.
therefore, to have been arrested
at once, according to Mckinley.
Not another establishment should
have been put in operation.
But what are the facts? Mckinley
says that the product was nearly 49,
OOO, 900 pounds in the three months end
ing the 3Oth of last June. And he re-
fers us to Special Agent Ayers reports,
which show the following totals of tin
and terne plates produced in different
quarters, beginning with the quarter
before the election of last November:
Quarter ending Production. los.
Sept 3D. 1872. 49,. ~ 90 x.
Dec. 81, 1892. 10 156 49l
March 81. 1893 -. ae6 399
June 30, 1s93...... ..-...-.. 4o,eoooo
McKinley's own statement OF the
production of last quarter is added to
complete the table. These figures show
large increase in every quarter since
the 3Oth of September last year. They
certainly do not show that McKinley's
special proteges. the tin plate makers,
were frightened into wholesale cur
tailment of production and dismissal
of employees by the prospects of free
trade in tin plate. Thus Mckinley him
self furnishes complete refutation of
his assumption and assertion that the
curtailment of production and ''busl-
ness gloom" have been caused by fear
of tariff reform. In the case of tin
plate there was, by his own showing,
every reason to fear, not merely rev.
enue tariff but absolutely free trade;
and yet, also by his own showing, there
was not only no depression but rapid
growth in his pet industry from the
time of the democratic triumph last
November to the latest quarter for
which the statistics have been pub
lished. No furtl err REPUTATION is needed.
Chicago Herald.