Huntsville gazette., 1893-09-30
DANGERS OF FREE TRADE.
Gov. Mckinley on the Present Business
Situation.

Whenever protection has been aban-
doned in this country, every industry
has been paralyzed, every business has
suffered except that of the insolvent
court and the Shylock If free trade is
to come, | pray God it may not be adj
vanced in your time or mine. Has not
the fear of its coming filed the country
with alarm, and are not men making
ready for it?
Senator Brice, in speech made jan
uary last at the Jackson banquet, held
in the city of Columbus, responding to
the toast: 1.-The Democracy and the
Business of the Country" stated the
case, not fully, it is true, but as near
the truth as his vision could compass
at that time lie said:
'You have indicated by the toast assigned mo
some apprehension to the effects OF demo-
cratic administration upon what is called ousi-
ness or upon business interests. and first, let
me say that after March next the democratic
president will be supported by democratic
majority in both branches Of the national legis-
atufe The administration will, in addition,
have that moral support which comes from
knowledge on the part OF the whole people, IT.
respective of party or section, that the election
and overwhelming, and are entitled TO put
into operation the professions OF faith upon
which we made the preced ding canvass. we
know that during the great struggles OF the
political contest of the last twenty years what
are called the business interests have been too
often successfully persuaded that dcr;ocratic
success meant the triumph of the dfsorganiz-
ing forces of society and the injury or destruc-
ton OF the tender and delicate fabrics OF credit
and enterprise that have built up such an en-
pire in Ohio and the whole northwest territory;
and there is, perhaps in the minds OF some DEM
ocrats themselves, a touch Of fear lest some OF
those persuasions and predictions may be to
greater or less extent well founded"
That touch of fear has been uni
versal: don't think anybody doubts 1t
now. Mr.. Brice continues:
~ have only one word to say as TO this do
not propose to discuss the question OF whether
the government should attempt to create or
build up the American industries OF any kind
by the use OF its taxing power-because that
ques ton has been answered by the American
people, for the present at least, and their YER
dict must be carried into execution"
The democratic theory of taxation
must be carried into execution. 1t is
that which has alarmed the people,
and well it may. Is it to be wondered
at that business men with large capital
invested are making ready for the
change : to which the democratic
party is pledged, which shall give no
heed to invested capital and no care to
the labor employed in the great indus
tries?
The changed condition is not the re-
suit of our monetary system. What
ever evils, If any, are to be found in
that system, they can in no way ac-
count for the wholesale curtailment OF
production and dismissal of employees
from their accustomed workshops. The
cause lies deeper than all this, and it is
found in the fact that every one of
these great industries is threatened
with destruction by the party in power.
You cannot expect men to invest their
capital in producing for the future
when they do not know what that
future will be. They can only wait
and see; but waiting is paralyzing to
the business of the country and brings
distress to every man who works for
wages.
There is no occasion for this situation
except the uncertainty which every
where prevails. We have the same
men, the same money, the same manu-
facturers and the same markets that
we had year ago, but the trouble is
that we have another management. We
have the same pluck and the same
perseverance and the same people, but
the majority of them voted last year
for another policy. We have the same
energy, the same enterprise, the same
great plants, but few, if any, are run
ming to their full capacity, because of
fear of the policy which the people de-
creed last fall should be carried into
public law. The proposed new policy
means new conditions, and new condi-
ton mean depreciation of values and
the degradation of labor. We cannot.
avoid this result if we have a revenue
tariff.
The republican party can be counted
upon to act IN unity and patriotism in
crisis like the present, and there are
thousands in this country not republic
ans who can be relied upon to cooper
ate with us in rescuing the country
from the business perils into which it
has fallen.