The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-31
yyr per,pry1,s rARIFF BfLL.
tn. Great Democratic Jourusi Of oh'o
Frankly Declares Its OPinieH o. w"
NvIison swtadle.

IT,. 49,, n.-oer.t,o Jourusi Of ohio
rs.,Eiy Declares Its Opiniea o. tho
Wilson svsiadle.
now a. ciae.-oH grauSe. psa fs
In mis- annual message the President SOM
munlcated to Congress his views as 70 whN
objects should ba aimed at In tsrln ieglsiauon'
and at the same time, informed them thata
measure had been prepared BY the appropriate
Congressional committee embodyinR tarin re-
form on the lines suggested by him. Then, as
n to relieve Congress from any anxiety lest
that committee should fail In It's duty. he said
this measure would be promptly submitted Ior
legislative action. Thanks to the vigilance OF
the President, his committee has made its re-
port.
The purpose ofthis article IL not to snalyzs
this measure, or the report which accompanies
II, but rather to call attention to what It ought
to be. II it really does embody tho Presidents
view OF tariff reform. Hitherto Presidents
have recommended to Congress from time to
m S sSf bI fhs nteses tin m The
message before us is the flrst one which indi-
Gates that the President had taken into hts
had appropriated to himself standing com
mittee Of Congress as the medium through
on Ways aud Means had merely been acting as
a committee Of tho House. the President could
ACTON SSlon Rth l %odssy the
President assures Congress that the Dill winch
he is about to have reported from the Commit
tcc on WAYS and Means is the result OF much
patriotic and unsclnsh work, and l believe It
deals with its subject consistently and as thor
oughly as existing conditions permit" He
might perhaps better have said. "a Touchstone
said OF his sweetheart: An ill-iavored thing.
As an aid to a. proper understanding Of the
Wilson Tarff bill. let ps look over the Presl-
dents prologue. in which he tells us what 1t
should contain. and then assures US that 1t is
lie would " stanchlv adhere" TO the doc
trins Of tnrin ior revenue only. but at the
s s mS w3Hh not b Sose ,s EYES 10
which. in justice and fairness call for dis
eliminating care In the distribution Of such
Government actually demand" That Ia to
say we should stanchly adhere to the principle,
IRON it.
The departure from the revenue principle
reduction OF the present tariff charges upon
the necessAries OF life, and second. the aboli-
ton Of all duties on raw materials necessary
An examination q the Wilson bill will show
us what the President regards as the neces-
sarips OF life. and what. in his opinio ion, are raw
materials necessary to our manufactures. In |
a general wav he refers to food. shelter. and
This is bToSd aei3 Tor considsfation. For ora
g tariG reform leader" who might he supposed !
eminent. his plea Tor low duties on tie neces. |
saries Of life are rather startling. His words |
factions Of a government whose highest func- |
ton Is the promotion OF the welfare Of the |
people
Upon such a principle II would be equally
proper to first collect higher duties upon the |
necesHaries o. life and then distribute the re.
them. or who might. for any reason. find most
favor with those in charge OF the Government. |
that the President reaches the highest plane |
Of tho statesmanship Of his school, He would |
ee WR for s9e SSn
ties on raw materials. they cannot export their
nS W We ssoa Tn
to eur national ingenuity and enterprise"
Iactured goods. It at once occurred to him that
The American manufacturer must not only
have Tree raw materials from abroad hut he
must have cheaper labor at home. At hrst
thought the Operatives. whose skilled labor
many times their value. would not like to sec
heir wages reduced. Perhaps that is because
July for themsoiv as the resident hi has SIC" for
hem; His m ind labored on this problem. and
.EpS IL was delivered;
indirectly, involved in this feature OF our tariff
'ystem, The sharp competition and active
he limited demand FOR their goods, soon nh
he marrow marketto which they arc confined.
actories. discharge OF employees and distress
n ne homes OF "nr Torkingmen.
)e made good that lower rate OF wages
would result from free raw materials and low
arm duties, the Intelligence OF our working
neh leads them quickly to discover that their
steady employment. Permitted by free raw
materials Is the most important faitor in
her relation TO tariff legislation"
How clearly 1t al appears when once stated.
No matter now low mans wages are so long
- he can have work all the time. IL was on
his principle that the Chatham street mer-
liant explained how he made money by sell
NIX oyercCats at less than cost. lie said he had
u sell great many OF them. The intoili-
'"nce OF our wogkingmen" cannot be too soon |
Erected to tho phllanthropic Intentions OF the
The ,,suspen sion Of work In mills and fac.
cries" and the distress in the homes OF our |
Iarkingmen." have created an alarming con-
or the exercise OF the highest statesmanshIp |
a all legislation affecting our industries. The |
Iemocrate party. until now. with only tenn
ornry deViAtors, has seemed willing while
mhosing duties on imports, to recognize the |
Inference between European and American |
ages, and TO give the American lahOring man |
lends new departure. lilo thinks tho true |
ltsrest ofour workngmen is to submit 10 such |
cur Of their wages as will enable the
no manufactured articles TO EuropSan
inrkets there to compete with artlcios
by European labor at Eu-
npsan prices, II the discovery Of this great
ivahtage Of a lower rate ~ wages Is really
Irh u hoon to our workingnen n the Presi, l
ent proiesse1 to believe. they ought to assem- I
To- everywhere throughout the country and :
louid COPY the two Paragraphs from the mes D
ace. above quoted. 80 that the laboring class S
nay see that at last they have a Moses. =
The President has omitted one fact. namely: l
the supply NJ labor Rhouli toe So great as to a
Sceel the domnnd Mt any time II would IN. a
r; upt the srcadin0Ss Ot the employment OF =
me Hut then. what is one fact among so q
any, Let US NOT ask ton much. Let us
HnkiEli' rsc"iY" what is SO generously given h
7 our great anu good PRESIDENT. "
IT. u