The sun., 1893-10-26


The election In Ohio this year will
determine whether or not an IDIOT asS-
INN should be built around the Gov
ernor simply or If it should extend
around the whole State. The state
ments made by the tariff Napoleon can
come only from demagogue, from a
fanatic, or from one whose gray mat
ter has gone ON a vacation. Take this
from his speech at Warren, Ohio: Ii
had my way would not buy ono dol
lars worth of goods made in Europe
so long as there was an idle man IN
this country" 1t is reported that this
remark met with tremendous applause,
though whether the crowd took the
Major seriously or not Is not stated.
Now the Governor does certainly
have his own way as to the goods he
purchases, and yet he probably not
only wears clothes made of English
goods but eats English marmalade5 ana
Iellies, and drinks French wines from
Belgian vessels. His clothes are made
from English goods because he had
his own way and put. u duty on wool
which makes it out of the question for
our own manufacturers to produce
goods with fine finish, and compete,
even with 100 per cent. protection,
with their British rivals. He eats En-
glish preserves because his protective
dnties on tin plate, glass, and sugar
nrevent the establishing here OF large
canning factories to work up the sur.
plus of small fruits, which must there
fore be left to decay at the loss of the
fruit farmers and of the millions OF
wage earners who would be only too
Glad to eat more OF such food, if it
| we're cheaper.
But suppose the Governor does not
mean it as pure buncombe, and that he
really thinks that God made mistake
in not making an ocean of fire instead
of one of water between us and Europe
what is the only logical meaning OF
such a statement? Is it not that COM
merce, instead of being the greatest
educator and civilizer known, while 1t
at the same time enables man to sup
| nlv his wants with less exertion, is q
curse to mankind? Is it not saying
that there is no article but what we
| can produce cheaper here than 1t can
be produced abroad, no matter what
the advantage of soil Or climate? Is it
not saying that it is mistake for us to
sell our surplus grain, cotton and meats
| abroad? Is it not clear that II we do
not purchase goods of foreigners they
cannot purchase of us? And if this
| principle of non-exchange holds good
| between nations, why not between
| States. counties and individuals? Ii
we are not to take advantage OF the op-
portunities and inventions of other ma
| tions, States or individuals, what will
| become of our civilization? Without
trade or exchange we will have no use
for wagons, cars, boats or ships. ls ii
| the opinion of the Governor of the
| fourth largest State in this Union that
| these implements of commerce should
| be left to decay and cur roads and
| highways allowed to return to the
| prImaval state in which Columbus
| found them 400 years ago? Would the
| Major extend his protective system un'
| til we are all commercial hermits?
Would he then think it wrong for two
individuals to exchange ideas so long
as each could make an idea OF his own!
These absurd conclusions are moi
only logical deductions from Governor
McKinley's statement, but they are II
| line with his often expressed idea thai
cheapness is not blessing. In his
| opinion the inventions which cheaper
| production and save human labor are
| to be feared as we would fear a rattle
! snake. At least foreign inventions are
extremely dangerous. Thus he stand
| with both feet on those two main
springs of civilization and progress
| trade and invention-while the popu
lace of Ohio applaud. Is he fooling
them? Are they fooling him? Or are
they all in the same beat?