Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-24
CAMPAIGN IN INDIANA
It Was Opened at Terre Haute by Senator
Voorhees,.
He Stands With Grover Cleveland ON
Tariff ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the
New Tariff Law.

senator voorhees, opened the democratic
campaign at Terre Hsute, Ind, Saturday
night. Ex-Deputy Commissioner of Pen
sions Mclean presided. and in a brief speech
career in Congress.
The Senator's speech which required two
hours In delivery, was read from manu-
script, the first time he ever addressed his
home people except extemporaneously. The
Senator was In good voice in spite of his
recent severe sickness, and while the speech
lacked the fire which has heretofore marked
his public utterances. 1t was, nevertheless,
freely applauied. Senator Voorhees, is bill
ell for twenty-five speeches in Indiana dur
ing the campaign.
Upon the tariff he said: 1T is we'll known
that / would have gone farther on some
important points than we went in the bill
in the Senate. and that struggled hard to
do l stand with Grover Cleveland on
tariff reform, and with him 1 believe in the
curative processes Of future legisa ton. Abb
solute perfection does not belong to any
work of human brains or human hands,
and certainly was never achieved IN mans
first effort on any disputed subject. But let
us see what has actually been done in the
interest Of taxpaying people. The average
ad valorem rate of duty under the Nc
Kinley bill was 1888; the average rate pro-
posed by the Mills bill, Endorsed by the pa-
tlOnaI democratic convention only SIX years
ago at st. Louis. was 42.7S; the average
rate of the Morrison bill. another democrat
ic measure was 41.65. while the average
rate of duty under the new law, as 1t now
stands, may be stated at 81 per cent ad
valorcm. What have republicans to say Of
this comparison with their odious law of
four years ago. and what have democrats
also to say when they see that the present
democratic Congress, in spite Of differences
within and incessant assault from without
has made a heavier average reduction IN
tariff duties than was ever before even ro-
posed in American history:
The Question of Free Wool.
Senator Voorhees, was particularly strong
on the question of free WOOL He said:
'Twenty-seven years ago the wool grow
ers and the manufacturers of wool through
out the United States formed a sort of mu-
tuai benefit association and secured the pas
sage of the act of 1867 putting an all-round
iron-clad. high protective tariff on WOOL
The mutual benefit. however. of the scheme
totally failed. There was no mutually about
it, The manufacturers class in general has
grown rich; the farmer class in general
has rem aimed poor. The price of wool has,
in the main, steadily declined ever since.
In 1867 the price of wool was sixtyeight
cents per pound; in lSSS, twenty-one years
later. 1t had made a decline of just one
half and stood at thrtyfour cents pc.
pound-all this time under high republican
protection.
Under the operations of the Mckinley
law the condition of the farmer is infinitely
worse. How can the advocate of protection
explain that with a tariff of eleven cents
per pound wool sells not only lower than
ever before in the markets of the United
States but at less than OF e-half the amount
of the duty paid for its protection, the out
side price to the manufacturer in New York
being seven and three-fourths cents per
pound. This Is the most miserable ana dis
graceful showing to be found in all the
wretched history of tariff protection. What
farmer does not feel its shame and hunilia-
ton?
Put what has been the effect on the
sheep raiser as well as the wool grower?
Have the fiocks increased on thousand
hills by virtue of the combination between
wool producers and manufacturers of wool
in behalf of a high tariff so many years
ago! On the contrary, in 1861 the farmers
of the four states OF Pennsylvania, Ohio
Illinois and Michigan owned 1856 100 head
of sheep. Twenty-one years afte-ward, in
1855. the people of these same fou- great
states owned but 6OlS, 7s4 head of sheep, a
less Of 1887 .966, and were selling their
wool at exactly Cne-half the price 1t for
merly realized. l have not examined the
census returns for 1880 on this subject, but
the whole world knows that the situation
has not been improved. but deeply degraded
by republican high tariff legislation, so far
as the farmer is concerned, during the last
seven years, and during many years prior
thereto. His fortunes have been downward.
and with every tariff law of republican de-
sign and origin they will continue in the
same direction.
But in the next place, my reply to the
prophets OF calamity on account of free
wool Is that while the farmer always lost
In the falling prices Of wool under "a protec-
tive tariff, he will row and from this on
steadily gain by the reduction of duties, and
consequently OF prices, on the wooden goods
he has to buy for himself and his family. L
make a prediction also in this connection
that the farmers of Indiana and of the
whole country will sell their wool within
the next two years at higher rates per
pound than they ever sold it for Under the
Mckinley law"
The Senator slso pointed out that the pro-
lection to the sugar trust had been reduced
20 per cent, though it should all have been
wiped out, and discussed at length the work
of Congress in tariff legislation.