River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-05-03
THE TARIFF QUESTION.
What the Lesson of the Rhode Island
Election Teaches.
The New York Times says:

ne new tOFk lines says
''But II It is obvious that the democratic
party has been condemned, is IL equally clear
that the republican party has been approved?
What possible advantage could the voters OF
Rhode Island, who have recently acted with
the democratic party, hope to realize from
placing in power the PARTY which has in re-
spect OF important local issues, merited and
received for years their vehement condemna-
ton: 1t is not easy TO believe that the Rhode
Island voters OF democratic tendencies have
suddenly become republicans. IL is far more
probable that they have used the republican
party in this instance as a club with which to
punish The demoV rats for their failures and
mistakes"
1t is not difficult to see the advantage
which the voters of Rhode Island hoped
to realize by placing the republican
party in power in that state. The leg
islature Just elected has to choose n
United States senator to succeed Sen
ator Dixon, whose term expires next
March. 1t was the determination of
the voters that republican and not a
democrat should be chosen to fill that
seat. So out of total legislative mem
bership of 1Os. 109 are republicans.
The voters of Rhode Island beiug en-
gagged largely i'm manufacturing, want
tariff policy which will maintain, not
cut down, their wages. Therefore they
do not want the Wilson bill nor sem
ator who will vote for that or similar
measures.
year ago the voters of Rhode Island
sent to the house of representatives
two democrats-the entire delegation.
The factory hands of Rhode Island
were getting good pay then, and they
we're steadily employed. But Jeshu-
run waxed fat and kicked" The men
had been doing so we'll they thought
they ought to be doing better They
listened to the labor and democratic
demagogues telling them they were
cheated out of a good part of the bene-
fits of protection. which were meant
for them but had been swallowed
up by the mill bosses. Hence they
sent TO the house of representatives at
the special election last April two men
who voted for the Wilson bill, the pre-
liminary effects of which have been
disastrous for Rhode island industries
as for those of other states This fall
the successors of those congressman
will be chosen, and they will be repub-
licans.
The late election does not show that
Rhode Island voters of democratic TEN
denotes are using the republican party
merely as club wherewith TO punish
the democrats. IL does show. however.
that they have become convinced that
protection is a good thing for them. in
asmuch as il kept their wages up, and
that as the republicans are for protee-
ton. while the democrats are against
it, they will stick to the first-named
party. What is true of Rhode Island
is true of other northern states which
have had elections last fall or this
spring. The voters have discovered
that the democratic tariff policy cuts
down wages while the republican tariff
policy raises them. Local issues shrink
out OF sight when confronted with the
issue of high versus low wages CHI
cal., Tribune