Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-21
TARIFF SETTLEMENT.

Senator Lodge on the Effects Of
the "BilI of Sale" Tariff-Demo-
cratic Congress will still Assault
the Industrial System-People's
Only Alternative the Election Of a
Republican Congress.
II do not think that the passage of
the tariff is going to improve business
materially, if at all. In the first place it
is bad tariff, full Of inequalities and
preferences.
although there is great deal of pro-
lection in it, enough to discredit it en-
tirely as a tariff reform measure, that
protection is given chiefly to favored
interests, and the duties are in many
cases so much lower that they will neceS-
state large reductions in wages and
complete readjustment OF the business
involved in order to meet foreign com
petition, which is thus forced upon us.
"An extreme instance Of this is the
closing of the Trenton potteries, the
duties on these manufactures having
been so reduced that the potteries can
not continue. On the other hand, the
cotton textile schedule, which is one OF
the best in the bill because it involves
great Southern industry, has lowered
rates so far that there must be a reduc
ton ofwages, and this has already oo-
CURED in Fall River and New Bedford.
without going into more details, it
may be said that the new tariff will COM
pei a reimbursement Of our industrial sys-
TEN, or of large part of it, based upon
lower costs and consequent reduction
of wages. Such readjustment means
dull business and the reduction Of wages
and besides causing great hardships to
wage-earners, will reduce their purchas-
ing power, also, and the general prosper
ity of the country depends on the pur-
chasing power of the body OF its people.
"In addition to this reason for con-
tinued dull times is the still more potent
one due to the fact that this Tar II bill
is no settlement at all, so long az the
Democrats remain in power. They have
already put number OF new bills
through the House and they all give out
that the present bill is merely step To
more radical changes. In other words,
if the Democrats remain. in power the
uncertainty and the ATTACKS upon our
industrial system, which have 80 injured
our welfare during the past year, will be-
continued. and business will have NO
chance to revive.
"Under the best Of circumstances it
would take some time for the country TO
| recover from the disasters which have
! befallen it since the Democratic party
| came into power, but with the threats Of
continued industrial revolution, and
with such tariff as they have actually
given us, this recovery, slow at best is
greatly hindered.
1.-THE first step toward prosperity will
be to stop these raids Of the Democratic
party upon the industrial aud business
systems of the country. This can be
done by the people themselves and by no
one else. If they return the Democrats
to power in the House next November
we may look forward to renewed changes
and to a continuance of all the troubles
we have had during the past year.
"If tho people want to stop these as
suits upon our industries and upon our
rates OF wages and lake the first step to.
ward better times, they will return Re
publican majority to the next House."