Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-08
HAS NO PRINCIPLE
Senator Hoar's Characterization Of
of the Proposed Tariff Bill.
NO GOOD AMERICANISM IN 1T
Clauses Put in It Merely to Buy
Votes.
WHAT PROTEC TIoN DOES

WHAT PROTECTION DOES
After asserting that the people meant
| that the Senate should respond only to their
deliberate will. Senator Hoar said. in his
speech against the Wilson bill in the Senate
today. that 1t was now asked to enact into
law a spasm that the people have got over.
The hasty action Of excitement of the fall
cf 1892. Of which the American people were
| repenting In sackcloth and ashes, was to
| take effect in the infinite mischief and
misery Of a great action Of legislation.
The Senate was TO hurry and get the work
done before the people could get at them.
This democratic majority of two said the
Senator. made by the junior Senator from
North Dakota and the junior Senator from
Kansas. are expected to compel the Aneri-
can people to submit to a measure which
they have Enthusiastically condemned, and
which they loathe and hate as they tell us
on every occasion and in every form In
which they can utter their will. Idle fac
tories extingulsAed furnaces, suffering
homes, armies of tramps, unprecedented
malorities at the polls are clamoring in the
deaf ears Of this accidental majority in the
Senate TO wait and pause until the will Of
the American people can again find its con-
stitutional expression. When the demo-
cratic party lst go its power in 1861 Sem.
ator Hoar said, the credit of the country
was dishonored. and when the party came
back in 1893 1t found the country at the
high water mark of human prosperity In
the fourteen months of administration of
complete and executive power, democratic
craftsmanship and the dread of democratic
| craftsmanship had had their full effect.
The workman had left the mill for the high
way. The farmer and the merchant and the
ma m fo of xurar oil Tha
craftsmanship that lighted the furnaces had
been succeeded by the craftsmanship that
builds soup houses. .c
Founded Upon No Principle.
This BILL he said, '1s founded upon no
principle and has no legitimate parentage
1t Is born of an unnatural union between
| two hatreds, that OF section against section
| and that of class against class. The pres
ent bill was not free trade measure" con-
| tinued the Senator. 1T contained clauses
In the highest degree protective. inserted for
the undisguised purpose of buying votes 1t
was not protective measure, either mod
crate or extreme. There was not a scrap Of
good-hearted Americanism in the bill" Mr..
Hoar said there were eight democratic Sena-
tors representing great northern constlt-
| uencies interested in the continuance of the
protective system. Five of them represent
ed states that have recently declared un-
mistakably in the elections and now have
legislatures holding to the doctrine of pro-
lection by large nIajorities. These five
Senators said that they did not Spprove the
their Sh, 0stSIs s tssiS defended Oxa
wishes not to the opinion OF the American
people. but to the opinion Of a majority of
democratic subcommittee. la-.s~ -. L.
There is.' said Mr.. Hoar, "a large ma
| jority of democratic Senator's on the floor
who ayow the doctrine that duties for pro-
lection are a gross violation OF the Consti-
tuition itself. And yet they bring 10 us a
bill crowded with protective duties and tell
US that they are prepared to commit this
perjury and to be accomplces in this revo-
luton because they think their measure
! taken as whole Is better than existing
law. or because they think this revolution
| and perjury are necessary to buy votes for
| measure that can not otherwise be pass
ed. 1 should like" said the Senator, ito
hear some of these honorable Senator's tell
us how II Is that IL a tariff of 80 per cent
ad valorem on manufactured woolens be
| unconstitutional and robbery how q
and just"
There was thing about the 90 per
| cent protective duty on rice which show
ed the sectional and one-sided charac-
| ter of the bill. Senator Hoar said:
Raising rice Is an exclusively southern
| Industry. Cleaning rice is done i'm the
rorth. largely in New York and San Fran
cisco. The rice milling and grinding in
dustry, and the machinery which it uses, is
| a northern interest. So this beautiful bill
| which puts upon rice cleaned 1 1-2 cents
| a pound, and upon uncleaned rice 1 cent a
| pound, gives to rice Hour and rice meal but
one-fourth of 4 cent protection. They put
$S0O0O.0OO duty upon the poor mans sugar
clearly. a tax. They put $22OOO,0OO more
upon his shirts, equal to 80 per cent ad
valorem; also clearly tax for protection
| only"
Respecting what he held would be the
nfrnrt of 'ra massage of the bill on the peo-
pie engaged in manufacturing Industries, the
| Senator said substantially:
This bill, which means murder to some
parts OF the country, means crucifxion to
New England. There are nearly 5.OO0OOO
men and women employed as wage earners
| in manufacturing industries in this country.
believe that the best authorities agree that
each Of the earners Of wages In the factories
| supports directly or indirectly at least five
people.
| Now. what are these people to do? You
propose to increase your importations by at
/ least 5000, 100000. So the men who make
this 500. 100000 worth Of products in the
United States are to be thrown out of that
employment. Out Of this production from
30 per cent to 00 per cent is labor. If you
import S20O.0OO,OO0 worth from abroad Of
manufactures which otherwise would be
made here, the one hundred and eighty or
one hundred and ninety millions now
paid in wages must cease to be paid
for the work now done here, but hereafter
| to be performed abroad. These men must
engage In other occupations or must be idle.
Observe that in this suggestion am taking
no account of the manufacture which Is to
| be continued here, but under reduced wages.
| Now, in what work are these $3.50, 0,0OO,OOO
worth of workmen hereafter to engage? 1t
seems to me we are entitled to some more
precise and practical answer than any that
| has been given, either from a professor or
a Senator's chair. before We be called upon
to enact this proposed measure Of yours into
| law"
The Senator then went on to argue that
there are four things which come from pro-
| lection, viz, high wages, national inde-
pendence. varied employment and a stimu-
liant to inventive faculty.
PROF. MENDENHALDs OFFER.