Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-01-25
COCHRAN ON THE TARIFF.
. New York Statesman Exposes Some
Republican Fallacies

n ~SS" AoAA SG8te8m8n Exposes Nome
Republican Fallacies.
;. In the debate on the tariff bill in
the house on Friday, January IL. w.
Burke Cochran, of New York, pre-
Scented his views on the proposed re-
form, the leading points of which are
here given.
Mr.. Cochran said he had consented
to speak partly because he did
not believe he would retard the pas
sage Of the bill by SO doing and partly
IN the hope that some of his remarks
might lead to some counter assertions
from the republicans Objection had
been made to the bill on the ground
that it would not raise enough reve-
nue. for the use of the government
The objection presupposes that the re-
duction of tariff rates means a reduc-
ton of tariff receipts. If he believed
that this bull would reduce the revenue
he would not support it. He believed,
on the contrary, that the revenue
would be increased by decreasing
the tariff, and his belief was
based on the experience of all
the civilized nations of the world.
referring to that free trade nation, par
excellence, Great Britain, he showed
that the revenues of that country had
been materially increased since the ex-
tension of the free list The dutiable
list in England has been steadily de-
creaslng and now contains only about
six articles, as it was found that a
larger list was not needed for the sup
port of the government, and the income
from those six articles was greater
than when the list contained hundreds
of thousands of articles. The breaking
down of the old barriers to the free
exercise of the skill and industry of a
nation was of equal value to the dis
covery of a new and better element of
nature. the opening of new continent,
the birth of a new nation.
1t had been said that the reduction
of the tariff would paralyze trade and
destroy the industries of the country.
He denied it; on the contrary, he as
serted that it would increase trade,
would increase consumption, enlarge
our markets and would not only in
crease the revenues of the government,
but would also increase the opportuni-
ties of the people to earn the money
they need for existence.
He showed that the burdens of tariff
taxation eat deeper into the roots of
industry and bear more heavily on the
people than appeared on the surface.
For every dollar which went into the
treasury from the collection of tariff
taxes hundreds of dollars were col
lected by the processes of consrmp-
ton and trade throughout the country.
The tariff granted to 4 few protected
individuals letters of marque to prey
on the industry and commerce of their
fellows
I'm custom house arithmetic two and two do
rot alwayc make four, but sometimes only one.
This reduction Of the tariff laws which was
about TO be accomplished, would operate to so
increase the revenues Of the government that
the treasury would soon again be in the con-
dition in which the democratic party left II in
1889, and the chief trouble would become the
question OF how to dispose OF the surplus which
would accumulate.
"Now. we have heard great deal of protec-
ton: it is a word we thoroughly familiar
with But what is protection in the concrete:
A gentleman on the other side (Mr. DalzelD
had declared that the time would come when
the country would have protection If we have
not got protection now, then what Is pro-
lection: Have not got it now? Is not the
Mckinley bill protection in all its perfec ton :
Then what is the tariff? The republicans
seem TO think that 1t is something sacred,
something mystic, something wonderful, some
or spoken of except with bated breath 1t is
like the ark Of the covenant of old, which 1t was
sacrilege to look upon and death to touch
And the mystic tarif went triumphantly
through the election OF 1889 and the democrats
who were bold enough to discuss it were sent
into the cold shades of 1.-The opposition" But
is the arif law of 1892 the largest and fnal
iewe in the crown Of protection? Are we to
assume that now at last we have protection"
Or is there to be another advance in the life of
protection? Is the wall TO be built still high
er: / do not know whether we have protection
now in its fullest sense or whether you gentle
men on the republican side are only started
on your tariff career and will ultimately give
US tariff law which will give home
market where our wants will bc supplied by
trusts and by the favored monopolist under
the tariff
Are we to be told that the further we pro-
gress in wrestling the secrets Of nature and OBJ
tanning control, for our industrial purs
even Of the elements themselves that when
We can harness up the lightning to do the work
of commerce, and when we can use forces
which Tin operation to-day transcend in power
the very miracles with which Moses sought to
convince Pharaoh of the divine mission with
which he was charged: are We now to confess,
I say that our possession OF those powers and
advantages Of this march along the line of civ
ilization makes us helpless as against a lower
level Of civilization
.'Sir barbarism has prevailed against civil
zatfon, when barbarism used the weapons OF
brute force: but in economic contests, the high
er the level of civilization the more sure the re-
suit of the contest And because we, in this
country are the most civilized people that the
world has ever seen, because we have reached
the highest level Of civilization Of which the
human mind ever dreamed. we are for that
reason and for that reason only charged with
the highest purpose Of effecting the Industrial
and economical conquest of the whole world
Quoting approvingly sentence from
David Hume. Mr.. Cochran said:
Like him. pray for the commercial success
and prosperity Of the sons Of men wherever
they are I believe that the children Of Adam.
whom Christ died to save, are all our brethren.
and that the mission Of the republic Is to .ele-
waite all OF them"
Mr.. Cochran went on to argue that
as an individual should confine himself
to the business that was within his
practical capacity, SO also a people
should confine itself to those industries
which it can carry on adpantageously.
The protectionists seemed to believe
that the condition of the laborer was
best when he was confined to one job.
But" he said, ''the condition OF the
laborer is best when he has two jobs
And we believe that if the provisions
of this bill go into effect the country
would begin on a grand march OF
progress, on wise era of prosperity
and usefulness, such as has never be
fore been witnessed. 1t would reach a
position of eminence which it could
never attain until it is realized that its
children are entitled to enjoy its fruits
at the cheapest rates