Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1894-03-30
NOT DISCUSSING RATES.
But the Tariff Policy of the Count,
Should Remain Protective.

Should Remain Protective.
am not here to discuss tariff rates or
schedules These are subject to change
up or down, as new conditions require it;
but my insistence is that these changes
must ever be governed by the protective
principle, and within that principle rates
may be, should be and will be amended as
time, new processes of manufacture and
changed commercial conditions require;
but they must not fall below rate which
will adequately measure the difference be-
tween the American scale of wages and
that of competing countries, and must
always be in favor of the labor of our own
country and the home market for our
people. The principles upon which they
were made are not subject to amendment.
The tariff policy of this country must be
protective. That is what we contend for
that is what the American people mean to
have
During the Harrison Administration.
The pretext for the proposed bill is not
to raise more revenue. The declaration of
lts.author and the house committee is that
1t Will reduce the revenue. The same eff
Tort at tariff reduction has been repeat
edly made in the past when we had sur
plus revenue in the treasury. The present
law was adequate to meet all the expenses
OF the government. and did meet them for
the first two and half years of it's opera
. ton. During no year of President Harri-
sons administration did the receipts fall
below the expenses of the government, and
when President Harrison went out of
power, while his administration had paid
= off more than sa9eEs 600 Of The principal
and interest of the national debt, yet he
turned over to the administration which
succeeded him a surplus IF upward of
S1A,O00,000, including the reserve fund,
which, under the 'Republican policy had
never been encroached upon.
A Difference of Tariff Schools.
The advocates of tariff taxation are di,
vided into two schools Both schools be-
ieve in raising public money by tariff,
and only differ as to the kind of tariff to
accomplish this purpose. One school, the
Democratic school, advocates tariff for
, revenue only; the other, the Republican
school, advocates a tariff for revenue and
also protection. A revenue tariff has no
other aim or purpose and disclaims every
other save revenue. A protective tariff,
while raising all needed revenue, is ever
|; mindful that the taxes imposed shall be
upon those foreign products which will
most encourage domestic production and
rest most lightly upon the consumer.
The revenue tariff is unmindful of
the development and prosperity of
our country. The protective tariff,
while having revenue and the needs of the
treasury always in view, steadily keeps in
mind our own industries and the occupa-
tions of our own people. A revenue tariff
seeks out articles ofprime necessity, often
such as we can not produce in our coun-
try and makes them the subject of taxa
ton. The senate has just introduced an
amendment to the Wilson bill which is a
striking illustration of a revenue tariff. It
takes sugar, sn article which enters into
every mans household, and which, for the
most part, we do not produce at home,
from the free list and places it upon the
dutiable list. =
= "A revenue tariff will raise revenue for q
time at least, but it is inadequate to en-
courage, promote and protect production
in our own country. Protection seeks out
those articles of foreign production which
we can produce at home and puts tariff
upon them, and while every importation
of such articles produces revenue which
goes into the treasury, it at the same time
Stimulates Domestic Production
and sustains and defends our domestic en-
'terprises. Sc long as we have to use the
taxing power, why not use it in the inter-
est of our own people and their occupa-
tions? What is the gain if we do
put money into the public treasury
under a revenue tariff and thereby
discourage domestic enterprise and
destroy the opportunity for capital and
labor to earn money! Why tax a foreign
article which we cannot produce rather
than one which we can? In the former
latter our tariffs DISCRIMINATE against the
foreign and in fay or Of the home product.
A tariff levied exclusively for revenue en-
/ courages foreign mportations-tha is
what it is made for, and when such a tar
if is levied on articles the like of which
we produce at ho-.1e, is disconrages our
own producers by depriving them of the
home market which justly belongs to them.
a revenue tariff encourages no home en-
terrrises; it supplies employment to
no American sworkingman; 1t takes
employment from him because in the en-
conragement of foreign importation it di-
minishes the demand for American pro.
ducts. To the extent that it diminshes the
demand for american products, it dimin-
lshes the demand for the American pro-
ducer. The use Of a foreign article, which
Democratic revenue tariff encourages,
means less use or no use Of a like domestic
article. So long as labor is cheaper in
Europe and conditions are lower there
than here, free trade or revenue tariff
upon competing goods tends either to de:
stroy domestic production or to level Labor
and every other condition to the foreign
standard
An Enemy 60 American Prosptr ity.
s. a revenue tariff is an enemy to the Am.
erlcan shop, the american Workingman,
20 American prosperity, and American in
dustrlal independence 1t has not single
element of patrio It has no national
spirit Or instinct. TO supply the needs Of
the treasury is its chief and exclusive
concern It has no other. It is 3
sure precursor to national poy.
erty, national bankruptcy and in
dlvldual distress It is the; forerunner
OF hard times. 1t is without a single
Worthy triumph The years in which It
mas been tried in the United States excite
nelther our respect noE pride. It has fur.
nlsneds no inspiring page in our history.
us record has been one Of deficient rev
enues. Greater bonded Indebtedness aud
universal want alnoa,g the pe ople.
1ssJ, q rhinIi I'M
The pfeyailin idespread distress ern,ha-
MS the nesesait Ia emf htened public pol
/ ~ and Mase Mn Tho fndiffer.
! enc TING q has tcc III many