The morning call., 1894-09-15

regions
OF Pennsylvania, in the most highly protected
Industries in the United States, this fact has
been for many years most painfully apparent
and Congressional Investigations have demon.
strated the utter inability of the laborers in
those protected industries TO secure auy of the
advantages which the tariff gave 10 their en-
plOyers, or rather to the monopolists who con-
troll the sources of coal and iron production
So universally is the economic truth that pro-
Ieetive tariff does not Of itself secure any adj
vantage to labor employed in the protected in
dustry, that the leading Republicans in the
House of Representatives expressly admitted
this In the debate on the present tariff bill, and
declared that in order 10 share the advantages
which the protective tariff gives TO employers,
laborers must rely upon the power OF their
trades unions 10 force the payment OF wages
corresponding with those advantages. 1t is
therefore now conceded by the Republican
party, unless they still claim that the foreigner
pays the tarif tax, that while the laborers Of
this country are Durdened by The protective
tarlt levied upon all articles Of their consump-
tion, they cannot secure TO themselves any of
the advantages resulting 10 the protected mo
nOpolsts who control their production except
by constant warfare through labor organIZa-
tons. The protection TO American labor. there
lore. which for thirty years proceeded upon the
other theory, was a Republican mistake now
confessed.
The distinguished gentleman whose name
neadS the Republican ticket in this State, Hon.
Nj. M. Eslee. Is going about the country telling
the farmers that he new tariff bill has Sacri-
need their interests by reducing the tariff on
farm products, thus deprvng them of the
benefits OF the protective system. Mr.. Estee is
evidently delivering one of his old speeches
pre- pared before the adoption of the present
Republican ate platform; that platform, as
tardy concession 10 the eternal truth, ex-
pressly admits that protective tariff can never
be OF any advantage 10 the producers of farm
products, of whicE this country yields and in
the nature OF things must yield large surplus
over the Demand for the consumption at home,
ana as Tie surplus must be shipped 10 the
worlds market and sold there the price CT the
surplus, less the cost OF transportation 10 the
worlds market, must always be the price of the
commodity III the home market. 1t is a sutfi-
Gent answer to Mr.. Estee's argument to cite
The platform upon which lie Is running. For the
purpose OF overcoming this failure of the pro-
tective tariff to protect the farmer, the Re-
publcanS now propose 10 make all other citi-
Zeps OF this country contribute aims to the
farmer in the shape of an export bounty upon
farm products sufficient 10 pay the cost OF
transportation TO the worlds market. What a
shameful confession of thirty years duplcity
and deceit practlced upon the farmer is IN
VOWED in this declaration of the Republican
State platform; for thirty years the Republic
can party has been telling the farmer that he
was getting his share of the adYan-
tageS of the protective system by means
of the building up and extension OF his home
market through the enforced locazaUon of
other enterprises in this country which would
not be profitable but Tor the tariff tax levied
for their support. And now the farmer is told
that this was another Republican mistake; that
the tariff cannot give any such advantage TO
the American farmer; bat the American farm
er has been fooled for thirty years, until half
the farmers OF The country have been reduced
from condition of independence to 4 cOndi.
tiGn of tenancy, and half Of the remainder have
been so oppressed and piundered that in spite
OF their unceasing toll their homes and farms
are m0rtgaged beyond the hope of redemption.
ana Will not be done with il until they have
been completely stripped Of their unjust priVi-
leges
If the Democratic tariff bill. Notwithstanding
its 20 per cent reduction upon the Mckinley
schedules and its extension OF the free list is so
satisfactory that the Republican party dare not
propose to restore the Mckinley duties but are
willing TO accept il without further tinkeriug,
what earthly occasion IS there for restoring the
Republican party to power? If their only eX-
cuse for national existence now is their desire
to protect the Democratic tariff bin from mutt.
lation by the Democrats who made it, would it
not be as we'll 10 leave that task 10 those who
ject the Republican cOnserVators of Demo
cratic legislation to the awful temptation OF
undertaking again to build up the trusts and
restore the share of power of which the Demo
Gratis have already stripped them?
Before leaving the Republican platform-that
marvellous combination of "isms' for which
the Republican party has yer stood before-I
cannot refrain from giving them piece of MIS-
lOrical Information. Zante eurrants were not
Department, as declared in that bundle Of in.
accuracies, but were expressly put on the free
list by the terms of the Mckinley bill.
MI. Estee is devoting a great deal of his time
10 a defense Of the common-schOol system of
this country. as il the integrity Of that great
institution were an issue in the present cam.
paign. Why he should devote so much OF his
valuable time 10 the discussion Of that question,
which is not in issue. L am quite unable to
imagine, unless it be that the discussion OF
questions not In issue the better enables him TO
avoid the discussion of woman suffrage, bounty
10 farmers, the treasury ruling on Zante cur
rants and other startling plankS of the Republic
can platform.
The public school system of this country is in
no danger from any party or from any source
it is not merely an educational system-t Is
one of the grand fundamental institutions of
this cnuntry-it is the greatest and most pow
erful of all the means of rendering the citizen
ship of this country homogeneous and truly
American; 1t is the institution that has assim-
Hated all the Municipalities that had poured into
this great country during the whole period of
its existence, and has made all the types Of for
eign immigrants truly and distnctively Amer
lean Ia the second generation; il is the greatest
of all cOnservators of that other grand prin-
ciple to which all the institutions of this couu-
try are sacredy devOted-the civil and religious
liberty Of every man, woman and child within
our borders; it was born and reared and had
wrought mighty influence upon the thought
and destiny OF the nation before the Republican
party was born and it will live when the Re
publican party will be forgotten or remembered
only as the party in power when under the
leadership OF the immortal Lincoln the institu'
ton of human slavery was finally abolished in
this country.
The civil and religious liberty of which. as
have said, our common school system is the
greatest cOnServator. cannot be too clearly ap-
pretended nor 700 often called 10 the minds
of our feIlOw-citizeDs. We are too likely to
underestimate the difference between the re-
ligiOus liberty for which this country stands
and the mere religious liberation of some OF
the older countries. from which the founders OF
our institutions fed in otder TO enjoy the splen
did boon OF real liberty TO worship Goo accord
ing TO their varying beliefs. In this land there
is no more sacrt right OF citizenship than that
OF being absolutely free in matters OF religious
thought and worship and teaching. Here eiti-
IL