Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-10-31


good men remained, trying to believe
that party which had done such
noble work in the past must still be
or become the party of grogress. But,
alas! the only platform upon which
the Republican party retains its adj
herents is the protective policy. 1t
has no other battle cry upon which its
office-speakers can muster its ranks
We invite our Republican friends to
read over carefully and calmly the
speeches of their politicians and see
in them how little there is Of argu-
ment, how much of abuse, how much
of prating and little following of the
accomplishments of truer standard
bearers of the generation which has
passed on.
They sum up the blessings which
providence has bestowed upon the
land and say 1--WE did it," 1t reminds
me Of the old man crawling out of the
loft after his wife had killed the bear
and telling the neighbors "Me and
Betty, we killed the bar" just for
an illustration let me cite the late Mr..
Blaine's claim that the Republican
party took the country with $1,000
100000 of wealth and increased it to
s44 ,000,0 100000. Alas for the claim!
In another speech, for different pur-
pose, he spoke Of England's gain in
wealth, and upon looking over the
figures it transpires that England
while gaining 40 per cent in popu-
latioD increased her wealth per head
pa per cent. While under the pro-
tective policy of the Republican party
the United States, while gaining 60
per cent in population, increased her
wealth per head only 100 per cent.
That is a fair illustration Of the as
Of the Republican politician.
Having no statistics to base argu-
ments upon, he rarely stoops to array
them, and when he does he assumes
that they will be swallowed as argu-
nents for the old machine.
When politician tells you the bad
lines are occasioned by the Democratic
government, and you ask him why he
links so, he will answer, after the
manner but not thewisd0m of the
Yankee, What else makes them?"
Now, instead of being staggered by
uch weak InsinuatiOns, 90 and study
he census statistics and learn that it
5 for less than 8 per cent Of the peo-
Die of the United States that protec-
ion is invoked. Just think over the
Industries of this country and look
,ver the tariff schedules. Lawyers,
loctors, all professional and personal
ervice men, traders, sailors, railroad
builders of every kind, the
majority of mechanical industries,
learly all agricultural pursuits none
If these are protected or ask to be.
per cent of the people
axed to profit 8 per cent. And of
hat s per cent you are asked to pro-
ect, do you think the majority, who
re the workers, are protected? Far
rom it. The statistics will again
how that in the industries which are
Protected the average wages are lower
han in those unprotected. And again,
he articles manufactured by that s
er cent are in many cases the raw
laterials of other manufacturers, thus
Prohibiting them from engaging in the
xport of their products. How can
lothing manufactures export cloth
~ when the wool and wOolens from
eing taxed cost more than the raw
took of his foreign competitor? How
an shoe manufacturer expect shoes
lade of skins which are taxed sixty
ents apiece, when his English COM
etitor has no such added cost?
1t is for such reasons, thus suggested, |
arried out into many lines, that our
xports of manufactured goods are so
nall. Only I2l per cent of our ex-
orts are manufactured goods; the
Their 81 per cent being natural pro- I
ucts. And our shipping that car {
les these exports has decreased to one ,
fth its former capacity, while the pop
lation has doubled. So one interest