The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-24
INDUSTRY MENACED.
bRoTEcTIONISTS THREATEN FREE
RAW MATERIALS.

A Return to the High Tariff Policy Of
Reed and Mckinley would BE Serious
Blow to Manufacturers and workingmen.
industrial Peace Must BE Maintained.
As evidence Of the danger threatened
American man IfaCtureTs and working
pen by agitation against the new tariff
the official returns Of trade show that
the imports of free raw materials of in
dustry in the seven months ended in
July announced in value to SlO5, l22, ,554
against $G2, 277 39o in the correspond
ing period Of 1894, says the Philadelphia
Record. This enormous increase in the
imports Of the crude materials Of manu-
factures bears emphatic testimony to
the rapid growth Of American indus
tries in the new era Of freedom that is
opened TO them. These raw materials
consist Of wool, hides, hemp, fax, jute,
wood and many other articles which
cannot be obtained i'm sufficient abun-
dance in this country. When duties are
imposed on them, as in the Mckinley
tariff, their importation is obstructed,
and American manufactures consequent
ly languish.
While the threats Of the protectionists
are mainly directed against free wool,
their policy threatens all free raw ma
terials. There is as much reason for inn
posing high protective duties on hides,
skius, fax, hemp, lumber, etc, as on
wool. 1t is not forgotten that when the
Mckinley tariff was in the committee
on ways and means q majority Of the
Committee proposed 10 put a protective
duty on hides. The chief influence in
favor Of this duty was the great dressed
beef combination in Chicago. But the
angry protests Of the tanners throughout
the country and Of the shoemakers in
Massachusetts, drove the Republicans in
congress from their purpose. Hides
were struck ont Of the bill, and the
duties on wool were heavily increased.
Many sincere protectionists deplored the
inconsistency of a measure that taxed
the raw materials Of the wOolen manu-
facturers and gave the manufacturers OF
leather goods their materials free. These
honest protectionsts could not see why
the hide Of an OK should not be taxed,
as we'll as the wool of a sheep.
If the Republicans obtain sufficient
power to re-enaCt the wool duties, as
they threaten, a consistent policy will
require them 10 restore the duties on
hides, fax, hemp, lumber and all other
raw materials Of American industries
Every protectionist must recognize
that it is rank injustice to single out
the raw material Of the wOolen manu-
facturers and exempt the rest from taxa
uUn. besIues as long as any raw ma
terials remain free they are object les
sons teaching the benefits of free trade
While free wool is openly threatened,
all other free raw materials are cOvertly
menaced in the Republican attacks on
the new tariff Should the followers OF
Governor Mckinley and eX-SpeakeI
Reed ever be permitted to frame another
tariff bill, they will slash the free list as
it never was slaShed before. The manu-
facturers and workiugmen Of the coun'
try whose materials are wool, fiaE,
hemp, jute, hides, wood, dyestutfs,
chemicals, etc, cannot too earnestly
consider the inevitable consequences OF
high tariff reaction. 1t must be evi
dent to these and to all other manufac
turers that their interest in maintaining
the industrial peace is bound up witt
the policy Of the Democratic party.
1uv1rnur CampDeus speech laying
bare the atrocious mismanagement and
corruption of the last Republican legis
lature hit the bosses hard and a how
goes up from them from every part o.
the state