The Coconino weekly sun., 1895-09-19
ONE YEARS TRIAL.
What Has Been Accomplished by the
Democratic Tariff.

The most important OF oil its provis-
ions, the radical change in duties on
wooden goods, did not take effect until
eight months ago. But most Americans
have had time enough to determine
from personal experience how far the
change has helped them. It Is o ques-
ton they cannot answer, as by this
time they have learned without look.
ing about to see how it has affected
their neighbors, for it is the corner
stone of the protective policy that
genuine and lasting prosperity cannot
be realized by any class or body Of peo-
pie, if thereby the rest are impover-
ishcd or degraded. The free trade
policy, essentially selfish in its blind
individualism, puts out of mind the
question whether industries will be de-
stroyed or depressed, whether works
will be closed and American workers
driven from employment, and seeks
only the satisfaction of personal wants
at the lowest cost.
We have not had experience of that
policy, nor of any consistent approach
to it. But enough Of change as to
many important industries has been
made to give the people practical ex-
perience of its effects. So great has
been the depression of industries
that defenders of the new tariff would
one and all nngrily protest if the vol
ume of business during the past year,
or the production of industries, or the
earnings of labor for the year. should
be compared with those Of any previous
year of prosperity. They would de-
clare it unfair to take the past year rs
u whole, when there has been improve
Eent toward the close. It is equally
unfair to take for comparison only the
past few months of recuperation, since
it was settled that no further change of
tariff would be made by democrats,
and that the republicans would here
after control the work. But yet, TAX
ing the best results attained since
democratic defeat brought this re-
covery as measure of the improve
ment made possible by that defeat,
and assuming that these best results
will be maintained in the future, what
do the people think about it?
They have seen a great many idle
works started again since democrat
ic congress adjourned. But they also
see in every county and almost every
town many others which are still idle.
1t is not a matter about which COM
plete statistical accounts are possible,
but it is known to every voter and
every business man what the facts are
within his own personal observation.
Not only are many establishments
idle, their former hands having been
forced to seek a livelihood in other oc-
equations, but of those in operation
comparatively few are yet working
full time with full force. 1t is q cause
of glad rejoicing, and the good news
is quickly sent by wire all over the
land, when this or that establishment
finds its business sufficient to warrant
working as many hours and with rs
many hands as in prosperous years.
How far recovery has advanced, taking
all kinds of business together, may
perhaps be inferred by the pay
ments through clearing houses, which
in August, with unusually large de-
ferred settlements from previous
months because Of the great delay last
spring, and with extraordinary spccu-
lation in progress here and at the
west. were nevertheless nine per cent.
smaller than in 1892.
Another fact of which people will
judge from their personal knowledge
is that the wages of labor and the
profits of business are not what they
were in days of prosperity. That
something like half a million of work.
ers have received some advance in
wages since the time of greatest de-
preston is most cheering, and yet
everybody knows that within his per-
sonal acquaintance most wage-earners
are still receiving less than they used
to receive. The great strikes in
wooden and carpet mills which have
failed, the strikes of iron miners and
of clothing workers. and the threat
ened strike of cotton workers, with
many others of less Importance, all
bear witness to the same fact that
labor is yet receiving much less than
in 1892, before the country chose to
have change" If the twenty mil
lion wage-earpers cannot earn as much
money as they used to earn, neither
can they spend rs much, and thus
some shrinkage in the volume of bust
ness is unavoidably felt even by those
whose conditions are most fortunate
Nor will merchants or manufacturers
hesitate to admit that their profits in
almost every branch Of business have
also been cut down.
These are the facts which will
govern the actiop of intelligent voters
in great number. They were promised
better times If they would give the
democratic party a trial and see the
practical results. They have tried IL
a year, and it may be seriously doubted
whether one man in n hundred, in any
part of the country, imagines that he
has been benefited by it in the least.
But there are millions who know that
they have been injured. Y. Tribune.
rB Senator Brice, in his speech to
the Ohio democratic conven ton,
seemed to think it was necessary to
make some remarks that would assure
tha dalepa tas of the hi uh uualitv of his