Middletown transcript., 1896-09-26
MDDLETowN. DEL. SEPT. %. 1896

MDDLEToWN. DEL. SEPT. %, 1896
PROTECTION AND WHEAT AND
SILVER.
In our issue Of the 18th inst. we
stated that In 81 years, or from 1865 to
1898, the government had paid of its
public debt 81. .747, ,3O1. 1878, or an
average Of sixty-five millions a year;
that in the past three years there has
been no payment on the public debt but
that the debt has been increased $685.
329, $50, or an average increase of
eighty-seyen millions year. At this
rate it would take only 20 years to opnt
the debt back to where it was at the
close of the war. We think there is
something wrong TO cause this. In our
opinion the wrong was in the blow
struck at protection in 1892 when pro-
lection was declared fraud and a
robbery by the Democratic National
Convention and the manufacturers
were accused of having their hands in
the pockets Of their employees up to
their elbows. The Democratic candid
ates were elected and at once the shard
times" began. We invited an answer
from our Delaware editors, and an ex-
PLANTATION why such condition of af-
fairs exists if it is not due to the
change in tariff. None of them have
answered, but the Record" of Perry
vile and Farmer, who is recognized
as one of the best informed citizens of
the community, have offered some criti-
cisms which we shall notice. The
Record" says:
sThe "Record'' has several times
pointed out how utterly incompatible
and contradictory the policies of pro-
lection and revenue are. The very fact
that protective tariff should produce
q revenue absolutely defeats the pur-
pose for which it was enacted, namely
the prohibiting or diminishing of inn
ports of competitive goods, for duties
on any other goods have no feature of
protection about them whatever"
If protection prohibits then is the
Records" view correct and not other
wise. The fact that during thirty
years of Republican rule the govern
ment raised arevenue by tariff duties
under protective system which the
Democracy Of 1892 denounced as high
protection and with the proceeds met
the government expenses and paid
three-fourths of the national debt,
answers the ridiculous position as
sumed by the Record" A protective
tariff may produce revenue and not
defeat the purpose for which it was
enacted, which is not prohibitive but
that the employees of our mills shall not
be brought into direct competition
with the wages paid in other countries.
Protection adds the tariff duty to the
pauper wages of Europe and thereby
our manufacturers can pay better
wages for the home made article with
out shutting out all competition.
The "Record" continues:
tIf the Transcript can show that the
tariff laws from 1865-93 were p1otec-
tive, and that they were the source of
revenue by which the national debt
was decreased it will then show that
the same laws absolutely defeated the
very purpose for which they were en-
acted, namely protection.
The Democrats have said for years
that our tariff laws were protective
ard We refer to their national platforms
to confirm the matter. If the tariff
did not produce the revenue to pay the
government expenses and to pay the
national debt whence came the funds2
Protection does rot mean to prohibit
Importation, hence it doss not defeat
itself as the Record" claims.
The ''Record" wants to know why
we did not enter into an explanation
of the Cleveland policy in selling the
bonds to maintain the public credit,
which by implication the editor SO Wig
orously condemns, presumably because
that policy is not in accord with the
newly accepted silver ideas. The
TRANSCRIPT at the time the bonds
were sold made criticism by which it
still stands. Possibly the "Record"
then endorsed the financial policy Of
Mr.. Carlisle, we do not know, but if
1t wants the chestnuts then pull them
out Of the fire.
"Farmer'' asks, sis it exceedingly
just to hold the Wilson Tariff law
which did not 60 into operation until
August, 1894, and then only in part,
responsible to the starvation of 1S942"
We answer yes, most emphatically.
The threats made against the Repub-
lican policy of protection and reciproc-
ity by the the Democrats in the CAM
paign Of 1892 when they won full con-
troll of all branches Of the government,
was guarantee for the passage of the
Wilson Tariff bill, which in effect be-
gan to 60 into operation the morning
after Cleveland's election. Business
men believe that the partv would re-
deem its pledges promising to strike
down protection. It is well known
that large factories figure on goods
and stock which on the average do not
get on the market for twelve months.
The prudent business man asked where
q revision Of the tariff would place
him; he could nottell but he began to
gather in the sails against the storm
that threatened him. The Democrat in
hfisiness was uot less nrudhnt than hia