Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-04-16
SOME FoLLIEs OF PROTECTION.

| To The Iowa County Democrat.
| With the real aim and meaning of
protective tariff uncovered to the
intelligence and conscience Of the
American people, how long do you
thinS the clamor Of monopoly and
corruption which is raised in its de-
Tense would stay the wrath of an out
ragged people? Not long | promise
you, nor in that struggle would the
people need a shield if armed with the
truth found in reports distributed free
by the general government.
And nobody knows this better or
fears the result more than the men
who are misleading and confusing the
people with such wrangle bangle as
the following from The Whitewater
Register
In spite of the hard times and curtailcd
ability Of the American people to buy they
have purchased Sl2J, O00, 900 of foreign pro-
ducts the past year, which under the Mcliin-
ley bill they would have bought AT home.
The Wilson bill let the goods in at pauper
rates which the American manufacturers
could not compete with SO they put out
their fires and their workmen walk around
with their hands in their pockets, and see
the goods unlOadcd from European ships
Which used to be taken from the doors Of
American factories and warehouses to sup
ply American markets.
OF course the citizens of the United
States need TO be guided and guarded
in what they buy and where they buy
1t by 5 gang of partisan editors. The
people are not capable of attending to
their own business in their own way.
No, certainly not, we would hear less
Of protection" if we could be trusted
to tend to our own affairs.
This assumption that we require the
supervision of congress over our daily
business is an insult to the intelligence
Of the American people, which some
day we will have the gOod sense and
courage to resent. But that assump-
ton is as necessary to uphold pro
tecIve tariff as is the worship Of idols
TO the religion of the yellow race.
According to The Register, these
many years Of high tariffs have failed
after all to establish on paying basis
the American factories or to secure
employment to the American work
men, for at the smallest reduction of
the tariff "they put out their fires and
their Workmen walk around with their
hands in their pockets
The impression which The Register
seeks to lodge in the readers mind by
saying "The American people pur-
chased $l25,000,00O Of foreign pro
ducts the past year which under the
Mckinley bill they would have bought
at home" is, that such should be, and
actually was the practice when the
Mckinley law was in force. That in
some way the Wilson law compelled
them to buy foreign products. Well,
we have had one fiscal year of the
Wilson law, 1895; we had three fiscal
years of the Mckinley law, 1892 3 /.
During the life Of the Mckinley law
the people bought foreign products for
consumption, the astonished sum of
81, 294 100000 or an average each year
of $9iO00,OOO more than they bought
during the one year of the Wilson
law page 2i1, Statistical Abstract
1898. 50 The Register is not within
speaking distance Of the truth. 1t
has not been Il matter Of wonder that
the present administration has been
cramped for means to run the govern
ment when the last year, 1894, of the
Mckinley law failed to furnish by
500, enough revenue to meet
expenses pages p and -, Statistical
Abstract 1895. There was also during
the three Mckinley years more gold
and silver coin and bullion drawn out
OF Che country for shipment abroad
than during any other three sue.
cessiye years Of United states History
pages so, 81 same Abstract
No protective tariff has prevented
our people from obtaining foreign pro
ducts. Many Of the products and
much Of the materials used in manu-
featuring is not and cannot be found
or produced here, hence it is imported.
Many American products made from
domestic materials are so worthless
that forcign-made goods even with 4
heavy tax on them are preferred.
An the Mckinley law with its high
| r,,,,i,,,, ,,r,,l,,nts ,li1 oil that