The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-17

dous an aid it has. been to American in
dustries and labor.
1t costs about one million dollars day
to carry on the operations OF this govern
ment and pay its expenditures and obll-
cations. This sum must be raised either
by direct taxation or by duties upon i'm
ports. Direct taxation is keenly felt by
the people; 1t is unpopular and has not
been resorted to except upon pressing ma
tional exigencies 1t has been the policy
OF the Republican party to raise this sum
by taxing the foreign products seeking
market here, ra6her than by taxing do
nestle products. The protective tariff
not only provides this money necessary
for the government expenditures but it
has further the patriotic motive of
strengthening and making independent
Its country and it's people. 1t places du-
ties upon foreign articles imported which
compete with those we produce ourselves
and suffers those which we cannot and
do not produce Quxuries excepted) to en-
ter our ports free. 1t says to the for
eigner, If you want to bring your mer-
cnandise here to compete with ours, you
must pay for this privilege" 1t thus
makes the foreigner pay the revenue and
at the same time encourages and stimu-
lates our own industries and protects our
own laborers.
The protective tariff has enabled our
manufacturers to pay better wages for the
same services than are received elsewhere.
All our laborers in any branch have re-
ceived higher pay than in any other ooun-
try. Not only have they been the best
paid, but they have been the best edu-
Gated, the most independent. and the
best citizens of the laboring classes
throughout the world.
The Republican party in 1892, think,
said: I'VE believe that all articles which
cannot be produced in the United States,
except luxuries, should be admitted free
OF duty, and that on all imports coming
into competition with the products of
American labor, there should be duties
levied equal to the difference between
wages abroad and at home" That was
good principle then, and 1t seems to me
SO now.
Protection stands for q great principle,
clear aEo plnin. 1t is duty Of nation
to develop all this resources, to encourage
it's own Industries, to protect its own Ia
bori to make itself independents rather
than to limit its possible great achieve
ments and to build up its alien Compel
ing countries. Protection does not en-
courage monopolies for it stimulates
home competition. 1t does not benefit
one class of labor at the expense Of anoth-
er, for 1T endeavors to provide employ
ment for all. 1t strikes no blow at
commerce, for 1t stimulates internal
comm cree when it develops Its resources
and it increases foreign commerce when,
through their increased skill, it's people
are able to supply other countries with
the product of their labor. 1t cultivates
the spirit of patriotism and love of coun-
try, and makes every American proud of
his citizenship and the prosperity of his
country.
Protection Is nothing new. Washing
ton, Adams, franklin and others, were
portectionists. A petition presented the
first Congress i'm March, 1889, before
Washington was inaugurated, came from
hundreds of citizens of the town of Balti-
more asking that Congress would make
the country independent in fact as we'll
as in name" by imposing protective du-
ties on foreign manufacturers. Similar
petitions came from cities from Boston
to Charleston, and Mr.. Madison intro
duced in the House of Representatives a
bill for this purpose. That bill was the
first act of general legislation under the
new constitution of the United States
and it became law by the signature of
Washington on the 4th day Of July, 1889.
Two years later, on December 9th, 1871,
Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the
Treasury. asked of Congress further pro-
lection for American industry, and
further legislation followed his recon-
mendation. From that time down to the
passage of the Mckinley bill, laws have
freq uently been passed in the line of pro-
lection.
Under the protective system SO we'll
provided by the Republican party in 1898,
when the Democratic party last went
into power the United States had become
prosperous beyond the most sanguine ex.
pectations In 1861, when the Democrat
ic party went out of power, our total
wealth was SIG, 900, 900, 600 In 1898,
R.anI1hliRan T1ar INC mi r~f
power, our total wealth was more than
$50, 900, 900. 600. The year 1892. says Dun's
Review of Trade, "hRs been the most
prosperous ever known in business
In the year 1898 the Republican party
went out of power willis the wheels of in
dustry were steadily turning and the
laborer had plenty of employment. The
of free tarde, came in. Confidence was
shaken: the wheels of industry stopped;
hundreds of thousands of workingmen
were thrown out Of employment; Coxey's
army invaded Washington; mills shut
down; banks failed; railroads went into
the hands of receivers, and depression
followed which called to mind the disas-
trous panic of 1875.
In the year. 1894 tine Wilson German
Tariff Act was passed which has been
rightly named "a tariff for deficiency"
Scarcely month has elapsed since it be-
came law in which the receipts of the
government have equalled its expendi-
lures and the government was obliged TO
do that which it never has done before
since the days of James Buchanan,
namely. borrow money to pay it's run
ming expenses in the time of peace.
During the administration of Presi
dent Harrison in the years $780, 1891,
1892, 1893, the interest bearing debt rest
ing upon the country was reduced about
$3.50, 600, 600. Thus far, during the al
of President Cleveland in
the years 1894, 1866, this debt has not
been reduced one cent. And still more:
Under the administration of President
Harrison in the years 1890, 1891, 1899,
1893, the government borrowed not one
cent. Thus far, under the Cleveland
administration, in the years 1894, 1895,
1896, the government has borrowed over
$3.50, 900. 600, which, with the interest
accruing Ethereon, will amount more
than S500s0O0, 00O What luxury this
Democratic administration isl
3 To bring succor and relief in these
times of distress and avoid the necessities
Of these loans, the Republican party.
with Its majority in the House of Repre-
sentatives met the free trade Democracy
more than half way and passed bill,
but the DemOcraticc Senators iOiped the