The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-20
SENATOR CANNON AND SILVER.

said:
II am firm believer in the idea that
free coinage of silver and a protective
tariff belong together. Protection can
! not long stand without free coinage
but I did not believe it best to make
the issue on this bill. This measure,
IN addition to giving some needed pro-
/ lection to the west, which was prac-
! tically left without any under the Viii
son bill, would provide sufficient reve-
nues for the government, and thus
leave the administration without its
| present poor excuse to issue bonds, by
furnishing sufficient revenues and by
cutting off considerable of our impor-
| ta'6ons from abroad With protection
Tor the west. such as this bill would
have afforded, we would be better pre-
pared to stand a long siege in the bat
Tie for silver and for the rights of all
humanity. My conviction is that so
soon as a general tariff bill shall be
proposed on protection lines, if not
! already secured, there should be
coupled with it irrevocaIbly free and
unlimited coinage of silver. To this
end 1 am willing to devote mysef!'
The exclamation point with which
the passage closes is ours. In Mr..
Cannon's explanation as it appeared
in the special dispatch to the Tribune,
the passage closes with a sober period;
but when we think with what utter
abandon Senator Cannon throws him
self at the feet of this cause, we think
it worthy of at least one exclamation
mark
We have heard much one time and
another about protection and free sill
yer going together. We think it is a
remark often found upon the lips Of
Senator Cannon. The point in the
claim is-if there be any point in it at
all-that the advantage which the sill
yer producing section of the country
obtains by free coinage of its silver
product is the measure Of protection"
which that section of the country gets
from the general protective policy IA
vored by the Republican party. That
puts the silver question upon a most
contemplate basis. 1t is a claim we'll
calculated to do injury to the cause
Of free coinage. 1t degrades it from
universal to a sectional question, and,
if true, would stamp the whole silver
cause as an agitation in the interest of
a special industry, instead of one for
the good of all sections and all indus
tries-it would localize that which in
it's character is general. But mischiev-
Gus as this treatment of the silver
question is, let us look at it and see
how it is to be made effective in Sc
curing free silver.
Free coinage being considered part of
the protective policy of the Republi-
can party, it is proposed that the silver
producing section say to the east, the
manufacturing section of the country,
you shall have no more protection for
your factories until you give protection
through free coinage to our mines.
That, 1t is supposed, is the programme
of the Republican silver senators.
That is the meaning of the votes
against the tariff bill on the part of
Messrs. Teller. Dubois, Mantel and
Carter. But Senator Cannon of Utah
was paired against carrying out that
programme, and in his explanation
says that he did not believe it best
to make the issue on this
bill Indeed! When then does
Mr.. Cannon propose to -<nake the
issue? MY conviction" he remarks,
lis that so soon as a general tariff bill
shall be proposed on protection lines,
if not already secured, there should be
coupled with it irrevocably free and
unlimited coinage of silver" So Mr..
Cannon proposes to make his fight for
free coinage when the Republican gen
eral tariff bill on protection lines is in
troduced.
When the present tariff bill was IN
der discussion in the house Mr.. Ding
ley explained that it was not a general
bill, and said the general change in
tariff legislation would be postponed
until other branches of the govern
ment were in harmony with the houser'
Other Republican speakers said the
same. Indeed, the tariff bill itself, if
it become law. Is to hold good until the
first of August, 1898, so that there can
be no hope that the Republican general
tariff programme can be carried into
effect until that time, 1898, and even
then the whole scheme is dependent
upon Republicans making all branches
of the government Republican.
Meantime MI. Cannon favors the pas
sage of the present emergency tariff
bill without coupling free coinage with
it; and if that is ever done, let US say
to him that the east will have prac-
tically all the protection it wants and
viii snap its fingers in the face of |
western silver men when they attempt |
their coercion programme on the gen.
aral Republican tariff bill, if ever again |
such a thing is seen in the&congress of |
the United States. Mr.. Cannon should |
that the present tariff law |
is practically a protective one. Surely |
a law which. according to the govern |
ment reports. last year levied upon the |
goods actually imported 41.75 per cent
ad valorem. cannot be considered a |
free trade tariff. Add to that as is
proposed by this emergency tariff an |
horizontal advance of 10 per cent, and |
then place so per cent of the Mckinley
tariff on wool. wooden goods and lum-
oer-how much more protection does
Mr.. Cannon think the east will want?
If Republicans are going to do any
hing for silver through coercing the
cast into compliance by refusing fur
5her protection to their industries, now
S the time to do it; not in 1898. We