The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-14
a STRAIGHT TARIFF SPEECH
Made by Mckinley to Visitors From
the Lahigh Valley.


Canton. o.. Oct. 1.-THE following is
Major McKiniey's speech to the dele
cation from the Lehigh valley yester-
day afternoon. headed by Charles L.
Brumm-
Mr.. Brumm and Ny Fellow Citi-
zens; You have greatly honored me
IN having journeyed SO long a distance
to bring assurance OF your good viii.
do not take this call as in any sense
personal to myself. but rather tribute
to the cause which for the moment 4
stand and to the great principles the
Republican party uphOIds in the pend
ing political contest 1t gives me
pleasure to meet my old friends your
spokesman. with whom I served for
years in the national house Of repre-
sentauves- 1t also gives me pleasure
to meet and welcome You to my home
and to say Il appreciate most highly
your visit and the encouraging mes
sage which you bring.
1T was not necessary to advise me
that the people of the anthracite re-
giOns are in favor of q. protective tariff.
have long known and appreciated
that fact and sympathize with you in
that sentiment. I believe in that great
American doctrine. which lies at the
ICundat ton of the law of Self-preserva-
ton ut is evident it is the duty of this
government to encourage its own pe0-
pie and to pass such laws as viii give
to them the largest opportunity to i'm
prove their condition, the highest scale
of wages and the greatest encourage
nent to their skin and their labor. We
have in this country more free trade
than in any other country Of the world.
but it is free trade among ourselves.
GApplause)
with As states ana 70 millions Of
people we are constantly vieing with
each other in every section Of our
country for the promotion of the high
est interests of our respective pOpula-
items. We believe in free trade in the
United States in the same sense that
obligations which belong to every fam
4fy- We are only great national fam
aly. We trade with each other with
absolute freedom and without restraint
and engage in free and unresentful
rivalry in all the occupations. employ
ments and industries of our people
The triumph of one section is the trl-
umph of the other, all working to-
gether for the general good. When
we have free trade with other coun-
tries il should be in those products
which we cannot produce ourselves and
which we must have. and in exchange
for which those countries will take the
products that we make and grow, and
We should put duty upon those for
eign products which compete with our
American products. sufficient not only
TO supply enough revenue for the use
of the government. but sufficient to
protect the American people in their
own occupations against the products
of the cheaper and underpatd labor Of
the world.
That seems to me to be the dictate
of an enlightened patriotism, and it is
certainly one of the great fundamental
doctrines of the Repub lican party And
why should it not be so. my fellow cit
Izens2 We are one nation, we have
one constitution; one flag; we have a
common destiny The other nations
of the world have their separate and
Independent political organizations for
the purpose of working for themselves
the highest destiny: they owe no ale
glance to this government; they CON
tribute nothing to its support, either
in war or in peace and if they want
70 come into this country and compete
with our people. we say to them, You
can do it upon condition that a tariff
shall be put upon your products and
that tariff viii so toward sustaining
this government and at the same time
will be a defense to our own labor and
producers Tremendous applause)
'That is the whole doctrine OF the
tariff If we ever needed 1T, we need
IT now. We need il for the federal
treasury. for that is in a condition Of
deficiency; we need it for the people
of this country. for they. like the treas
urys are generally in a condition Of de-
6ciency.
the public treasury and stop debts and
deficiencies and bonds. i take IL. every
body viii say would be good and patri-
otic, and no matter what political party
they have belonged to in the past 7
take it that whatever policy viii en-
courage our own people to dig coal, to