The Portland daily press., 1897-12-31
ALoYAL PRoTecTloNlsT.
Miss Gail La ughlin Gives an Interesting
Ta1k on the Tariff.

1t is an off year in national and state
politics, and q discussion of the tariff
would hardly be considered seasonable,
from the politicians point of view. But
Miss Gail Laughlin handled that elastic
topic so interestingly at the Womans
Council gathering in the Friends church
last evening, that even the men who at
tended simply as escorts for the wives and
sisters were delighted and enthused
Miss Laughlin is Portland young
woman, graduate of Wellesley and at
present is taking a law course at Cor
nell That she is thoroughly conversant
with the tariff and kindred topics was
evinced to the satisfaction of the large
audience that tested the seating capacity
of the Oak street church vestry. She is
ready speaker, has voice particularly
well adapted to platform oratory and q
self possession that even under the ordeal
of questioning from the audience
showed no sign of wavering.
Miss Laughlin is firm believer in
protective tariff. A more loyal protection
list never addressed Portland audience.
She discussed the subject, taking up the
various familiar arguments in favor OF
free trade and logically and convincingly
answering them.
When under Democratic legislation
wool went on the free list, 1t was argued
by supporters of that measure that the
wooden industry of this country would
be given tremendous boom. But the
outcome was just the reverse, she said.
The wooden mills did not get their pre-
dicted impetus, but American sheep rails
ers felt the blow ofsforeign competition,
and wholesale slaughter of mutton fol-
lowed. Speaking of trusts, she said they
thriyed more abundansly under free trade
than under protective tariff.
The old free trade theory about "cap-
turing the markets of the world was
exploded. It's true meaning is the giving
up of q substance Efor a shadow. sOur
own market is the market that Ameri-
can manufacturers need, to keep their
machinery moving. The free trade theory
that tariff is tax, which is added to the
price Of an article and comes out of a
SOhseAIhOA, Usec S&Osha1J eA4oE'AONOA4 WhOA
the Mckinley bill went into effect. Ex-
cept in very few instances, prices of
imported articles remained stationary.
The lecturer had no sympathy with the
incidental protection" or tariff re-
form" arguments. The former is delu-
sion. and. the latter sort of ''all things
TO all men, policy, whose every advocate
lis thorough going free trader except in
matters pertaining to ibis own particular
business.
She highly praised the Mckinley bill,
declaring that it stimulated American
industry, kept wages up and pricss rea-
sonable. The Wilson bill came in for a
vigorous condemnation. She said it
embodied nobody's idea of free trade; it
was bill of inconsistencies. Every year
it was in force the government revenue
fell eff at the rate of $50, 900, 900.
The Dingley bill she heartily COM
Inended, but explained that sufficient
time has not yet elapsed since its passage
for it to have had fair trial.
In conclusion she said the protective
policy is not selfish one, but the EN- bodi-
ment of the true spirit Of the brotherhood
CT man. Its object is not to entirely shut
out. foreign competitors, but to prevent
them, with their poorly paid labor, to
drive our own manufacturers out of bust
ness
Mrs. George S. Hunt, who presided at
the meeting, extended an invitation for
the audience to question the lecturer on
any points, and several persons took adj
vantage of the invitation. The questions
were all answered in satisfactory and
clear manner.