The San Francisco call., 1897-03-26
THE TARIFF DEBATE.

The debate on the tariff between Gros-
venor of Ohio and McMillin of Tennessee
on Wednesday presents the issue as it will
be made up 10 GO before the country. The
two speakers are among the ablest repre-
sentative. of their respective parties and
are well fitted to discuss economic ques-
tions What they have said therefore
may be taken as a fair summary of all
that will be said during the whole course
OF the debate.
Mr.. McMillin when he began the debate
stated that the new bill is ''the most un-
consclonable effort at legislative robbery
ever attempted on the people," He de-
clared that sufficient surplus exists in
the treasury to meet all estimated def
ciencies for two years, and that the alleged
necessity for the bill is mere pretext.
Finally he characterized the measure as
one devised in the interests of trusts
rather than of the people and predicted
that the voters woaId repudiate it at the
next election.
In these assertions there is nothing
more than the old cry which was raised
against the Mckinley bill. Mr.. Grosve-
nor's answer to every statemen. OF Mr.. Nc
assertion that there is a surplus in the
treasury by the well-known facts that the
money now in the treasury has been OBJ
tained By tue sale of bonds and represents
debt imposed upon the people Ever
since the Wilson tariff went into effect
there has been deficiency, and not even
the supporters of that tariff estimate it
will ever yield revenue equal to the
expenditures of the Government.
Two deadly evils, said Mr.. Grosvenor,
are upon US. Our labor is unemployed
and the National treasury is bankrupt.
There can be no business confidence in
this country when the treasury of the
United States is without revenue to meet
its obligations, and no industrial pros
perity when American labor is exposed to
the unequal competition of cheap labor
abroad.
In summing up the effects of the meas
ure Mr.. Grosvenor said the bill provides
States of more than $500, 600, 900 per an
mum to the laborers of the country above
that which is now being paid out. Under
its operation the $125, 900 now sent
abroad every year to buy SUGAR will be
expended in the United States. Under
the WOODEN schedules every spindle in the
United States will be set TO profitabl work.
The farm ers'of the West and of the South
will be benefited as we'll as the working
men of the cities. In short, as Mr.. Grosve-
nor said:
The policy of this bill is to give to labor the
degree of employment in the United States
which will ca use to be expended in this coun-
try every dollar that is expended for such
products of the soil, of the mine, of the shop
and OF the factory, that we can produce in the
United States on equal terms with the foreign
producer. We propose that this country shall
put itself on a war footing for the purpose of
maintaining itself We propose that it shall
be in position to produce its own sugar and
its own wool and its own commodities OF every
character that God in his wisdom has made it
possible to produce on this continent
In that statement we have the SUBJ
stance and the intent of the Dingley tariff.
1t is in vain the free-traders rail against it.
The people have had experience with a
tariff of deficit and disaster and cannot
again be deluded into rejecting one that
means ample revenues, protection and
prosperity.