The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-20
DEFENDING THE TARIFF.

DEFENDING THE TARIFF.
 The Sheffield Reaper is one of the few news papers in the South which still hangs on to the idea that stictly protective tariff is right and that 1t is necessary. The Reaper is right on most subjects, and we read it with great deal of satis- facticn, but this paragraph shows how 1t Is all wrong or this question, at least:
 The tariff, as the import duties are termed which insures the most employ ment and the best wages is the tarin best suited to American interests; and | when the conditions produced by the Wil- | son bill and the Dingley bill are com | pared, there Is no question that the Ding | ley law meets the approval of all intelli- | gent and progressive Americans. Under | it our foreign trade has grown to its largest proportions, and is still growing. | ard any attempt to interrupt present conditions by tariff tinkering will meet a rebuke which will require long time to forget it. Some of the trusts to dis tract attention from themselves are al- ready actively engaged in efforts toward tariff revision"
 The Advertiser does not dispute the fact that the country at large Is prosper ous or that we have a large foreign trade, but that does not initiate against our contention that the present tariff is oppressive and burdensome in many of it's features, and that it should be modified throughout. Under it's one-sided and fos- tering provisions. we find vast combina- tions and corporations growing enormous ly rich from the large profits which the law enables them to take from the pock- cts of the consumers. It would be im- possible for some of these corporations to accumulate the millions they have done were it not for the fact that the present tariff law enables them to bleed those who are compelled to have their prod ucts
 Take just a few of the articles of com mon use and necessity to the people of the United States and see how the con- sumers are bled to enrich the manufac- turers For example. the manufacturers of ready-made clothing are protected by tariff duty of 50 to SO per cent; blank cts, 100 per cert. or over; cutlery, from SO to 100 per cent; glassware 60 per cent. i; ironware, 45 per cent; linen goods. S5 to 60 per cent; oils, 40 to 50 cents per gall lon; all-wool clothing, more than 100 per cent, and so on through the entire list of articles of common use and necessity We have selected a few articles as fair samples from the list. and by going through the entire tariff schedule, it will be found that those articles which are used by the greatest number of citizens. and most of which are necessity to the tn prohibitive duties.
 Of course, there was but one object in preparing the tariff schedule, and that was to"protect our infant industries as the advocates of the outrage are so fond of putting it. These same infant indus tries have grown to be giants in power and strength, and the people must submit to their exactions When a foreign-made article of common use could be sold here for one dollar, and the duty on that ar ticle brings it up to nearly or quite two dollars, is 1t not natural for the American manufacturer to charge his customers nearlv as much as the foreign article costs with the duty added? It is natural that they should do so, and they do it.: and the people must pay this additional duty which goes into the pockets of the manufacturers.
 To say that this burden on the people is necessary in order to prevent the breaking down of our industries is flc- ton for which there Is absolutely no foundation There is hardly a manufac-
 tured article of common use which can
 not be made in the United States as
 cheaply as in any other country, and America could compete with the world in everything that the people are com pelled to have If the tariff duties were reduced one-half or three-fourths. The argument in favor of protecting our peo- ple is the argument of the robber wA) objects to any law which will interfere with his profits. It is a shame to the Democratic Party that it has allowed anything to turn it from the duty of tar if reform, and that when the present law is revised and modified, as 1t will be, , the Republicans may get the credit and reap the advantages