Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-08-29
For Congress, 4th Cong. District.
A. L. SORTER,
of Cerro Gordo County.
The Light of Experience.

The Light OF Experience.
When Secretary Shaw comedies the
need of tariff readjustment,. but en-
tiers the old plea for leaving this work
solely to the wisdom of his party, both
as to time and method, it is we'll to
view his plea in the light of expert
ence.
AS to the time, Mr.. Shaw practi-
cally says that it is dangerous to dis
turb the tariff in prosperous times,
and that to undertake it in times Of
depression is to make a bad matter
worse. In other words, the republic
cans, if left to themselves, will re-
form the tariff the "day after never.n
And this comedies exactly with the
course of that party in the past. 1t
has never revised the tariff except
under compulsion, and has then 'sre-
adjusted" it upward instead OF down.
ward.
In 1883 republican tariff commits
sion appointed by President Arthur
reported, after long investigation,
revision Of the schedules that would
have abated some Of the worst exact
ions OF the then existing tariff. But
when republican congress, under the
manipulation Of the monopolists, got
through with this report many of its
proposed ameliorations had disappear
ed and tariff to suit the campaign
contributors resulted. This "revis-
ion by friends" so disappointed the
just expectations of the people that it
contributed very largely to the cleo
ton of Grover Cleveland in 1884.
In 1890 the tariff was again ere
vised by its friends" in the Mckinley
law, which screwed up the duties and
prices in manner to exasperate, in
Mr.. Blaine's words, the shopping
women" and the bill-paying men, SO
that the Republicans again lost con-
troll of congress and two years later
the Presidency.
In 1894 the democrats reformed the
tariff downward, but still left the av-
erage duty higher than it was under
the Morrill, war and protective tariff
of 1861, when our "infant Industries
were thirty-three years younger.
In 1897 return of the republicans
to power, (due to the base betrayal o.
the time honored principles Of the
democratic party by President Cleve
land. Elected in 1892 upon the ques
ton OF tariff revision, he called {
special session of congress in the in
terest OF the thieves of Wall stIee1
and the gold standard entirely ignor
ing the questions in issue when elect
ed.-Ed. P. d.
The result was the present Dingley
law, under which the average duty is
above 80 per cent-overtopping the
war period-and monopolies and
trusts, most of them created and pro-
tectsd by the tariff, have increased as
never before, and for the first time in
the history of the country the pro-
ducts of American manufacture have
been sold more cheaply in the foreign
than in the home market.
When the American people arr
ready for REIMBURSEMENT of til,
tariff in their own interest they will
not, if they are guided by "the lamE
of experience" intruSt the work to
party that has for nearly twenty years
persiStently made and maintained a
tariff for trusts and surplus.-N. Y.
World.
And in 1896 Grover Cleveland, the
n. Y. World and all the active reor.
ganizers of the democratic party aided
the republican party to secure politi-
cal ascendency, and are as answerable
for the Dingley tariff as are the re-
publicans. Processing to favor gold
as the money OF the country the
world looks silently upon the infa.
nous Fowler bill, measure designed
TO make the money of the country an
exclusive paper circulation, issued by
the corporation, and the creation of a
money trust in comparison with
which every other trust sinks into in
significance. Has the World aad the
reorganizers any opinion upon this
question? Are they for or against it?
-
The administr alton is chasing the
trDSfc FOR no n, M irp f,p1c SIC Mo-.