Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-10-16
Keeping I'D the Deception.


HENRY KNIPPLING.
Keeping up the Deception.
IA tariff for revenue only is what |
has had for sixty years, and
England has not only been known
as free trade country, but has al
ways claimed the distinction of being
> free trade country'1Des Moines
Register and Leader, rep
ut is not unbecoming or an extra
vagance to pronounce the advocates
of tariff for revenue only free trad
ers. Sioux City Journal, (Rep.l
"Free trade and tariff for revenue
only are sy nomynous. "-Governor
CumminS.
Having looked at these, now look at
this:
"a tariff for revenue only, properly
defined is a tariff so laid as to have no
other object and serve no other pur-
pose than to produce revenue. Ne
cessarily then, a tariff for revenue on
ly must be laid on ARTICLES which we
do not produce. A tariff on tea is
tariff for revenue only, because we
produce no tea in this country; a tariff
on coffee is a tariff for revenue only,
because we grow no coffee in this
country. The moment you place a
tariff on competitive product, even
though it be small, you protect that
product to that extent. The protec-
tion may not be adequate, that is, the
duty may not be sufficient to make up
for the difference in the cost of pro-
duction in this country and in some
foreign country, and in this case,
there would be no check upon impor-
tations and that duty in effect would
not be protective; but it would pro-
duce revenue and it might be said to
be tariff for revenue only. But the
moment the duty is high enough to
measure the difference between the
cost of production here and abroad, it
is protective duty, and it's revenue
feature becomes incidental.-Cedar
Rapids Republican.
1t might be well for the republican
state central committee to call the
editors to meet with the governor to
settle on plan Of campaign. The
people will believe the democrats with
one republican newspaper telling them
that q tariff for revenue is free trade
and another telling them that it is
protection.
Candidate Sullivan indicated the
democratic position when he said:
can tariff duties should be enacted
on strictly revenue basis. Any 9TH
er theory Of levying taxation is con-
trary to the letter of the constitu tion
and to the spirit Of free institutions.
Congress is, and ought to be, without
power to tax you for my benefit"
That is clear, concise and compre-
hensive statement Of the democracy's
position in the present campaign.
How does it differ from the republican
position.
The difference Is fundamental. The
republican party contends that duties
should be levied for protection-the
protection of the American manufact-
urer and the American workmen from
the competition Of the foreign manu-
facturer and the foreign workman.
The democratic position is that du
ties should be levied for revenue anc
with the purpose only OF producing
revenue; that the American manufac.
turer should not be sheltered by the
tariff and that the American work
man should be entitled to the benefit
OF competition, that the consumer is
better entitled to competition than
the producer to protection.
Duties were imposed originally for
the purpose Of producing revenue.
Subsequently they were imposed for
protection to shield American manu-
facturers from competition with Brit.
1sb manufacturers. Then the average
OF duties was per cent; today the av.
erage OF duties is Al per cent. The
difference between the figures shows
the development of the protection
principle. To-day we maintain tar.
III OF sS a ton on steel rails and the
cost OF producing steel rails in England
Is 81 so ton more than the cost In
the United States. American manu-.
facturers OF tariff protected articles
sell them to the foreign consumer fol
less than they sell them to the Amerj
con consumer, the latter being denied
the benefit Of the competition the for.
mer enjoys.
The democratic party would first
wipe out the duties on all trust made
articles. It would stop the discrimi-
nation in favor Of the foreign consul
mer. Then 1t would adjust the duties
with the purpose of providing revenue
not with the purpose OF providing
protection. 1t would strive to "wipe
the last vestage Of protection of the