Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-05-07
Cedar Rapids Republican,

Cedar Rapids Republican,
| When the mariner has been tossed
for many days in thick weather, on an
unknown sea, he naturally avails him
self Of the first pause in the storm, the
earliest glance of the sun to take his
latitude, and ascertain how far the ele-
ments have driven him out. of his
course. Let us initiate this prudence
and before we float further on the
waves of this debate revert to the
point from which we departed, that we
may at least be able to conjecture
where we now are.-Webster's speech
in reply to Hayne
Would it not be well for those who
are debating the so-called Iowa Idea
to pause long enough to take their
| bearings that they may at least be able
to conjecture where they now are.
The tariff has been a subject OF
controversy between parties and with.
in parties almost from the foundation
of the government. For the most part
the agitation has been between parties
and not within parties, for one party
has held steadfastly to the principle
that We should so arrange our tariff
duties as to protect American labor
and American industry, preserving SO
| far as possible the American market
for Americans. The other party has
| denied constantly the power to levy
duties for this purpose, at the same
time insisting that duties SO levied
were burdensome to the consumer,
detrimental to the industrial develop
ment of our country.
In speech before the Polk county
| convention Mr.. Cummins half way
apologies for the Dingley tariff even
at the time it was enacted as being
legislation wrought amid distress. He
said: "Tney (the Dingley schedules)
were adopted when the county was in
the depths of commercial distress, ere
ated AMI perpetuated by the weakness
es and fallacies Of a democratic adj
minlstration and democratic doc
trines."Ihis brings us to inquire: What
were the weaknesses and fallacies of
administration and doctrine? And in
| answering this question we must OF
necessity go back to the beginning
OF the tariff agitation SO far as the
present generation is concerned.
| The particular fallacies Of doctrine
so far as the Cleveland administra-
ton is concerned must necessarily re-
late to the tariff. Mr.. Cummins would
probably not attack Grover CleveIand's
financial policy 1t is matter of his
tory that he saved the gold standard.
What then were the tariff fallacies of
Grover Cleveland? During the first
years OF his administration he had
nothing to say about the tariff. The
democrats had held in allegiance their
Ilmplacable hatred of protection dur
ing the several campaigns which were
fought on the issues of the war. There
was plain endorsement of the ancient
democratic position in 1876, and a
modified endorsement of it in 1880 and
1884. All at once however Grover
Cleveland woke up to the fact that
there was a great tariff issue, and on
the sixth day of December, 1857, sent
to congress his famous one subject mes
sage in which he attacked the tariff in
extenso. A reading Of that message
will reveal the fact that he covered all
the ground that has been subsequent
| ly traversed and that is being travers-
ed now. Even the trust question fig
ured in that famous message. We
quote paragraph in illustration of
this:
In speaking of the increased cost
to the consumer of some of our home
manufacturers resulting from duty
laid upon imported articles of the
same description, the fact is not over
looked that competition among our
producers sometimes has the effect
of keeping the price of their products
below the highest limit allowed by
such duty. But it is notorious that
this competition is too often strangled
| by combinations quite prevalent at
this time, and frequently called trusts,
which have for their object he regula-
tion of the supply and price of COM
modities made and sold by members
of the combination. The people can
hardly hope for any consideration in
the operation of these selfish schemes
m#m
1t will be seen that Mr. Cleveland
discovered the relation of the tariff to
the trusts before Mr.. Cummins did.
He emphasizes it in that famous mes
sage, which was the beginning of lat
| ter day tariff agitation AS result
OF this message the ways and means
committee of the house of representa-
tives, then democratic, headed by Rog-
er @, Mills, formulated the tariff re-
form measure known in history as the
Mills bill" 1t went over to the re-
publican senate and was there defeat
ed. Grover Cleveland made his cam
paign for reelection to the presidency
in 1888 against Benjamin Harrison
with tariff reform as embodied in the
Mills bill as his platform, and was de-
feated.
The tariff reform microbe,, however,
was at work. The republicans were
persuaded that a revision of the tariff
schedules was necessity. Having
gained control of the house at the
platform expression that will be
satisfactory to all the party" and it
.Tc