The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-09-30
our senses, large proportion of the
democratic party also believes in the

our senses, large proportion of the
democratic party also believes in the
policy of protection. When, however,
we undertake the task of applying
this policy to the commerce of the ma
ton, differences of opinion at once ap-
pear. There always have been these
differences, and there always will be.
Under tue law of 1897, which bears the
name of pure patriot andgreat states
man, substantially one-ha]f of the inn
ports into the United States are ad-
mitted free. Some of these imports
are things we do not and cannot pro-
duce. Others are in the nature of
raw material, the admission of which,
free of duty, is intended to enable the
resulting commodities to be profltably
produced in this country In it's lit,
eral sense, no such thing as raw ma
terial ever came into a port of the
United States, nor was pure raw ma
terial ever offered for sale in any mar
ket, for the manifest reason that be-
fore anything can become of any value,
either labor or capital must have been
employed in its creation. In COM
mercial sense, however, raw material
represents a minimum of labor. 1t
follows that whenever any particular
article is proposed as raw material,
men differ respecting it and respecting
the propriety OF admitting it free of
duty. Recurring to something already
said, reiterate that when it is pro-
posed to levy a protective duty upon
anything that may be imported, the
question at once arises: What duty
shall be laid upon it? Abstractly, ain
protectionists agree upon the critic
rion. 1t should be such a duty as Will
enable the home producers of the arti-
Gle to make and sell it in the domestic
markets at a fair profit. Here again.
men of the most mature intelligencei
and Of the sincerest convictions d.
vide, and the differences must be com,
posed as all other differences are. 1t
is impossible to write tariff schedules
into a platform, and therefore all that
the party can do in it's conventions is
to declare a general principle to which
it pledges itself in the enactment OF
laws. Every sane man must recog-
nize the truth that the cost of produce
ton is not constant, has not been in
the past, Nd will not be inthefuture
Every sane man knows, and every can
did man will admit. that the develop
ments of the last few years have been
SO mighty, and conditions have been
so revolutionized, that it is worth our
while to examine and determine in the
light of existing conditions, whether
the tariff duties of 1897 answer the test
which we agree must be applied to
protective duties. Recognizing these
things, the republican party of Iowa,
without dissenting voice, in it's con-
vention declared, as l have already
read, but which for emphasis | read
again:
Tariff rates enacted to carry this
"policy into effect should be just, fair.
"and impartial, equally opposed to for
.eign control and domestic monopoly
sectional discrimination and individ.
"ual favoritism, and must from time
ito time be changed to meet the vary
ing conditions incident to the prog
''ress Of our industries and their
changing relations to our foreign and
domestic commerce. Duties that are
too low should be increased and du-
tiles that are too high should be re-
"duced"
Personally, l have no hesitation in
avowing that there are duties which
should be lowered to bring them to tho
point of protection. and the little that
! can do to influence legislation in thai
direction, will be done. There are
others, undoubtedly. who believe that
the duties as whole are as fairly ad.
iusted as they can be. and assume
that they will act on that belief. 1t is
not to be expected that direct modifi-
cation will be made during the next
session of congress. A work that re-
quires the utmost forbearance, the
most unprecedented consideration, and
the most temperate discussion, will
not be well done in the fierce partisan
ship which attends presidential con-
test.
We may differ, we do differ respect.
ing the details of application, but
when the policy itself is threatened, IL
becomes every man who approves it,
whether he be republican OF demo,
crat, whether he is for revision or
against revision. to lift his voice in it's
defense and cast his vote for it's
safety.
Workingmen and Farmers.
must refer with more particularly
to two phases ofthe opening speech OF
the democratic candidate for governor,
upon which he expended intense en-
ergy. He seems to concede that
all classes of American business
life, save two, are benefited byi
the protective system. These are the
laboring men and the farmers; and he
appeals to them in the most impas-
stoned terms to overthrow a system
which has reduced them to poverty
and slavery. They are the men upon
whom protection has committed it's
crimes and who have been the victims
of grand larceny at the hands of all
others for more than an hundred
years. This is so remarkable re-
vival of an ancient delusion that must
give it more than a passing notice. It.
may be assumed that when the cham
pion of free trade speaks of working
men. he means the wageworkers of:
the United States. First, it is one Of
the accepted facts in the statistics Of
the world that the wageworkers of the
United States receive for their labor
at least fifty per cent more than their
fellows in England. A week ago 1
happened to read in one of the well,
known newspapers of Chicago, a sym
opsis of the report and examination
made hv tho oOvarpnopt pf G,.aof