Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-04-29


tariff revision and it is now boast
ing of the its achievement. Ii is no
exaggeration to say that the most
powerful instrument in this coun-
try today for the moulding of pub
lie sentiment is the organization of
manufacturers which bears that
name. The American Protective
Tariff League defeated the Cuban
reciprocity legislation of the first
session of the Fifty-seventh Con
gress, emasculated the Cuban re-
ciprocity treaty ratified at the last
session, and will attempt at the
next TO further negative that treaty.
1t has thus far prevented the rati-
ficatiOn of the reciprocity treaties
negotiated by Mr.. Kasson. 1t has
combatted the Iowa idea so sue
cessfully that President Roosevelt,
who started out with declaration
that he would stand pat on the
Mckinley policies, which included
reciprocity, has now concluded to
stand pat" with the high tariff
faction of his party. This league
has a membership of 1000 includ-
ing some of the most prominent
manufacturers of iron, steel, cotton
goods, wooden goods, cutlery, Yam
kee notions, leather goods, hosiery,
gloves, varnish, silks. etc, in the
entire country.
The LOCO members pay in years
when important elections are on, a
minimum annual assessment of
one hundred dollars each. This
minimum fund of 100000 is
swelled by additional contributions
as the occasion demands. The OBJ
ject of the American Protective
Tariff League is TO create Senti-
ment in this country favorable To
the maintenance of the protective
tariff rates. 1t Is the personilica-
ton of the stand pat" idea. 1t
opposes the crossing of a It" the
dotting of an Il. IF" or the changing
of punctuation mark in the exist
ing tariff law. The league effected
its purposes and accomplishes its
object of moulding public senti-
ment by working upon the readers
of the country through "A master
fUl system of newspaper syndicateS.
Ii boasts that the combined circu-
lation per week of the newspapers
using the editorials and other mat
ter sent out by the league was e.
600. 900. Approximately that re-
presents $4,000, 900 readers per
week. All this matter Is sent out
in stereotyped form and free to the
papers desiring 10 use it, Besides
this the league publishes weekly
paper called the American Econ
omist' which Is sent out to all the
leading papers of the country and
has circulation of more than II,
600 per week. 1t voices the most
intelligent thought on the tariff
question from the standpoint OF
protection and its sophiStries are
reproduced rs editorials in many
of the leading papers ofthe nation.
From the above can be gathered m
idea of the immense engine used 10y
the protective tariff interests OF the
country To keep the people fooled
and believing that they are getting
some benefit from the system OF
protection. If the people were
getting the benefit and not the Spe
cial interests, does any sane mar
suppose those interests would con,
tribute 100000 year to keep M
the protection WALTZ Is not thi,
sufficient evidence to the people O
the country that they are beins
bled and robbed by this set of mel
and special interests putting up tn,
money to keep them hoodwinked
by making them believe that pro
lection is helping them and. tn,
countryl Whatmcre dO they want
The democratic party panderS t,
no special interests whose profit
are made by robbing the peopl,
and therefore it has no propaganda
and no money to establish one b,
which its ideas of good govern
ment can be constantly pounde,
) into the people. If the demo
cratic party could have had ever
/ 900 papers for the past ten year
exposing the fallicies of high pro
lection, the farmers of the countr,
who suffer most from this one
sided game, would today be man
: imOuS in their OpDOSitiOn tO prO