The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-22
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE
 OF CHARLES w. FAIRBANKS

fald. '"' '"'a's o' 'Ae ou''e' '' .
 A revision of duties should be mad
 that the public interest demands thei
 alteration, and they should be so re
 vised as to preserve and not destro
 the protective principle.
 l A revision and reduction by those
 who regard the tariff as a robbery mus
 awaken serious apprehension among | all whose capital Is employed or wht
 are engaged at labor in the variou!
 enterprises throughout the country
 which depend in large measure upor | the maintenance of the protective sys-
 tenn. A revision of the tariff along
 revenue lines means the increased i'm.
 portation of the products of foreign
 manufacture which come into compe-
 tition with our domestic production. Il
 means a loss to the American wage
 earners and to American capital. This
 is, therefore, not a theoretical question
 which Is presented to them. but Is one
 of immediate and practical moment. Il
 can be settled by them, and by them | only.
 History abundantly shows that the
 greatest industrial development of the
 country has occurred during the period
 when the protective tariff has been
 maintained and that during this time
 labor has received its largest rewards
 and capital has been most proftably
 engaged.
 The development of the country dur
 ing the last forty-four years is a com
 plete vindication of the virtue and ef- ficacy of protective system. It's
 benefits have been diffused through all
 sections of the country and among all l our people. It has enlarged our home i market until it has become the greatest
 in the world. This we should not un- necessarily surrender. We have be- | lieved it to be a wise national policy l to preserve the American market for | American producers and to secure to | our workingmen an increased wage scale.
 In 1860 the value of our exports and manufacturers was s40,345.s92. Twenty years later 1t was s102S56,015, and last year s452.445,629. The pretension of | It's opponents that the protective tarih is inconsistent with the extension of actual results. In considering the eff | feet of the respective tarif policies of | the Republican and Democratic parties, we are fortunately able to consult past experinece. What a revenue tarih will accomplish we know, for we have l hitherto seen how it has arrested in- | dustrial development and embarrassed l enterprise to the injury of both labor and capital. Neither escapes its | blighting effects.
 Commercial reciprocity with foreign countries "consistent with the princi- | pies of protection" has long been one of the well-recognized policies of the Republican party. The present admin | cratic opposition, secured treaty of reciprocity with Cuba, which promises | to give us control of a large share of | the commerce of that island.
 Both Presidents Mckinley and Roose- ! welt attempted to negotiate a treaty of reciprocity with Canada. That sub | ject, together with the Alaskan boun- dary and other matters. were submit | ted to a joint high comm ssion for con | sideration, but the differences which arose between the American and Brit | ish commissioners with respect to the boundary made 1t impossible for the | commission to agree upon any of the remaining subjects submitted for its | determination.
 The American commissioners desired | to remit the boundary dispute to the l two governments and to proceed with l the consideration of all other ques- 1 tions, including reciprocity. but the British commissioners declined to
 proceed further while the boundary remained undetermined. Subsequent | ly the boundary commission was ere | ated and the boundary line has been | settled. but no agreement has been reached for further consideration of | the remaining questions embraced in the proticol. It is hoped that the two | due course to take up the subject of | reciprocity with Canada according to | the principles laid down in the Repub- | lican national platform:
 | The platform appropriately recog- | nizes combinations of capital and la
 Dor as the outgrowth of our economic development. and as entitled to the equal protection and subject to the like | restrictions of the law.
 The administration has enforced the sherman antitrust act, which was of binations have been formed In viola H. n uf its D. r,sIons. inc law. which
 was regarded as ineffective by a Dem ocratic administration has been in voked by the President against combi- | nations in restraint of wholesome com
 merce, and 1t has been upheld by the | courts.
 The Congress last year enacted A law to expedite the hearing and determina- | tfon of suits arising under the anti trust and interstate commerce acts, so that the ends of justice might not be defeated by delay. It created the De- | partment of Commerce and Labor, with authority to obtain necessary informa- ton with respect to the creation and operation of corporations engaged in interstate commerce. It also amend ed the interstate commerce law SO as or""tusH; to abolish the pernicious sN stem cf rebates under which large shippers could crush their smaller com petitors. These are important, practi- cal steps taken by q Republican Pres ident and a Republican Congress for the protection of the people against Il. The Democratic party has dona @fioth- ing towards safeguarding Legitimate interests and Dnstraining combinations effected for extortion or other improp4 er purposes. It proposes as a prinoi- pal remedy for unjust combinations to remove the tariff from trust made goods. thereby inviting the foreign producer to occupy our home market in an attempt to regulate our own indus- tries. IL has assumed that the so- called trusts are either created or fos- tered by the tariff The assumption is fallacious. Trusts are found in free | trade countries and they control com modities in this country which are upon the free list.
 The Republican party Is more direct good and bad alike. It invokes the authority of Congress and the power of the courts to deal with specific, we'll l-deflned combinations in restraint of the rights and interests of the peo- pie. It Is as insiStent upon the pro- tection of capital employed in whole some enterprise as in preventing its use in contravention of fhe public in- terests.
 The convention very properly declar- ed it ito be the duty of the Republican Party to uphold the gold standard " There is no more important duty than acter of the money of the people. Their manifold exchanges should be effected in a currency as free from blemish as the national integrity. The Republican Party has been essentially the guardian of the financial credit of the country, and the steadfast supporter of sound currency. It has maintained the na-