Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1904-07-14
AN UNENDING FIGHT
TARIFF NOT A SETTLED QUESTION:
q IN THIS COUNTRY.

Enemies of Protection Mask Their
Designs by Demanding Lower Duties
and Adoption of IA system of Reel
procity In Competitive Products.
Is the tariff settled question in the
United States? Alfred Mosely, the
English student of Industrial, economic
and social conditions, after several WIS.,
its devoted to careful observation, an.
swers the question in the Affirmative.
While it Is very natural that such II
view should be held by the fOreigne.'
who notes and comprehends the tre-
mendous results of protection as eX
hibited In the material progress achiey-
ed in this country, while the permanent
retention Of fiscal system productive
of these magnificent achievements
should be considered matter OF
course, we think Mr.. Mosely has reach
ed mistaken conclusion when he eX-
presses the conviction that the protec.
tive tariff is so generally accepted by
the people of the United States that it
is here to stay by unanimous consent.
Far from 1t. The tariff was never
more fiercely antagonized in all our
history than 1t is at this moment.
great political party, polling more than
three -sevenths of all the votes cast at
the last two presidential elections, re
mains the inveterate enemy of protec-
ton. True, the doctrine Of absolute
free trade is not preached as widely
or as openly as in former times. Prop
er regard for political eXpediency has
prompted modification of the radical
demands for the abolition of all custom
houses But the hatred of protection
as a principle and policy is as ram
pant now in the Democratic party as 1t
ever was. This years Democratic
national platform will declare hostility
to protection by calling for heavy tariff
reductions and for the entering of the
free trade wedge in the shape of trea
ties with any and all nations providing
for reciprocity in competitive products.
1t Is u foregone conclusion that such
will be the attitude Of the Democratic
party in the campaign of 1904.
In addition to the regular Democrat
c party organization, our friends of
the Tariff Reform club are preparing
for their regular quadrennial assault
upon the bulwarks of protection. Wit
ness the following circular soliciting
funds for the free trade propaganda:
New York. March H. 1904.
| Dear Sir-In the approaching presiden-
| tial campaign the Democratic party will
| undoubtedly advocate a radical revision of
! the existing customs tariff, especially in
| respect to those commodities which tend
| n ta m a.
nopollze the domestic market.
| The tariff committee desires to take an
| active part in the work of the campaign
| so far as 1t proceeds on tariff lines. In
| addition to continuing the work. which
| this committee has efficiently done here
tofore--viz, supplying large numbers OF
newspapers throughout the country with
tariff reform matter in general, including
opposition to the proposed ship subsidy
| legislation-the committee especially de-
| sires to undertake a careful investigation
| of the prices at which many heavily pro-
tected subjects OF domestic manufacture
| are sold In foreign countries.
| Protected from foreign competition by
the enormous tariff upon imported COM
pettive goods our industrial monopolics
maintain excessive prices in the home
| market, while they sell their products in
| foreign countries for any price that will
| dispose of their merchandise. The injus-
| tice of this to the American consumer is
not that the foreigner gets American COM
| modties at low prices. but that these
| prices are made at the expense of the
| American consumer who is severely taxed
| to recoup the American manufacturer for
| his losses or diminished profits on foreign
| sales.
II enabled to make this investigation the
| committee will prepare and publish COM
parisons Of the prices which American
| consumers are compelled to pay In many
| lines of domestic commodities entering
| largely into consumption with the prices
at which the same commodities are sold
| In foreign countries by our protected do
| nestle manufacturers.
The committee proposes also to make a
| special investigation and exposure of the
| great harshness and injustice attending
the administration of the customs revenue
| laws.
better fitted than any other similar or
| ganization to do this and other contem-
| plated work. but its success necessarily
depends very largely on the amount of
funds which those interested in tariff re-
| form are willing to contribute to the
| cause. To do effective work the commit
tee needs several thousand dollars.
Cheques may be drawn to the order of
the chairman of the tariff reform commit
tee and addressed to him at the Reform
cub, East Thirty-fifth street
TARIFF REFORM COMMITTEE.
Wallace McFarlane, Chairman
The plan of campaign is Il big one
and involves the expenditure of a
large sum of money. "Cheques"-note
Worthy Master Horton of the Michi
gan state grange has withdrawn from
the Legislative committee on account
of his prospective candidacy for gov
e'EF' u,
Some of the Parker boomers have dis
covered that the judge wrote part oi