Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-09-15

| country nut TINS can Win Safety he
done only by those who are commit
| ted to the cause Of the protective sys.
TEN. To uproot and destroy that sys-
tenn would be to insure the prostra-
| ton OF business the closing of fac
| tories, the impoverishment of the far
mer, the ruin of the capitalist. and
the starvation of the wage-earner
Yet. If protection is indeed robbery"
| and II our oponents really believe
what they say, then It is precisely to
the destruction and uprooting OF the
tariff, and therefore OF orr business
and industry. that they are pledged
| When our opponents last obtained
power It was on platform declaring
| a protective tariff unconstitutional" ="
| and the effort TO put this declaration
| into practice was one of the causes
of the general national prostratiop
| lasting from 1899 to 1897. II a protec-
tive tariff is either unconstitutional"
or robbery" then 1t is just as un
| constitutional just ms much robbery
to revise 1t down, still leaving 1t pro
tective, as II would be to ennct II
In other words our opponents have
committed themselves 10 the des-
truction of the protective principle
in the tariff. using words which If
honestly used forbid them from per
hitting this principle to obtain in
even the smallest degree.
Our opponents assert that they
believe in reciprocity. Their action
m the most important reciprocity
treaty recently negotiated-tha with
Cuba-does not bear out their asser-
| tion, Moreover. there can be no reci-
procity unless there is a substantial
| tariff; free trade and reciprocity are
not compatible We are on record as
favoring arrangements for recipro-
cal trade relations with other coun-
| tries these arrangements 10 be on an
| equitable basis of benefit to both the
contracting parties The Republican
| party stands pledged to every wise
and consstant method of increasing
| the foreign commerce of the country.
That IT has kept fits pledge is proven
by the fact that while the domestic
| trade Of this country exceeds in vol
| pme the entire export and import
| trade of all the nations of the world
the United States has In addition Sc
| cured more than an eighth of the eN-
| port trade of the world, standing
first among the nations in this re
| spect
The United States has exported
during the last seven years nearly ten
| billions of dollars worth OF goods
IN an average half as much again an.
nually as during the previous four
wears, when many of our people were
consuming nothing but uecessaries.
and some of them a scanty supply
even of them.
- Every class of our people is
benefited by the protective tariff.
| During the last few years the mer-
chant has seen the export trade of
this country grow faster than ever
in our previous history. The Aanu-
facturer could not keep his factory
running If 1t were not for the protec-
tive tariff. The wage-worker would do
well to remember that If protection is
robbery" and is to be punished ac.
| cordlngly. he well be the first to nay
the penalty; for either he will be
turned adrift entirely, or his wages
Will he cut down to the starvation
point. AS conclusively shown by the
bulletins of the Bureau Of Labor. the
purchasing power of the average
wage-worker has grown faster than
the cost of living, and this in spite of
he continual shortening of working
hours. The accumulated savings of
the workingmen of the country. as
shown by the deposits In the savings
banks have increased by leaps and
bounds. At no time in the history of
this or any other country has there
been and era SO productive OF mater
lal benefit alike to worltlngmen and
employer, as during the seven years
that have just passed.
"The farmer has benefited quite as
much as the manufacturer, the mer.
chant. and the wage-worker. The most
welcome and impressive fact estab-
lished by the last census is the wide
and even distribution of wealth
4 among all classes of our countrymen
The chief agencies in producing this
| f''''' '"HNa'h "'' HihNl ny illf ttuhuh
to be the development of manufact-
urers. and the application OF new in.
ventions to universal use The re,
suit has been an Increasing lnterde-
pendence Of agriculture and manu-
iactures. Agriculture is now as II
always has heen. the basis of clviIiza-
ton. The six million farms of the
United States. operated by men who
as a class, are steadfast, single-mind
ed and industrious, form the basis oil
all the other achievements of the Amer
lean people and are more fruitful
than all their other resources. The
men on those six million farms re.
ceiye from the protective tariff what
Lhey most need. and that is the best
Of all possible markets. All other
classes depend upon the farmer, but
the farmer in turn depends upon the
market they furnish him for his pro.
duce. The annual output of our agrl
cultural products is nearly four bill
lion of dollars. Thier Increase in val.
ne has been prodigious. although ag-
riculture has languished In most other
countries: and the main factor in this
| 10