Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-12

prosperity. n a tariff law Is passed
aimed nd preventing the prosperity of
our people. III IL as certain as any
thing can be that this aim will be
achieved only by cutting down the
prosperity of all or people.
or course. II our opponents are not
sincere in their proposal TO abolish
the system Of a protective tariff, there
is no me In arguing the matter At ALL
save by pointing ont again that II on
one Rftsat Issue they do not mean what
they say, IL If hardly safe TO trust
them IN any other issue, But IL they
are sincere in this matter, then their
advent To- power would mean domestic
misfortune and misery as widespread
and far reaching as that which we
saw ten years ago when they speak
Gf protection az robbery" they al
| course mnsE mean that Is Is immoral
10 enact d tariff designed faa is the
present protective tariff 10 secure to
| The American wage worker the bene.
I'LL III The high standard Df living
which We desire 10 Hee kept up Ia
this country. Now to speak Of the
/ tariff In this sense as robbery,
thereby giving IT. a moral relation, II
not merely rhetorical; IL IL on It's face
false The question Of what tariff In
best for onr people IA primarily one
Of cxpediency, TO be determined not
on distract academic grounds but in
the light Df e%gpeiencet II rs q matter
Of business; for fundamentally ours
n d business people manufacturers,
merchants, farmers, wage workers,
professional men, all alike. Our ex.
perience as a people I'M the past has
certainly not shown MS that we could
afford In this matter TO follow those
| professional counsellors who have con
| fined themselves 10 study In the
closet. for the actual working Of the
tariff has emphaticaily contradicted
their theories. From time TO time
schedules must undoubtedly be re-
arranged and readjugtcd 10 meet the
1 shifting needs of the country; but this
can with safety he done only by those
who are committed ~ the cause OF
the protective system. To nproot and
destroy that system would be In IN
sure the nrostration Of business the
closing nf factories, the imp0yefish,
ment or the farmer, The ruin Of the
capitalist, ana the starvation of the
wage worker. Vet, III protection Is
indeed robbery, and II oppon-
cnts really believe what they say, then
IL Iii precisely to the destruction and
~uprooting Of the, tariff, and therefore
of our business and industry, that they
are pledged. When onr opponents
last obtained power 1t was on a plat.
form declaring d protective tariff
| unconstitutional and the effort to
| put this declaration into practice was
one nf the causes Of the general ma
iional p%rOstration lasting from 1893 to
1897. III a protective tariff is either
aunconstitutiOnal' or robbery then
| Ii In Just M unconstitutional, Just as
much robbery, to revise II down, still
leaving IL protective, rs 1t would be
to enact II. In other words I'LL oppon-
ents have committed themselves to
the destruction or the protective T1in.
ciple In the tariff. using words which
II honestly used forbid them from
permitting this principle to obtain In
even the smallest degree,
Our opponents assert that they be.
lleye Iii reciprocity. Their action on
the most important reciprocity treaty
recently negotiated-~that with Cuba
| does not bear out this assertion. More.
over. there can be no reciprocity I'm.
! less there lis d substantial tariff; free
trade and reciprocity are not compat-
ihie. We are on record as faFaring
artpulamenis for reciprocal trade re-
L 4.HlE.I4 &tkFtE Il. ~ I44E NYA1tY NJ ef6sA fun@an ar
fangements To be on an equitable
basis of henefit 10 both the contract
ing parties, The republican party
stands pledged III every wise and con,
si8tunt method oil increasing the for.
ieiEn commerce. Of the country. That
IL nas kept its pledge Ii proven by
| the fact that while the domestic trade
uf this country exceeds in volume the
entire expert and import trade Of all
tho nations Of the world. the United
stntea has In addition secured more
than an eighth OF the expert trade nf
the world, standing first among The
nations in this respect. The United
States has exported during the last
seven years nearly ten billions OF
dollars worth OF goods-ou an aver
i half as much again annually as
during the previous -four years, when
many OF our people were consut1hf
nothing but ~necessaries. and som3 vi
item u setrty supply wen Of these.
Two years ago, In speaking at Io'
%gansport. Indiana, | said:
"fhe one consideration when must
never be omitted In n tariff change Is
the imperative need Of preserving lie
lAmcriean standard nf living for the
4 American workingman, The tariff
rate must never lnli below that wttsch
will protect the American wording
man by allowing for the difference be.
tween the general labor cost here and
abroad. so as nj least 10 ~edualtze The
conditions arising from the difference
In the standard AZ labor here and
abruad~~a difference which " should
be our aim 10 foster In so far ~ u
represents the needs ii better educnt
ed. better paid, better fed, and better
clothed w%OrktnRmen 81 q higher type
:. than II to be found lii u foreign
i country, At NIL hazards. and no mat
ter whHt elise H. sought Tor or accom-
niiahea by changes uf the tariff. the
American wUrkineman must be pro
Elected In hts standard Of wages, thai
Id III ala Efannn M ~ living md mtigl