The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1904-08-05
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: We know what We mean when we !
:! speak Of an honest and stable cur !
. from year to year. We do not have =
q to avoid a definite and conclusive !
q committal on the most important is .
= sue which has recently been before =
q the people, and which may at any =
. time in the near future be before Z
: them again; Upon the princ1pie 2
. tions of half Of our number do not !
= clash with those of the other half. =
. So long as the Republican party is !
in power the gold standard is set =
= tied. not as a matter of temporary =
= political expediency, not because OF !
. shifting conditions in the production !
. Of gold in certain mining %centers, =
. but in accordance with what We re- =
= gard a% the fundamental principles i!
= of national morality and wisdom. =
- we have enacted there is now ample =
= circulation for every business need; :
Z and every dollar OF this circulation :
We have reduced the interest-bearing
debt and in still larger measure the in
terest on that debt. All of the war taxes
imposed during the Spanish wal nave
been removed with a view to relieve the
people and to prevent the umulat
of an unnecessary surplus. The result Is
that hardly ever before have the expen-
ditures and income of the government so
closely corresponded. In the fiscal year
that has just closed the excess OF income
millions of dollars. This does not take
account of the fifty millions expended out
of the accumulated surplus for the .pur-
chase Of the isthmian canal. 1t is an ex-
traordinary proof Of the sound financial
condition of the nation that instead of
following the usual course in such mat
tiers and throwing the burden upon pos
terity by an issue of bonds, we were able
to make the payment outright and yet
after it to have in the treasury a surplus
~ tfR nnn Gnn HAranxyH MO rynro n110
to pay this fifty millions OF dollars out
of hand without causing the slightest dis
turbance to business conditions.
! We have enacted a tariff law un- !
. the country has attained a height of =
. material well-being never before !
: reached: Wages are higher than :
. arises there should be a readjust- .
= ment of the tariff schedules is UNI z
. doubted; but such changes can with =
: safety be made only by those whose z
! devotion to the principle Of a protec- I!
: tive tariff is beyond question; for =
. otherwise the changes would amount =
=
The readjustment when made must
maintain and not destroy the protective
principle, To the farmer, the merchant,
the manufacturer this is vital; but per-
haps no other man is so much interested
as the wage-worker in the maintenance
of our present economic system, both
as regards the finances and the tariff.
The standard of living Of our wag
workers is higher than that OF any other
country, and it cannot so remain unless
We have a protective tariff which shall
always keep as a minimum a rate Of
duty sufficient to cover the difference
between the labor cost here and abroad.
= "denounce protection as a robbery =
= thereby explicitly commit themselves .
= to the proposition that If they were to =
= revise the tariff no heed would be =
= paid to the necessity Of meeting this =
= living for wage-wOrkers here and in =
= other countries; and therefore on =
- this point their a~ntagonism to our =
= position Is fundamental.
Here again we ask that their promises
and ours be judged by what has been
done In the immediate past. We ask that
ings of the present tariff law, and the
conditions which obtain under it.. with the
workings Of the preceding tarin law Of
1894 and the conditions which that tariff
OF 1894 helped to bring about.
q
= We believe in reciprocity with for =
= eign nations on the terms outlined Z
: which urged the extension Of our =
= foreign markets by reciprocal agree 4
: ments whenever they could be made =
= without injury to American indus =
%
1t is a singular fact that the only great
reciprocity treaty recently adopted-that
with Cuba-was finally opposed almost
alone by, the representatives of the very
party which now states hat 1t favors