The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-07
seld to Americans in American markets, five miles from the factory?


 Alterations Are Demanded.
 'sWin any sane man say that public in- tcresa has not already demanded some alterations in the tariff? The trouble Is and always will be as long as the re- pnblfeans are in power that private in- terests won't allow any. Suppose the fol- lowing plank had been presented to the republican convention. does anybody be- lieve that it would have been adopted, demanding reduction of tariff taxation upon trust produced articles to the point where foreign competition may enter the American market, whenever trusts and combines seeking a monopoly had raised their prices to the American above a just and reasonable profit, thus using American law as a shelter to protect them in extortion upon American people, while they charge them prices higher than those charged foreign CTS for identical articles.
 Suppose that an actual condition of that sort had been shown as it has been, would anybody advocating any thing l have indicated with a view of meeting that condition, have obtained any hear ing from the convention?~
 The platform then goes on to say that these alterations cannot be safely com mitted to any other hands than the repub- lican party since 1897, or for the last four years Even if it were admitted that tariff changes out to be made by the friends of the iniquitous dscrimina- tions and exortions of the present law other than by friends of the general inter ests and commonwealth (which is the same thing as admitting that the changes ought to be made by the. republican par ty) why has not that party already made any of them? It has been in full power in the senate overwhelmingly fin power in the house, and unanimously and stren- In in tab
 Who does not know that the only way public interests can make any demand for any alteration effective Is by putting the democratic party in power?
 Usual Historical Untruth.
 "of course. this platform had to contain the usual historical untruth. to-wit: that a democratic tariff has always been fol- lowed by business adversity--a republican tariff by business prosperity Designing and ignorant men have repeated that so often that l am afraid there really are a good many people who believe it, and yet it Is bad hlstaory again. The great panic of 1883 if it was caused by any tariff law at all was necessarily caused by the then existing tariff law which Is the first one ever passed by the repub- lican party. It was passed as Il war measure.
 From 1901 down to the outbreak of the
 
 the time under democratic ascendency. With democratic tariff legislation in nine- tenths Of that time our people were pros- porous beyond all precedent as compar- ed with other peoples upon the surface of the earth contemporaneous with them or prior to that time. What the repub- lican platform calls a democratic tariff law based on free trade principles refer ring to the tariff of 1s94-the so-called Wilson-Gorman bill, was the furtherest removed from free trade of any law that has ever existed in this country ex- cept the one which bore the name of Mo- Kinley and the one which afterwards bore the name of Dingley. But even this was a tariff law which followed diversity in- stead of preceding. Besides all that, sta,- tistics show that our imports were not increased under that act, hence it's opera tion did not hurt us by inducing foreign competition.
 Called on Not to Falter.
 "We are called upon in the republican platform not to falter in our allegiance to proteotionism when the only free trade country in the world Is advocating a re- turn to protection This has reference to Chamberlain in Great Brtian. The au- thor forgot to say that what is really being agitated in Great Brtian Is retalia- ton against protectionist countries by a
 
 as little protectionism as possible and at the same time have any retaliation in 1t at all. It is the truth to state that the movement has signally failed, that 1t would not have leg to stand upon but for the enmity created in the minds of many British subjects by our inimical trade legislation. He also neglected to say that the supreme evil of protectionism is the excitation of this spirit of inimlty and commercial war.
 Perhaps the richest piece of humor in the republican platform Is where 1t is said we have extended widely our for eign market and in another place we 'conqnered new markets and created a volume of exports which far surpass im- agitation That we in each sentence is the corner stone of the humor of 1t. They might just as we'll say that men had a right to boast that he had increased the current of a river by putting a dam in 1t because the current had not stopped. but gone over the dam. The man who would attribute the current to the fact that the dam was in the river or to the fact that he had placed any obstruction there would not be q greater fool. than he would who would attribute an increase of internat- ional commerce to the operation of poll icy attempting to vitally obstruct 1t. As MT. Mckinley said we cannot always con- tinue to sell without buying Plainly
 
 because but in spite of the Instructions which have been placed in the current of trade. How ridiculous the boast is. too, in connection with the flat-footed refusal of the republican party In the senate to approve the reciprocity treat ies instituted and completed by MT. Me Kinley and sent to that body by him for approval, especially the highly beneficial reciprocity treaty with France; and in the teeth of the refusal of the republican administration to take any initiatory steI joint high commission for the purpose of establishing reciprocal trade relations be- tween our northern neighbor. Canada, and our children there and ourselves Could complaisant and reckless effrontery have gone further than 1t has gone in making this statement?
 "1here is q succeeding statement how eyer, which will vie with 1t. IL is where the platform favors commercial reel procity wherever reciprocal arrangements can be effected without injury to Amer ican agriculture, any labor or any" American industry" The word any is good in that connection.
 What a stop cog it is to the turning of the wheel of commercial reciprocity. Think of it's full import. Injury fs good in that connection. It all depends upon what is meant by the word. If the audi ence will excuse for quoting myself, I will read what an interview contained on that subject,
 "If the phrase means anything. 1t means this That the republican party is not willing to secure immensely larger markets for the products of our farms. mines, forests or even manufacturers abroad if In return for them it shall be