The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-22


duties to be laid. =
A revision of duties should be made only
! when conditions have 80 changed that the
| public interest demands their alteration
and they sh ould be so revised as to pre-
serve and not destroy the protective prin'
| ciple.
revision and reduction by those who
regard the tariff as robbery must awaken
serious apprehension among all whose
| capital Is employed or who are engaged al
labor in the various enterprises through.
out the country which depend in large
measure upon the maintenance Of the pro
tective system A revision Of the tariff
| along revenue lines means the increased
importation Of the products Of foreign
manufacture which come into competition
| with our domestic production. II means
a loss to the American wage earners and tc
American capital. This Is, therefore, not O
theoretical question which is presented tc
them, but is one OF immediate and practica
moment. 1t can be settled by them, and
by them only.
HISTORY INDICATES THE SYSTEM.
History abundantly shows that the great.
has occurred during the period when the
protective tariff has been maintained and
that during this time labor has received
It's largest rewards and capital has been
most proftably engaged.
The development of the country during
the last forty-four years Is complete vim
dication Of the virtue and efficacy Of a pro-
tective system. Its benefits have been
diffused through all sections Of the cou ntry
and among all our people. 1t has enlarged
our home market until II has become the
greatest In the world. This we should not
unnecessarily surrender. We have be-
lieved 1t to be wise national policy to pre-
serve the American market for American
producers and 20 secure to our working
men an increased wage scale.
In 1860 the value OF our exports and man
ufactures was SO ,945 1872. Twenty years
later it was sl02 ,s56,0l5 and last year S52,-
445, 629 The pretension of its opponents
that the protective tariff is inconsistent
with the extension. Of our foreign COM
MERGE Ia thus denied by actual results.
tive tariff policies of the Republican and
Democratic parties we are fortunately
able to consult past experience. What q
revenue tariff will accomplish We know
for we have hitherto seen how it has arrested
industrial development and embarrassed
enterprise to the Injury of both labor and
eapital. Neither escapes its blighting
effects.
RECIPROCITY DESIRABLE.
Commercial reciprocity with foreign
countries consistent with the principles
Of protection" has lopg been one of the
well recognized policies Of the Republican
party. The present Administration, in the
secured treaty of reciprocity with Cuba
which promises to give us control of large
share Of the commerce of that island.
Both Presidents Mckinley and Roose-
reciprocity with Canada, That subject,
together with the Alaskan boundary and
other matters, was submitted to a joint
high commission for consideration. but
the differences which arose between the
American and the British commissioners
wit 70, hra I,,,,n dos
possible for the commission to agree upon
any of the remaining subjects submitted
for its determination.
The American commissioners desired to
remit the boundary dispute to the two gov
ernments and to proceed with the consid-
Grafton OF all other questions, including
reciprocity, but the British commissioners
declined to proceed further while the bound
AIRY remained undetermined. Subsequently
a boundary commission was created and
the boundary line has been settled, but
no agreement has been reached for further
consideration OF the remaining questions
embraced in the protocol. 1t is hoped
that the two governments may be able to
agree in due course to take up the subject
OF reciprocity with Canada according to
the principles Laid down in the Republican
national platform.
=! ANTI-TRusT LEGISLATION.
The platform appropriately recognizes
combinations Of capital and labor as the
outgrowth Of our economic development,
and as entitled to the equal protection
and subject to the like restrictions OF the
law.
The administration has enforced the
Sherman antitrust act, which was Of Re
publican origin, In cases where combina-
tons have been formed i'll violation OF its
provisions. The law, which was regarded
as ineffective by. Democratic admins
tration, has been invoked by the President
against combinations in restraint of whole
some commerce, and 1t has been upheld
by the courts.
The Congress last year enaor I'd law
to expedite the hearing and d.termina-
ton Of suits arising under the ANTITRUST
and interstate commerce acts. SO that
the ends OF justice might not be defeated
by delay. " created the Department Of
Commerce and Labor, with authority to
obtain necessary inf ormation with re-
spect to the creation and operation Of
merce. 1t also amended the interstate
commerce law SO as effectually to abolish
the Pernicious system of rebates under
which large shippers could crush out their
smaller competitors. These are important
practical steps taken, by a Republican
President and Republican Congress for
the protection Of the people against the
encroachments Of combined capital
The Democratic party has done nothing
toward safe guarding LEGITIMATE. interests
ektortion or other improp er purposes. 1t
proposes as principal remedy for unjust
combinations to remove the tariff from
trust made goods. thereby inviting the
foreign producer to occupy our home mar
ket in an attempt to regulate our. own IN
dustries. 1t has assumed that the So
called trusts are either created or fostered
by the tariff. The assumption is falla-
cious. Trusts are found in free trade
countries and they control commodities
in this country which are upon the free
list.
The Republican party is more direct
and rational. 1t does mot strike down
good and bad alike. 1t invokes. the au-
thority Of Congress and the power of the
courts TO deal with specific, well defined
combinations in restraint Of the rights
and interests Of the people. 1t is as in!
sistent upon tho protection of capital en-
ployed In VIII olesome enterprise as in pre-
venting its use in contravention Of the
public interests. -
GOLD STANDARD ESTABLISHMENTS
The convention very properly declared
it to be the duty Of the Republican party
to uphold the gold standard. There is no
more important duty than to maintain the
stability and the character Of the money,
of the people. Their manifold exchanges
sh ould be effected in currency as free
from blemish as the national integrity.
The Republican party has been essentially
the guardian OF the financial credit OF the
country and the steadfast supporter OF
sound currency. It has maintained the
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