Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-03-09

unwillingness to submit to dictation
about their own affairs.
pledge myself in the future, as in
the past, if reelected to congress, to
devote my best efforts to caring for
every interest in the district, and
to promoting the general interest of
the people of the United States.
AS your representative in congress,
I have endeavored to reflect, to the
best o. my ability, the sentiment of
the district in national legislation.
How we'll | have succeeded you
must be the judges. You have stood
for all that is good in the great
questions that have come up and
have been disposed Of during the
last ten years, and greatest of all has
been the enactment into law of a
protective tariff on republican lines.
Since the enactment of this law in
1897 this country has made the most
wonderful strides in the development
of her industrial resources and
manufacturing, and has accumulated
more wealth than any other country
on the globe during like period of
time.
You have stood solidly for sound
money and the honor of the govern
ment in the discharge of its obliga-
tions. You stood for and with our
honored and loved President William
Mckinley, giving him earnest and
cordial support in the Spanish war
and in other national questions that
have from time to time been met and
disposed of.
At the time Of the passage of the
Dlngley BILL in 1897, I regarded it as
the most desirable solution of the
situation which existed then, and
time has proven the wisdom Of those
who were responsible for this legisla-
ton, but in the wonderful develop
ment and growth of.our country con-
ditions have changed science, skill,
and brains have developed our mines
and manufacturing interest, so that
in many lines we can produce for
much less than at that time, and
schedules that were necessary to
protect American labor and American
interests generally can now be with
safety reduced or cancelled ent rely
I have been criticised for alleged
inconsistency in my action upon the
tariff. I announced distinctly and
repeatedly my opinion that under
existing conditions the rates OF
duty in the metals and some other
schedules were too high, and that
in view of combinations Ia manufactur-
ing industries tending to repess com
petition at home the public interest
demanded an early reduction of the
rates of duty in some of the schedules
Of the Dingley law, and | introduced
in congress bill to carry into effecl
the views which [ entertain. I have
never departed from the opinions
which then announces, and which
were embodied in that bill, and which
found support not only ia this district
bnt to large extent throughout the
state. That the measure did not
pass was through no want of effort
] upon my part. My position has beer
misrepresented, but not misunderstood
anywhere in the United States. The
majority off my associates in the
house were at that time not in favor
of tariff revision, influenced largely By
the we'll known fact that in the senate
a single tariff proposition would oper
all the tariff schedules to revision
found I could only succeed in the
passage of the measure at that time BY
combination among the protectionist
republicans, who thought as /
thought, and the solid free trade
democracy of the house, 1t was a
partnership into which republican
members, upon SO greata subject
we're unwilling to enter, lest it disrupt
the party on the question of protec-
ton, and thereby endanger the policy
under which the country and all classes
of the country have prospered. found
agreement with me in many quarters,
among men in high position, as to
the wisdom of the changes Indicated
but found also radical indisposition
to endanger the status of the party,
as the party of protection, by invoking
democratic assistance, the motive of
which was the destruction of protec-
ton.
Some of the evils which were then
apparent time and the laws of trade
have eliminated. DISQUALIFICATION,
extortion, bad financial methods have
brought ruin to many combinations
and the consequent and inevitable
depression in prices. | have agreed
with my republican colleagues that
it was unwise to enter upon general
revision Of the tariff, and there can
be none other, pending presidential
election.
There is not a man in the district
who does not know that a president,
ial election, with its uncertainties
paralyzes more or less the business of
the country. 1t is waiting period or
business, and it is we'll known that to
interject into a presidential election a