The Teton peak., 1904-09-08
e.ctiment Of Workmen at tho
Bio Iron Mills at Bay
View, Wisconsin.
,sMocsAcY FOR FREE TRADE
.,.ormsl Conference Of Employee at
Which the z ..blicaa end Dene.
ustic Tariff PIanks Were
Discussed.

r,,vaukes, Wis, Sept. 1.-Werkmen
= the big Bayview iron mills and In 9TH
~ manufacturing establishments In this
.icinity have begun to concern them
,.ve. over the question Of how far their
s,sr.sts are concerned In the coming
..,,t,cal campaign. This 10 entirely In
i.n.ndent of the efforts Of the politicians,
and has nothing whatever to do with
II, relations between the two parties In
~. State. The American workingman
+ himself an educated finished product,
.nd he can no longer be attracted to this
Ar that political party BY mere clap-trap
Ar by the insincers appeal Of unscrupu-
I'm. demagogues. He has learned to
,tudy out economic questions for himself,
and he has begun to do this In the pres
ant campaign, on the theory that his own
living may be at stake, and that his vote
should be east, not to suit his sentiments,
but to suit his own interests.
Making an Investis atisu.
Among the men from the iron Mills.
this spirit of investigation has taken q
deep hold and already they have insti-
tuted several independent inquiries.
There have been quite 4 number Of in
formal conferences, and q number Of the
form adopted at Chicago. and that adopt
,d at st. Louis. These men have ignored
Tho personality OF Roosevelt and of Par
ker as well. They have eliminated from
consideration the general foreign policy
Of the government. the Philippine ques.
don. the Panama canal. and everything
else which does not bear directly upon
the interests Of the workingman. They
A.. bol; bo nj tr~o tv,o M
Of the labor question as such, or any
mere declarations of either party should
weigh much, but they have Instituted
careful comparison Of the foundation
principles and of the modern record of
The Republicans and the Democrats, SO
far as it relates to the actual well being
N the iaboring man to-day.
Almost everyone Of these labor lead
srs who has gone into the question with
cut regard to political prejudice has be-
come convinced that in the treatment Of
the tariff question, the laboring men Of
the United States will find the one great
Issue Of the political campaign of 1904.
In the lumber camps Of Wisconsin and
among the iron mills, there are plenty
Of men vet in positions OF responsibility
IN labor organizations who remember the
they have already begun to study every
phase of the tariff question and to con-
trast the record Of the two parties on
this subject.
The Republican Declaration.
As far as they have progressed. these
representative workingmen have discov-
cred that the two parties are really more
widely apart and their differences are
more distinctly outlined, on the tariff,
perhaps. than upon any other issue con-
tanned in either Of the platforms. At
an informal conf erence OF iron workers
the other night there was 4 friendly de
bate between two representatives Of the
Two great parties. The first speaker read
the tariff plank Of the Republican plat
form as follows:
Protection, which guards and develops
eur industries, is a cardinal principal OF
The Republican party. The measure OF
lrotection should always, at least, equa
the difference in the cost Of production
1t home and abroad"
This declaration Of principles. 1t wa:
admitted by those present at the confer
soce' was in every way clear and salts
factory. The issue was fairly stated
and those present expressed themselves
without hesitation as being satisfied thai
NE policy Of protection to American in
sustries would probably remain for ,
generation, 4 cardinal principle" u tn,
1spubcan Llrty.
The Dem ocratie Plank.
Inc Democratic leader started in I,
mad the platform adopted at st. Louis
winch begins its tariR plank with th'
words:
we denounee protection a. . Robber!
I" the many to enrich the few. and ",
avor tariff limited to the needs of th'
government economically administered.
ne was at once met by 4 fire Of ques
uohs az to whether this did not brinI
we ISSUE directly before the American
Mooring man. so that he must choose a
,nce between protection and free trade
Young for Roosevelt il he believed in pro
:.tuon and voting for Parker IL hs b
'evea In free trade.
:, Inc Democratic representative at thi
"Smhcant shep-talk made the plea tina
". PLATFORM adopted at st. Louis did no
..'uaiiy mean free trade, but that it wa
a.tnoed to pledge the party merely t
iair and equita BILE revision Of the tarifl
as to curb the power Of the trusts an'
se'eht the creation of mon0polies. Il
.eeiafed that the Democratic leaders q
whole We're tariff reformers rather thai
se traders, and he urged that it wa
.u'uir to draw the lines so sharply. bs
.s suse the Democrats in their plank ol
sI .e tarih question make q declaration Il
s. ,or or revision and 4 gradual reduc
aoh of the tariff.
sentiment Toward Republicans.
"a. "a. the first Of these conferences, tn
nun'ent was strongly in favor Of tn
WI ..puniicans on the one issue Of protee
ho"' but two or three men who ha'
w.. .h accustomed to vote the Democrat
.it Net suggested that An adjournmen
..uuid be had. during which time the
.rpec'ed .n to bring up the record Of
soa uHoer .' OF the party leaders in Congress
N. the purpose of showing that Will
,.., party organization a. a whole theo
stealy ..s, believes that Protection is
'oefy N. the real leaders Of the party
shs men who would have the making o
A., A.. Jaws If the Democrats were in power
=, az heart protectionists and do not air
N,n Snything more than a gradual redue
10h of the tariff.