Rocky Ford enterprise., 1904-09-23
Sentiment Of Workmen at tho
Big Iron Mills at Bay
View, Wisconsin.
DEMOCRACY FOR FREE TRADE
Informal Conference Of Employees st
Which the Republican end Demo.
cratic Tariff Pianks Were
Discussed.


er manufacturing establishments In this
vicinity have begun to concern them
selves over the question Of how far their
interests are concerned In the coming
political campaign. This IN entirely in-
dependent OF the Efforts of the politicians.
and has nothing whatever to do with
the relations between the two parties In
this State. The American workinImnn
II himself M educated finished product.
aud lie can no longer be attracted to this
or that political party by mere ciap-trap
or by the insincers appeal of unscrupu-
lous demnIoIucs. lie has learned to
study out economic questions for himself.
aud lie has begun TO 10 this In the pres
snt campaign. on the theory that his own
iirin. may be at stake. and that his vote
should be east. not to suit his sentiments.
but to suit his own interests.
Making an lavestiEatIou.
Anon. the men from the iron mills.
this spirit Of Investigation has taken a
deep hold aud already they have insii-
tuted several Independent Inquiries
There have been quite = number Of In.
formal conferences. and a number Of the
iendefp have begun to study the plat.
form, adopted At Chicago. aud that adopt.
ed At 81. Louis. These men have Ignored
the personality Of Roosevelt aud Of Par
consideration the general foreign policy
Of the government. the Philippine aucs.
ton. the Punsma canal. and everything
else which doc. NOT bear directly upon
the Interests OF the workinImsn. They
do not believe the platform treatment
OF tho labor question ns such. or any
mere declarations of either party should
weigh much. bot they have In.titut~i .
careful comparison of the fonads ton
principles and OF the modern record Of
the Republicans and tho Democrats. 80
far as II relates TO the actual well being
Of the lzborinx man to-day.
Almost everyone OF these labor lead
efs who has gone Into the question with.
out regard to political prejudice has b~.
come coa,inrcd ,ha, In the treatment OF
tho tariff question. the iaborlas men Of
the United States will and tho one great
issus Of tho political campaign OF 1904.
In the lumber camps Of Wisconsin and
'smons the Iron mills. there are plenty
Of faea Jet In positions OF responsibility
In labor organizations who remember the
terrible period from issy: To iso;. and
they have already b~sun to study every
phase OF the tariff question aud TO con
tras; the record OF the two parties on
tsls subject
The Repobitess Declaration.
~ ~ kAFy aANs psUEErsar1s kNSeF
representative ~orxiagmen hare disrov.
erred that the two parties sr. really more
widely apart and their eiGsr~aees are
mote distinctly outlined. on the tsr!r.
perhaps. than upon any other issue con.
SaiHed In either OF the platforms. Al
an Informal conference OF isua workers
the other night there was q friendly de.
bate between two representatives OF the
two great parties. The ars; speaker read
the tssiG plaas Of the Republican plat
form a. follows:
"iro;ee;ica. which guards and ae,eise.
our Industries, IL q cardinal priarip.i OF
the Republican party. The measure Of
protection should always. at least. equal
the difference In ,h. Gust Of psoduciioa
at home and abroad"
This declaration OF principles. u was
admitted By those present at the eonfer.
sncc. was In every way clear asd salts.
factory. The issue was fairly stated,
and those present expressed themselves
without hesitation ss being satisfied that
the policy Of protection TO American Ia.
dus;Fies would probably rvmsin for .
generation. . cardinal priacipls- Of the
Republican party.
The Democratic PtaWt.
The Democratic leader started In to
read the platform adopted at st. Louis.
which begins its tariff plank with the
words;
1--WE denounee protection ss q robbery
Of the many TO enrich the few. and We
favor = tariff limited to the need. Of the
government economically administered %
lie was at once met By . Gre Of aues.
tons as TO whether this did not bring
the Issue directly before the American
laboFins man. 60 that he must choose at
once between protection and free trade.
voting for Roosevelt, IL he believed In pro.
lection and voting for Parker IL he BE-
tsrcd In free trade.
The Democratic representative at thi.
significant shop.talk made the plea that
the platform adopted at St. Louis did not
actually mean free trade. bat ths, IL was
attended to pledge the party merely to
. fair and equitable revision Of the tariff.
% as to curb the power of the trusts and
prevent the creation OF monopclies. lie
declared that the Democratic leaders as
a whole were tariff reformers rather than
free traders, and he urged that Il was
unfair TO draw the lines go sharply. be.
cnuse the Democrats in their plank on
the tariff question make a declaration In
favor OF a revision and q gradual reiuc.
ton Of the tariff.
Sentiment Toward Republicans.
At the frst Of these conferences. the
sentiment was strongly In favor Of the
Republicans on the one issue Of protec.
tipn. but two nr three men who had
lren accustomed to vote the Democratic
ticket surs-sted that an adjournment
shculd he had. during which time they
expected to bring up the record Of 4
number Of the party leaders In Congress.
for the purpose of showing that while
the party organization ne n whole thep.
re,ically believes that Protection is
robbery" the real leaders Of the party.
the men who would have the making of
the laws u the Democrats were In power.
are at heart protectionists and do not aim
at anything more than a gradual reluc-