The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1904-10-27
RuinoUs National Policy.

Mr.. French said In his Grafton In
Salmon that protection did not d.
rectly benefit anybody in this section
OF the west. The fact Is, protection
has terrible effect upon all working
and producing classes Of this immed-
late section.
The voters very commonly con-
found a tariff for revenue, with
tariff for protection. A wise revenue
duty Is one OF the just prices OF citi-
zenshlp, which cannot be escaped
under civilized governments. tax
/ for protection Is the worst kind OF
class legislation. 10 produces no rev.
enue, but cuta down the revenues OF
/ the government by prohibiting I'M
portations.
One instance OF class legislation Is
| illustrated by the duty on shoes. /
The manufacturers OF shoes have
prohibitive tariff against all com
petitive importations. A pair OF
ladies' shoes which are sold In this
market for from 81 to IS, costs In
labor and material less than sl.50 and
even a s5 pair OF shoes does not ex-
ceed this cost price.
Nobody In Lemhi county Is benefit
ted in any way by this duty. Every
body Is taxed, not TO afford revenue
but to support trust that Is rich
enough to buy the whole state OF
,, idaho with the profits upon watered
stock.
III there Is shadow OF benefit TO
ne reflected upon this county by TINS
/, class protection, some system OF
bookkeeping would show personal
balance to its credit. II nobody has
this balance, to offset 100 per cent
y profit to trust. this system Is wrong.
Any general policy that requires
tribute without compensating re-
! turn, Is wrong from commercial
:, standpoint.
u The talk is made that we should
" vote money out of our neighbor's
pockets for the general good OF the
y country. This means when analysed,
. that you should vote big dividend
" on factory stock away back In Massa-
y chusetts, even II 1t Expresses your
y nearest neighbor to distress, when
&c he works for every cent or that
'o tribute, and even has scanty fare fol
% his wife and babies left after he pays
= the exactions of your partys policy.
The best brand of patriotism fayor'
10 your neighbor who lives upon the re
turns of toll rather than the trust
10 every member of which Is opulen
" with accommodating dividends.
" Now it may be the republican yea
" lot will say, this class tribute uphold
the price of labor. The fact Is, tn
'o fine shoes you wear are made by swea
=" shop methods and machines that ar
90 operated by laborers who receive al
~ average of less than one dollar day
VI There is no pretense to divide tn
"o tribute you pay, with the workin
10 class.
~ There is not tariff law for pre-
~, lection that is not a fraud on 1t
Ia "a, face. A tariff for protection
-. wholly unconstitutional In all 1t
" principles. If proof could be pre-
-, duced In court that 1T was passed &c
:, - protection, such law would be null
~, fed by the courts.
~ The fundamental principles OF til
-. republican party has been a false pr
, ~, tense maintained in iniquity for
~, years. The republican party Is tt
ID only great organization that hi
~ thrived upon fraud as basis, in tn
,a -. country OF honest purposes, for
~ many generations. The system
trust protection and other forms
cry class legislation Is very repugnant
to the masses The success OF this pa
to pable wrong Is due to the yigor vii
which the false pretense of reven,
necessity has been imposed upon Il
.er- gullible public.
nus No political economist has ever u
inu held the idea that man should vo
'"h against local commercial interests
u a consideration of patriotism to co
sign your neighbors to a bondage
ri. tribute to foreign interest, even
,st the beneficiary was within the SAL
ncs nation. Patriotism, like charity, /
his gins at home, and takes personal
rh. terest largely to account.