Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-28

SClLuJlOn OIL LQe laCe Commemorate 0CdCeS
of America.
That constitution provided:
No bounty shall be granted from the
treasury and no duties or taxes on
importation from foreign nations shall
be laid to promote or foster any branch
of industry.
The Democratic Allegations.
And the democratic platform in 1892
alleged In terms that the constitution
of the United States also forbade the
levy Of protective duties:
We denounce republican protection
| as a fraud robbery of the great ma
jority Of the American people for the
benefit Of the few. We declare it to
be fundamental principle of the
democratic party that the federal gov
eminent has no constitutional power
to impose and collect tariff duties, ex-
cept for the purposes Of revenue only,
and we demand that the collection Of
such taxes shall be limited to the ne
cessities Of the government when hon
estly and economically administered.
We denounce the Mckinley tariff law
enacted by the Fifty-firs congress as
the eliminating atrocity Of class leg
islation; we endorse the efforts made
by the democrats Of the present con-
gress to modify it's most oppressive
features in the direction Of free raw
materials and cheaper manufactured
goods that enter into general consump-
ton, and we promise it's repeal as one
of the beneflcent results that will fol-
low the action OF the people in en-
trusting power to the democratic par
ty. Since the Mckinley tariff went
into operation there have been ten re-
auctions OF the wages Of the laboring
man to one increase. We deny that
there has been any increase of pros
perity to the country since that tariff
went into operation, and we point to
the dullness and distress, to the wage
trade as the best possible evidence
that no such prosperity has resulted
from the Mckinley act.
We call the attention of thoughtful
Americans to the fact that after thir-
ty years of restrictive tariff against
the importation Of foreign wealth in
exchange for our agricultural surplus
the homes and farms of the country
have become burdened with q real es-
tate mortgage debt of over two thou
sand five hundred million dollars ex-
elusive Of all other forms Of indebt-
edness; that in one Of the chief agri-
cultural states Of the west there APP
pears a mortgage debt averaging $165
per capita of the total population, and
that similar conditions and tendencies
are shown to exist in the other agri-
cultural exporting states. We de-
nounce policy which fosters no in
dustry such as 1T does that of the
sheriff.
Condemned Without Trial.
The Mckinley bill was condemned,
unheard, and untried, in the congress
sional election Of 1890. That law had
then only been in force a single month.
It's terms were imperfectly understood
by the voters and its effects were still
a matter Of conjecture. Denunciation
of Its purposes were accepted as proofs
and prophecies as to its consequences
were accepted as facts. The result
was that only a corporaIs guard Of
the members who voted for that law
were returned to congress that year.
In the state Of Iowa, out of our elev.
en- members six were democratic free
traders In the Fifty-second congress;
but by the next election In 1892 the
Mckinley law had a two years. trial
The country was prosperous. Our ex.
ports for the first time in our history
had passed the billion dollar mark and
our balance Of trade was more than
S200,000,000 on the right side Of the
ledger, The republican declaration OF
its tariff principles was clear and
strong.
Republican Platform Of 1892.
We reaffirm the American doctrine
of protection. We call attention to its
growth abroad. We maintain that
the prosperous condition Of our coun-
try Is largely due to the wise revenue
legislation OF the last republican con-
gress. We believe that all articles
which can be produced in the United
States, except luxuries, should be adj
mitted free Of duty, and that on all
the products of American labor there
should be levied duties equal to the
difference between wages abroad and
| at home.
We assert that the prices Of man.
ufactured articles Of general consump-
ton have been reduced under the OPP
Grafton of the tariff act Of 1890.
We denounce the efforts of the dem
| ocratic majority OF the house of rep
resentatives to destroy our tariff laws
by piecemeal as manifested by their
| attacks upon wool, lead. and lead ores
the chief products Of number OF
states and we ask the people for their
| Judgment thereon.
We point to the success Of the re-
publican policy Of reciprocity, under
which our exports have vastly in
creased and new and enlarged mar
kets have been opened for the prod
uts Of our farms and workshops. We
| remind the people of the bitter oppo-
| sition Of the democratic party to this
practical business measure. and claim
that, executed by a republican admin
| istration, our present laws will event.
ually give us control Of the trade OF
! the world.
The Change In 1892.
The republican campaign maxim in
1892 was founded upon very satisfac
tory conditions. The people were very
prosperous, labor was employed, bust
ness steadily increasing, and the slo
gan of the party of protection was
then voiced in four words, LET well
enough alone!" Our democratic op
ponents raised the battle cry, LET us
have change" If we insisted that
we were doing well enough" the an
swer vas TO the effect, Then quit it,