Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-10-05
DISCUSSES TARIFF ISSUES AT
A MASS MEETING.
CORRECT IN PRINCIPLE
Cabinet Member Declares That no
Tariff Bill Is Perfect But That the
Principle of Protection Is Correct
snd viii Never Be Amended by
Republicans.

mass meeting here last night dis
cussed the tariff issues, declaring that
all the party claims for any tariff law
is that in principle it is perfect, that
it win be amended in due time but
hat the principle will never be amend,
ed under a republican administra-
ton.
Secretary Shaw arrived here early
in the afternoon. At the meeting
Representative lost made a strong
appeal for purity OF elections and for
the choice of Judge Lewis as COVER
nor. Secretary Shaw followed, speak
ing in part as follows:
You must bear in mind" said Sec
rotary Shaw, that there was never
tariff law enacted that was perfect or
that anyone claimed was perfect No
TWO congresses would never enact the
same BILL Every tariff law IS an
aggregation of compromises. All that
the republican party ever claims for
any tariff law is that the principle Is
perfect. The rate will be too high
here and too low there burt protection
will be found in its every feature. The
opposition party never claim that
their tariff measures are perfect.
They only claim that the principle
of free trade, on which they profess
10 contruct their tariff laws, is the cor
rect principle. They claim to elimin-
ate every element of protection from
all their tariff laws, as England elm
mates protection from her tariff laws.
England provides tariff for the sole
purpose of revenue and the democratic
party profess to do the same, They
have openly and repeatedly denounced
protection as robbery-they strike at
the principle.
While the republican party never
claimed for any tariff law that it was
perfect and never promises to enact
a perfect tariff law, it does claim that
all it's tariff laws are builded on the
principle Of proIectio! It has never
sacrificed one industry for the sake OF
building up another, and never will.
Neither will i. prejudice one locality
in the interest of another. 1t will be
national and not provincial. 1t will
protect the south as well as the north;
the east as well as the west. and the
west as well as the east"
Secretary Shaw declared that the
republican tariff laws are so construct
ed as to protect every man and every
industry. Further on he said:
The wool schedule of the Dinghy
law may not, be perfect. 1t may be
too high, or it may be too low, or the
lifferentials may have been Incorrect
ly worked out. 1t Is constructed on
the protection principle, however, and
under it Virginia farmers sell their
wool and their sheep at far better
prices than during Mr.. Cleveland's
last administration when the duty was
placed so low on both sheep and on
wool that this industry was ruined"
The secretary gave some figures
bearing on the wool schedule and con-
tinuei
Thus the schedule is arranged to
give protection to the wool growers
and to every wool operator, skilled and
unskilled. Wooden cloth, for instance,
worth over 20 cents per pound, pays a
specific duty of "A cents per pound
and so per cent ad valorem. The duty
on velvet carpets is 60 cents per
square yard and 40 per cent al valor-
EN-. / repeat that it is not an easy
task to construct tariff law and work
out these differentials. All the repub-
lican party claims is that it constructs
it's tariff laws on principle. What
er who would claim to be free trader
as applied to wool, and a protectionist
as applied to wooden manUfactur.
ers?"
81 made an informal talk the other
day before the board of trade of Jack
Sonville, Florida or course | made
no reference to the tariff or any other
political subject Following me, an ex.
governor of the state was called upon,
and before he closed he expressed the
opinion that great and wonderful
prosperity would come to this country
if we could once get rid OF the iniquit.
olrs tariff as he called 1t. When he
sat down, arose and said that while
d!l not wish to discuss political ques.
tons at nonpartisan meeting, never.
theless, II the board of trade of Jack.
sonville would ask II, and the people
of California would join in the re.
quest, | would do my best to get the
ubiquitous tariff" removed from
cutrus fruits. Democrats as well as
republicans cheered to the echo. They
then called upon man, said to be the
leading lawyer OF the state, demo
crat, who declared that practically all
the men present were protectionists
To this there was no voice of dissent
He said they were protectionists and
sound money men, but that they all
voted the democratic ticket He then
told his associates that II they demand
ed protection on their citrus fruits