The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-18

plish very much. You cannot accom- plish 1t by denouncing the tariff as a graft. There is graft in church and there Is graft In Masonry and other fraternal organizations, but you would not denounce the church or Masonry because men have been found in their ranks who are grafters. There Is graft. of course. in connection with the tariff, but as a principle. the protective system has built up tue industries of this country and 1t Is because of the great invasion of American industry to all parts of the world that you have had the trouble here which you are called together to consider. You never would have been htN, but for the fact that fifteen hundred millions of Amer ican products have found their way in- to foreign countries within the past year. I believe in S,arrying cut the letter and spirit of the constitution; that reaches these questions 6y reel. procity. I don't believe you can 'do 1t by a double standard. That Is pre- cisely what you propose here, the double standard of tariff, which means simply a minimum tartn and nothing else"
 Governor Cummins's Address.
 Governor Cummins of Iowa was the next spealer. T for one have deep and abiding and persisting confidence in the Judgment of the plain. common, simple people of the land. and want to settle this question in the good, old fashioned way, appointed by three fn- stitutions for the determination of pub lie policies" said the Governor. Let us fight 1t out before the people. If we lose let us abandon the attempt, and If we win let those who are skulking in the shadows of concealment retire to the places that are appropriate for cow ards and traitors to the policies of our Government. tCheers and continued applause If the decision of the peo- pie be for reciprocity there must be no further juggling with words and the promise that is kept to the ear must not be broken to the people. The gray ity of the situation is manifested and it is acknowledged, l believe. upon all hands that we must meet 1t In one or two ways--retaliatfon or reciprocity. The stand patters' have raised the banner of the former and we march to the music of the latter. (Applause.)
 Many people think this question is confined to treaties with particular powers. but it is not Sd, for 1t cannot be accomplished through general tar ifs as we'll as through special arrange ments Indeed, 1t can be truthfuily said that with us If attained in the near future, it must be attained through a general law by a revision of our schedule for 1t has been made clear to the dullest mind that no trade treaty however advantageous to the people Of this country can command two-thirds of the United States Senate. (Ap- plause.) It involves invariably. wheth. CT attained in the one way or the oth- CT, some change in our import duties. and here the trouble begins. It Is use- less to attempt to close our eyes to the obvious fact that the efforts to intro- duce reciprocity as an effective policy of the Government have failed because many we'll intentiered intelligent peo- pie have believed < sitS. still believe that 1t means the destruction of. the system of protection to which the great ma jority of the voters are attached. l have been a constant advocate of the policy of protection, The protective tariff was not originally intended to ate competition.
 No foreign nation could justly com plain of this equalization and so far as know no nation has ever complained of such a criterion for import duties. With schedules arranged with any fair regard for this definition of protection, reciprocity would be already secured. and retaliation would be the weapon with which to punish any country that TeIuSeO lO uCdl AditAy "tth hS' At Nhc most we would need treaties in very few instances to provide for unusual and extraordinary conditions.
 There is no conflict and can be none, between protection and reciprocity if we abandon the selfish interest of a particular producer or class of pro- ducers and ascend to the higher stand point for which we may view the com mon welfare. The only Justification for interference with absolute free trade is first to provide a revenue and second, to diversity and increase the products of the country and 1t is just as essential and just as beneficial to our producers to preserve and enlarge their markets abroad as it Is to preserve and enlarge their markets at home
 The demand we make is not new. The men who today are the opponents of the stand pat theory of government are not protectionists; they are exclu- sionists. (Applause) They have no title to the leadership of the party of protection"
 After brief speeches by ex-Mayor Maybury, of Detroit. and F. Rietbock, of wisconsin. the report of the Commit tee on Resolutions was taken up. The first resolution was amended by the agreement of the committee to read as follows: Resolved. first, That this committee recognizing the principle of protection as the established policy of our country, advocates immediate recip- rocal concessions. by means of a dual or maximum and minimum tariff. as the only practical method of relieving at this time the strained situation with which we are confronted"
 Congressman Holiday of Indiana moved that the second resolution be stricken out This motion precipitated a spirited discussion. in the midst of which the convention adjourned until