New-York tribune., 1906-06-03

DEMAND FREE TRADE.
Speakers at Reform Club Dinner
Denounce Protection Pollen.


The primary object Of the dinner was TO begin a
movement to return TO Congress the next cleo
tion members who are pledged viii pledge them
selves to tariff reform legislation.
Herry B. 3. Stap!er, chairman OF the reform
committee. presided at the dinner. The speakers
were Ex-Governor William L. Douglass. of Nassa-
ebusetts; Congressman John Sharp Williams Pro
fessor William c. Sumner of Yale; Congressman
Henry T. Raiaey and John Dewitt Warner Let
ters OF regret were read f-om Henry Watte-sOn
of The Louisville Courier-Jou-nal.' ex-President
Grover Cleveland and Alton Is. Parker. Ex-Judge
Parker's letter was as follows;
IL is gratifying know that the Reform Club.
true 10 its history and traditions purposes 10 enter
anew upon the warfere against rriviIess ard injus-
lce. nee nay teglet IS that cannot attend your pan
sonal share OF is>en,r ard sincere sympa,hizer
In the feveTiSh discussion during the last two
years ABOUT the ethics OF business there mas nat
uraIly been recUrr, TO the cases which nave
mtted, The fountains OF tie great deep or morals
& IHe 2o. } oeeg orokSn @ up without reason ire
fruitful! norrisSine nlotber az all our serious evils
Its nlalign Influence has made possible the coyrup-
uon Of me electorate with money furnished by
grateful but always alarmed benefcisries. Knowi-
edge OF the fac, that the grea patient public could
CS De apqsfa Kart OF The tine has led to the
th!t thT!t perhaps it could be done all the time
II the government. looking for s. TO meet It's
VorieS with y, why should a railway a public
IT'S CHANGES in its own special field. If the law
enables these TO put their hands into The pockets
fit, why should their f4vorite or responsible Of
tFa- c1S aeIaSe 10 take advantage of what are TO
VIII continue TO widen until the cause is removed
LATED and IS rs zone our people may take up an re,
removing them gradually from our life
every man. who can see how privilege grows BY
@ wnat IL ieeas on. should welcome and applaud the
just entering
Ex-Presdent C1evelands letter read
am very sorry it is impossible for me to accept
@ te lPPDitatlon p Of the committee on tarn reform Of
Gaoer tne auspices of the committee on the second
! am convinced that the value to our people of
wholesome tariff reform never more easily
opportune time for its as earnest r advocacy
Inc nose VINO are enlisted in the cause should not al
whelmed by other topics which just seem TO
These will prove to be bat temporary and evanes-
cent when the truth is brought home to our coun-
OF an evil underlying nearly all other economic
the interests and welfare of the many for the bene
nj OF the selfish and pampered few
be msled to their hurt nor that they viii continue
TO condone the wrongs which are the progeny of an
unjust and unfair tariff fail to discover pun
lSh the criminal parent
An invitation sent to William Jennings
Bryan, at Lincoln. Neb.. but a reply from Mr.
Bryan's brother informed the committee that Mr.
Bryan would not have completed his tour OF the
world in time to be present at the dinner. and
that cable message sent TO him at Rome would
probably catch him there June /. The message
sent, but the reply was that Mr. Bryan was
not in Rome that time.
Congressman John T. Rainey of Illinois said In
closing speech which was received with applause:
There is nothing in the balance Of trade theory.
none OF these arguments appeal TO the American
You concede that individual has the right to
buy IN the cheapest market; will you deny that
schedues faciiites ~ 1rnto 10 eqUaze ny taT
J-br ha rna
proper time for the party of Hamilton TO return
70 the teachings OF Hamilton, and declare that
the payment Of subsidies 10 Industries long estab
hshed is indefensible
Ex-Governor Douglass spoke chiefly on the ef-
fects of protection in New England saying IN part:
Because of her extensive sea coast and fine bar
many kinds of foreign made goods than 10 nav
Wes5tfn states Ba M sa0qs isD Gen6 66 s end
mitted TO enjoy the benefits Of locs ton bestowed by
aerlves ives US OF access TO our natural raw materials
o @ usr, I S rhsskets I Mhst we want and all
OF bondage TO the hundreds of protected that
foreigners for the same goods and that levy tribute
upon upon our mills and our homes. The specific duties
tnat We want removed at the earliest possible mo-
ment: those that constitute the minimum that will
Congress. are the duties on hides sole leather coal
iron ore. lumber and wood pulp
Free coal would mean but little to any other sec
P9nfr Gossf VIII eScet New England and the
coal the protected trusts would 70 lower their
Jn
TO save the remnants OF the once important iron
;I inGuHtry or Massachusetts and TO make rs less
81 81 10 S ton is indefensiba fr 0y & tt oo ron ~
VEN Inc tarlr on pulp Is tax on knowledge and
We want free lumber, and want 1t badly We
need II in our business; need it In our homes;
We need 1t TO save our forests and streams There
IS plenty OF lumber In Canada. and the lumberrnen
there are anxious 10 do business with us. The
this duty would be a hardship to our lumter
interests is evident from the fact that our total
were more than three times our Imports In Iy97
after twenty-five years of free hides. a duty of Is
per cent Vas put on cattle hides, Crher hides and
skins being lett on the free list. During me iast
terially while the price of hides has acreasel T.
foreign hides. %
Introduced as the fearless assailer of corpora+s
interests John Sharp Williams was the next
speaker. The gst OF his speech or. at least large
part Of it, that if the articles now high priced
because OF protection were cheapened. then people
would purchase them for the sheer joy of buving
In proof OF this he cited the time when oranges
cost 25 cents apiece in Cleveland. and only half a
dozen Of them could be found Now that they cost
only cent apiece. loads Of them are seen. He
prefaced his speech by saving that he felt nervous
being with the majority for the first time In his
life. as he had TO believe that the majority
always was wrong. Continuing. he said in part:
If your politicians are bad lot it is your own
fault and the fault OF the system under which they
as the people Of Mississippi viii allow me, for be-
lieve that the business OF the Reoublc ts the
noblest occupation OF an American
Mr.. Williams declared that the present tariff
system was not protection. but favorftfsr,-ir,
moral favortism. He said that there was HttIs 10
choose between those who taxed all TO make one
prosperous and the corporation ofcer who diverted
a trust TO foster his own syndicate. Bryan he
said and Cleveland and Watterson, had sounded
sentiment which should become the slogan OF
the Democracy. The tariff is not only the mother
OF trusts but the mother Of graft he added
Continuing, he said.
II is notorious that the railroads Will take ship
n1ent of steel at q reduced rate New York Il il
i ~ a. De sent ahroaG- Lots