The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-15
Congressman Halvor Steener-
son Took Up Fight for Re-
publican Party, Both in Ma
tional and State Politics
Showing Why Party Merits
Support.
ADVISED RETURN Of SENATOR
HANSBR0UGH TO CONGRESS
Crowd Present Appeared
Pleased With the Informa-
ton Offered.

OF both branches OF congress. and OF
the presidency. Congress was con
vened by President Cleveland and in
the strongest free trade message ever
written. he urged the enactment of
new tariff, based upon the princi.
piles of free trade. The result You
know. 1t is so recent history that
even the Youngest among you. re-
member, these four years of stag.
nation. panic, idleness. beggary and
ruin. They will never be forgotten
by any who ever witnessed them One
would think that with the experience
of that administration. that the demo-
cratic party would have ceased their
opposition to the protective policy o,
this government. and do as they did on
the slavery and secession issue. ac-
knowledged the corn and say that you
are right and we are wrong and we
are ready to go out and find another
issue. but for some strange reason
they still persist. 1t seems that the
medicine was not quite strong enough
for them and they want to try another
dose. Instead of ascribing the hard
times of 1894 to 1897 to its true cause,
the democratic party at the next cleo
ton. under the leadership of William
]. Bryan. ascribed it to lack of
money. and a defect in our financial
system. and so to correct the evils I'M
der which We were suffering they did
not propose to return to protection,
but to the adoption of the free COIN
age of silver, sixteen to one. They
were beaten in the presidential cleo
ton which followed and the great
statesman and patriot. William Nc
kinley, was inaugurated and called
congress together in extra session on
March 4. 1897, and the result was the
Dingley law which restored the prin-
cipal of protection to American in
dustries. Instead of initiating the cur
rency by the unlimited coinage of de-
preciated silver, the gold standard was
firmly established thereby placing our
credit on the highest basis among al.
the commercial nations of the world.
The result you all know: prosperity
returned as if by magic. there was
/ a transformation the like of which
has never been witnessed in any coun-
try, in all the tides of time. No more
idle workmen, no more panic, no more
bankruptcy, no more starvation, but
prosperity and health and progress
and contentment and happiness every
where. But the democratic party did
not acknowledge the righteousness of
our cause, they still held to their doc
trine that our relief should come
through the imitation of our currency.
and the free coinage of silver. 10
this they returned in the election of
1900, but the American people again
decided the question most emphatical-
ly in favor of the republican party.
One would think that two verdicts of
the people would have satisfied them.
but in the last presidential election
the democratic party refused to ac-
knowledge the errors of their ways
and still advocated the free coinage
of silver, but nominated gold stand
ard man for candidate. This device
failed, however, to receive the sup
port o fthe people and the defeat of
Alton B. Parker by Theodore Roose-
welt was the most overwhelming that
has ever been recorded in our his
tory. In the face of all this expert
ence the democratic party today
makes the tariff the main issue. They
have dropped the money question evil
IDENTIFY acknowledging that they were
wrong, but they still maintain their
whole opposition upon the tariff. Now
we hold that the only safe way to
judge Of the future is by the expert
ence of the past and that nothing can
be more certain than that democratic
control and the enactment of a .flI7
trade or revenue tariff would again
be followed by hard times. We submit
that by the experience not only oil
the United States. but every country
on the face OF the globe. 1t is a settled
economic law that protection to hom.
industry conduces to the prosperity Of
the people. The only apparent ex.
ception, that of Great Britain. has til
special cause, but even they, who have
an experience of nearly one hundred
years, are going on in favor Of pro
tective tariff. 1t should be remem
bered that it is not the amount of thu
duties on imports, but the manner II
which they are levied. that makes thu
difference The protectionist be
lieves in levying the duties on til.
commodities that we produce, or car
produce, in order that domestic
market may be preserved to our owl
people; and higher wages paid to ou
labor, and our own capital and enter
prises fully rewarded. The free trad
ers believe they should be levied OF
non-competitive commodities. like te;
and coffee for instance. so that the!
cannot operate to the advantage o
non-producers but produce revenue
only. ! said that 1t was not tn,
amount of the duties upon imports
that was important but the manne
in which they are levied. The amour
raised under either system must b.
practically the same for the govern
ment must have it's revenue and tn,
treasury must be replenished. Durinl
the four years of the last Clevelan,
administration there was collected OF
an average of 500 per capita in Gus
toms duties. During the nine YEAR