Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-09-20
TiNkERING WITH THE TARIFF
Protection Enemies Hope Sectional
Discomfort Will Break Down System.

Finding nothing else to combat
when they take up the coming politi-
cal campaign, the Democrats are like
ly to make the proposition to tinker
with the tariff the main issue. They
already have found hopes of victory
In Massachusetts, where the shoe man.
ufacturers want a lower tariff on
hides, SO that they may buy leather
cheaper, the American packing con-
Germs having so cornered the hide
market that the tanners cannot OBJ
tain supplies to carry out their con-
tracts without putting up the price of
their products.
In some localities in the eastern
states there is popular demand for
a readjustment of the tariff rates on
articles which are shut out now and
cannot be imported in competition
with American materials; but in every
conspicuous instance the demand is
local and affects only small number
of people.
The American tariff is for the pro-
lection of the entire American people
the people as a whole, not the peo-
pie of particular localities. Were this
not the case the tariff would be unfair
and unjust In adjusting rates the
several localities to be affected for
good or evil were given respectful con-
sideration, but the good of the whole
nation was the criterion for the final
scale. No other basis or consideration
for an equitable tariff could be adopt
ed. The constitution of the United
States and the constitutions of the
several states prohibit class legislation
or favors to special localities. Any
thing which affects one locality more
than another is not chargeable to fa-
voritism or unfairness, but is the good
fortune or the misfortune of that par
ticular locality under the operation of
law general and broad in it's scope
and intended to be free of discrimina-
tion in it's effect.
The attempt to make the complaints
Of people of particular localities
against the tariff schedules a matter
of national interest will be in line
with the long established policy of the
Democratic party to draw sectional
lines and array one portion of the
country against the Others to create
special pleas instead of presenting
national propositions in combating the
opposite party.
The uneXampled prosperity of the
past 12 years is due to the protection
given by the statesmen of the Re-
nnhlinan artu fn inponctio in ~
Any departure from that policy will
be break in the wall of defense be-
hind which American labor and CAP
ital have fought foreign invasions.
Tinkering with the tariff will be like
letting little streams tricke through
great dixie till they wear the way
for larger flow and finally destroy
the whole barrier against the floods.
Behind safe wall of reasonable, fair
and just protection the American peo-
pie are building up industries and de-
veloping material wealth at rate
never dreamed of by the old-time
Bourbon statesmen, whose war cry
always was free-trade and cheap labor.
Good wages to the workmen and a
fair profit to the capitalist make the
wheels of industry go round smooth
ly and constantly, and both the wage
of the workman and the profit of the
capitalist depend upon keeping the
gates closed to the products of cheap
labor abroad and the incoming of
cheap stuff from the overcrowded
markets of other nations This policy
may make prices higher in this coun-
try to the consumer, but it gives the
consumer the same relatively high
price for what he produces, and thus
evens up the scale and keeps the
wheels OF industry and the marts of
commerce going. There Is something