Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-09-06
SHALL BRYAN FIX THE TARIFF?
II He Gets the Chance Every Vestiee
of Protection Will Be Eliminated.

Mr. Bryan is a free trader In his
latest generaliZed manifesto he says
the tariff is one of the issues he will
discuss hereafter. But this is not
question on which he IL likely to
change his record in the least, nor
can he modify it essentially without
violating all Democratic precedent.
In all that he has said or written in
the past Bryan has wholly condemned
the principle of protection in a tariff.
His most noted speech in congress
was a long and elaborate argument
against any protection in any sched-
ule. He contended that the constitu
tional rights of the people forbid the
inclusion in any tariff rate of a pur-
pose to build up American industries
or to protect American wages against
open foreign competition. He held
that tariff should be based entirely
on public revenue requirements, and
that American manufacturing inter
ests and the wage Garner connected
with them should adjust themselves
as best they can to foreign production
ohu "oSoCo. L hio llCS tlduS anu thC
Bryanites should not balk at the only
term that squarely expresses their
position on the tariff. They are not
tariff revisionists. All parties are for
tariff revision as occasion arises. Re-
publicans have revised protective tar
ifs again and again, but always kept
them protective. Bryan and his party
are against any protection.
In half dozen words Bryan could
have stated that he is now, as always,
free trader. He prefers to postpone
a statement of his tariff position. IL
this delay could mean that he would
consent TO any protective schedule, he
would be on Republican ground. He
may juggle and befog his tariff views,
but multiplying words will not change
his free trade intent. Business men
should realize this fact. Wage earn.
ers should keep it in mind In pro-
lection Bryan is an absolute destruc.
zionist. With such man at the head
of executive affairs the policy would
be to sweep away every yestige of
protection, a purpose that appears in
everything he has ever said in discus
sing the tariff. A business upheaval
American industries would halt until
they could get their bearings in the
markets and in margins of profit
With this condition would come a cor
responding loss in the scale of wages
and opportunities of employment.
Mr.. Bryan is trying to retreat from
his former paramount issue under Gov
er of what he calls the quantitative
theory of the money supply. He
maintains that he was right about
free silver, but that the unexpected
increase in the output of gold relieved
the strain without lessening the
soundness of his chief financial theo-
ry. Some quantitative things have
happened since 1896 in American in
dustrieS and foreign trade also. Ex-
ports of American manufactures in
5000, 100000. The total in 1896 was
1929, 100000. The quantitative jump
in selling our manufactured products
abroad has been 160 per cent. since
Bryan made his cross of gold speech.
Our whole foreign trade is larger
than ever before. Another quantita
tive point is that steamships are
much larger than in 1896 and cross
the ocean in less time With free
trade they could pour in a mountain
of foreign merchandise every week,
compelling our industries to close
down and our workmen to hunt a
new vacation. Mr.. Bryan may defer
talking about the tariff, but he can
not change his spots.-St Louis
Globe-Democrat.