Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-03-15
FREE TRADE REcOMMENDER
The Pet Aversion of Gov. Folk, of
Kansas, Is Prosperity Pro-
noting Protection.

At Democratic banquet in Kansas
Gov. Folk made a bitter attack upon
the protective tariff principle. In his
remarks on grating he spoke of "the
tariff grafters, with their millions of
ill-gotten wealth, wrung from the peo-
pie by means of special privileges
given them by law" Mr.. Folk, says
the st. Louis Globe-Democrat, has
harped on tariff robbers" in previous
speeches in Ohio and Massachusetts
A protective tariff excites him to vitu-
peratiye anger. Mr.. Folk is a free
trader In his attitude as a public
man this is the most significant fact,
because it is the direction in which he
could work the greatest damage If he
had the power. He is against all pro-
lection. He would not resort to it to
protect American wages, or for any
other purpose. If the matter rested
with him, protection would be wiped
out at a blow. He calls it robbery and
its results the accumulations of graft.
1t is the extreme free trade view, with
the addition of abusive rancor. Pro-
lection is Folks pet aversion, and he
bubbles over with epithets when he
refers to it.
1t is matter of consequence to put
a distinct mark on politicians who
have this capacity for mischief to the
country's industrial interests and pros
perity. In most cases, in these times,
Democratic speakers are shy about
coming out flat-footed for free trade.
They prefer to talk about tariff revi-
sion or reciprocity. But Mr.. Folk was
born and raised in a southern state,
where the Democrats accept the South
Carolina view that protection is some
thing utterly depraved. Mr.. Folk de-
nounces it as criminal, as a robbery
conducted by grafters loaded with i'll
gotten wealth wrung from the people
by legalized special privileges. He has
taken his stand for absolute free trade,
and it will count for more than any
tring else in estimates of his public
purposes. Missouri has a great stake
in protected industries. It's manufac-
turing interests have increased i'm
mensely and keep on growing. Sup
pose Mr. Folk had his way, and ripped
them up with free trade? Would Mis-
sourians gain or lose by that cataclys-
mic act? Would every wheel continue
to turn? Would employment at the
best wages continue to be abundant?
The answer is self-evident. The soup
house era of dozen years ago would
return. Factories would again shut
down. The dinner pail would be
empty. There would be two or three
men for every job. There would be
misery and ruin on every hand, as in
the free trade period between 1893 and
the defeat Of that prosperity-killing
party.
How would the zinc and lead miners
of Missouri like to get another slice of
free trade times? Mr. Folk beckons
them on, but would they follow such a
guide? Would the great manufactur-
ing population of Missouri take a bait
like that? 1t would be a mad thing to
do, tossing away of the highest
known prosperity for the opposite, as
fully demonstrated in the last Demo-
cratic administration, when, with ev-
cry department of the government in
their hands, the free trade Democratic
party plunged the country into a mo-
raSs of idleness and want 1t was
return to protection that extricated
it. Mr.. Folk proposes to take the
back track, but he will find few in Mis-
souri,, outside Of the South Carolina
tariff school, to accept his invitation.
a serious threat of free trade in this
country would convulse it to it's deep
est industrial foundations.