Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1906-04-19
;DTlMEs ALWAYS FOLLOW REPEAL
OF PROTECTIVE LAWS.

No Measure Enacted by Protection
fnts Has Ever irailed to Bring Gem
oral Prosperity Revision of the
Work of Dingicy Would BE Folly.
The history of American industry
aul tariff legislation will show five
things clearly:
rrst.--No successful tariff bill was
kvcr framed or enacted except under
.,o stress of dire Industrial and COM
nercial disaster.
Second.-Tbere never was repeal or
Il protective tariff that was not at once
followed by hard times low wages and
high rates of interest.
ghird.-No tariff law was ever enact
ell by protectionists that did not bring
general prosperity.
Fourth-No material amendment of
a tariff law reducing duties that did
not impair its usefulness and was not
the beginning of its destruction.
Eifth.-No successful tariff law was
eyer first attacked in the open ON prln-
ciple. The assault has been made III
tie outset by a clamor for revision,
amtinst the sanctity of any law, chang
ca conditions, joined in at once by an
tiGue free traders and manufacturers
who demand protection for themselves
and would deny it to wool, COAL ETC.,
and aided by men whose ambitions In
their own party have been disappoint-
ed.
A successful tariff is huge combine
ana to the uninstructed economist aru-
fcial-unnatural But it is combine
embracing the whole nation against
Europe and for the benefit of all our
pa9rlc. especially of the farmers and
wage earners.
To effect this combine the greatest
difficulties must be encountered and
overcome.
American industries are almost in
conceiyably interviewer and intcrde-
pendent Every one must buy raw ma
terial Of many kinds. Wool is raw ma
terial to the cloth maker. steel to the
cutler and so on through the whole
gamut of the tens OF thousands of in
dustries. But wool is the finished prod
uct of the farmer steel of the steel
mill. Nova Scotia has great beds OF
bituminous coal, said to be owned in
large part by syndicate of Cleveland
free traders New England factories
would like free coal; New England cut
lers want free steel The factory own
ers. uncducated in the higher. broader
more abstruse laws of trade, think the
duty on coal. steel, etc, is paid by
them. They do not stop to consider
what the price would be should the
competition of the United States sup
PLY he cut off by free trade in coal
The shoe and harness maker hoping
for cheaper leather. wants free hides.
SO when a tariff bill is to be framed
or revised these gentlemen swarm into
Washington and with the frantic yea
of mere money getters veX the atmos
phere with Il clamor and catter that
would make bedlam seem like haver
OF peace. TO reconcile these conflicting
interests and frame wise and fair bill
is titanic task. No one who has not
Witnessed Il work like this or watched
IL closely can form any just conception
of its pitfalls and nerve racking diff
cultes. Poor Nelson Dingley, the no
blest. ablest purest of American
statesmen, gave up his invaluable life
to the task. In 1883 Kelley weakened il
strength while the battle was on, ant
Haskns of Kansas sought to relieve
him. Both soon went to their respec
two graves. Scarcely an item could ge
into the protective circle without pro
longed conflict with some one-general
ly more-industry which was itself pro
tected
The election of Cleveland and a Dem
ocratic congress in 1892 brought sucl
universal disaster upon the countr!
that ile contestants We're more easil1