The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-01-15
Broken Pledges.

Broken Pledges.
The promise of reciprocity so as to
overcome the prohibitive features of
the traiff law has been a cardinal decla-
ration of the Republican party but has
never been redeemed. When the
treaties Of 1890, negotiated by the Har-
rison Administration, were repealed
by the tariff act Of 1894 the Republican
party claimed that a serious injury
had been inflicted on the trade of the
country. In the Republican platform
of 1896 it was declared, that. the re-
peal of these treaties was nothing less
than ''a national calamity" and further
declared that: Protection and reel
procity are twin measures of Republi-
can policy and go hand in hand. Demo-
cratic rule has recklessly struck down
both and both must be reestablished.
This double promise was only half re-
deemed by the passage Of the Dingiey
tariff act, in which the rates of duty on
many articles were purposely made 20
percent. higher than was necessary for
the purpose of protecting the trusts
and combines which could be used as a
basis for trade with those countries
which would enter into reciprocity
treaties with US. The trust nagnates
having secured this enormous protec-
ton for their products, have been very
oath to relinquish any part of it al
though President Mckinley caused reci-
procity treaties to be made with num-
Der of nations reducing our duties 20
per cent. the trust influence with the
Republican leaders in Congress was too
powerful to allow those treaties to be
ratified.
So reciprocity is dead and the Repub-
licans still standpat by not only refus-
ing to ratify the promised reciprocity
and also refuse to revise the tariff that
was purposely made too high.
The selfish trusts and combines have
obviously dominated the Republican
party to the great detriment and loss
of the people, who not only have to
pay these high rates of duty on import
ed products, but also pay the tax of
greatly increased prices that the pro-
tected trusts and manufacturers are
enabled to charge by reason of no do
nestle or foreign competition. They
have eliminated competition by com
bining in restraint of trade and have
succeeded in preventing tariff revision,
SO that competition from abroad is also
possible, except in certain classes OF
foreign goods which our consumers are
willing to pay for with the high tariff
tax added.
The result has been that nearly al
the foreign countries, except England
have greatly increased their tariff
duties as measure of retaliation
against the United States and even the
British Colonies Of Canada, Australia
and Natal are now engaged in enactine
protective tariff against our products
Our relations with Germany have be
come so strained our State Department
has sent a special delegation of expert:
to that country to investigate the Ger
man tariff law and try and effect some
compromise, or arrangement, that viii
prevent the German government from
enforcing her prohibitive tariff duties
from becoming effective July 1st mex
and which would have become effective
last July unless the German govern
ment had not put off its enforcement
at cur request.
AS the protected trusts and combine,
are evidently more powerful with th'
Republican leaders than the plunderet
people who are compelled to pay tn,
high trust prices. it is probable thai
tariff revision and the promised reel
procity with foreign nations win bt
again postponed by a standpat Con
gress. Nor is there reason to believe
that the Sixtieth Congress which viii
meet in regular session in December
1907 will be any more likely to fulfil
the promise of reciprocity, or curb th4
rapacity of the trusts by revising the
tariff that protects those corporations