Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-07-08

In two annual messages President
Roosevelt referred to the protective pol
icy as a system in which the American
people had long acquiesced. And doubt
less right down in his heart he won
dered exceedingly at the long acquies
cence Of this so great people in a
system Of taxation 50 unwise and so
burdensOme While the minds Of many
are greatly perverted on the tariff ques
ton there are yet many others who see
that the hope Of the country lies not in
trade restrictiction, but rather in com
mercial freedom. The Democrat gladly
publishes the following strong doccu-
ment which is signed by men who are
recognized as clear headed, patriotic
political economists:
To the citizens of the United States:
The apparent acceptance in some de
gree Of the so-called Protective policy
by the present Congressional represent
"IlNF9 VI DOJh bIlc pOIIIlCdl par Jlt6 Vic
Republicans championing Protection
with incidental revenue, and the Dem
OCrats urging revenue with incidental
protectiOn-might beget the impression
that our nation contains no men who
believe in the absolute and uncOndition-
ed freedom of trade between the peo-
pies of the earth.
The undersigned, proclaiming them
selves as Free Traders, contend:
o. That Protection erects artificial
barriers between natural and healthful
interchange of products which makes
for increased comfort, for peace, and
for the solidarity of manhood.
CD That Protection, by reducing
the quantity of incoming foreign goods,
reduces the buying power represented
by such goods, and consequently sub
tracts from the demand for merchandise
and labor which would inevitably be
fOstered by the unrestricted freedom of
exchange
3d. That Protection. in addition to
lessening the demand for labor, and to
consequent reduction of wages, great
ly increases the cost of necessaries,
thus becoming a powerful agent in
dragging down the condition of our
wage earning classes.
a. That Protection has not only
become the Mother of Trusts, but that,
by sitting foreign competition. it has
granted them a Incense to prey upon
the community.
Co., That Protection encourages ex-
trayagance in national expenditures,
which, as they are paid by taxes on
what the people consume are in the
main extracted from the pockets of the
wage earning and salaried classes.
Co., That Protection, by its methods
OF tndirection, cunningly DISCUSSES the
incidence Of taxation and thus weakens
that desirable interest in legislation and
in government policies which direct
taxation tends to develop.
O. That Protection. which is in eff
feet a process of class enrichment by
legislative favor, is fostering source of
political corruption.
60 That Protection. by engender-
ing special over production due to ex-
cessive profits and widespread under
consumption due to excessive prices.
contributes to producing those panics
which cause so much humane waste
and misery.
3d. That Protection, by comforting
ON favored classes the right to tax their
fellow citizens, and by the consequent
unequal and inequitable distribution of
the boundless wealth which is created
by the energy and natural resources
possessed by the American people, has
generated resentments which express
themselves by dangerous methods IN
tended to wrench from its possessors a
portion of the wealth which has been
unjustly appropriated
(1S.) That Protection, by the swoll-
en- fortunes which it heaps up for its
beneticiaries, and by the concentrated.
selfish class interests which If fosters,
becomes so powerful through their abil-
ity and readiness to debauch public
opinion by the expenditure of money,
that it can never be dislodged until the
great body of our people are brought to