The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-02-03
RECORD OF. PLUMBER
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND
THE TARIFF.
Facts That Account for the Voters
Turning to Party That viii A.
ford Relief From Monopo-
llstlc Extortion.

In view Of the history Of the last 20
years one can hardly wonder that the
people has lost confidence in the Re-
publican party as an agent Of tariff re-
vision. In his message to congress In
December, 1881. President Arthur said
that there ought to be q revision OF
the tariff, and he recommended the APP
pointment Of a commission. The COM
mission bill was passed. and the COM
mission appointed. After an exhaust
i've inquiry It made Its report In which
q reduction Of about rs per cent. was
recommended. Congress threw the re-
port into the waste basket, and set
about the work Of revision In the old
way. The new tariff, that Of 1888, did
not meet the demands Of the people.
Certainly there was no reduction OF rs
per cent. OF anything approaching 1t.
The senate passed n bill. and the
house another. In conference a third
bill was agreed to in which the duties
ere higher than in either OF the w
bills passed by the houses.
This interesting tariff lasted Just
seven years. There was, from the pro-
tectionist point Of view. no need Tor
any extensive changes, and yet In 1879
the whole subject was taken up again
and as q result we got the Mckinley
bill, which was one of the most ex-
treme that the country had known.
Perhaps It will be remembered that
Mr.. Blaine, then secretary OF state, ap'
peared before one of the congressional
committees and denounced the meas.
ure, saying that there was not n line
In It that would open a single market
to American products. And he was
quite right. Here, then, we see that
the country was blessed with two ex-
treme tariffs in the short space OF
seven years. The people rebelled
against the Mckinley tariff and the re.
sulting high prices, and in 1890 and
again in 1892 they struck a severe
blow at the Republican party. The
next tariff was the Wilson-0orman tar
If, but as the Republican party had
nothing to do with that, we pass II
over with the remark that 1t was de
fective chiefly in its failure to redeem
the Democratic pledge.
In 1896 the campaign. as everyone
remembers, turned almost wholly on
the money question. Probably two
million Democrats voted for the Re
publican candidates, and they did II
on the money issue alone. They Ger
tainly had no sympathy with the tarif
views of Mr.. Mckinley. Yet when the
Republicans assumed power they
turned their back on the money Ques
ton and took up the tarin. OF which
little had been said in the presiden
tial campaign. The result was the
Dingley tariff. which was more OF
fensive over than the Mckinley tarin
It was an extreme application OF pro
lection" But there was q further
breach Of faith. Many Of the Dingle,
duties were made higher than the!
otherwise would have been made II
order to furnish q basis for trading
with foreign nations through reciproc
lty treaties. This wat publicly admit
ted by Mr.. Dingley himself. But NJ
reciprocity treaties were negotiated
All that were proposed were killed
yet the high duties were maintained
80 for eleven years the country hal
to submit to these high taxes, thougl
the intention and pledge was to trad
them down.-Indianapolis News.