Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-11-25
EVENING Chat

Few of the people who read the
reference in this column last night to
the conference on protection to Ameri
can industries held in Harrisburg
eighty-seven years ago realize that the
declarations of that convention made
as much noise in the world as the
famous Chicago platform of which so
much was heard two and aquarteryears
ago. And it would be flattering to the
pride of any resident of the Keystone
State and especially those living in this
city to note the number of times the
official statement of the Harrisburg
Convention" entered into the speeches
of orators and the deliberations of
Congress. In reality 1t appears that
this long forgotten conference was the
early formal action of the people of
the country who believe in protection
for American industries, whose voice,
1t might be added, was heard so en-
phatically through the ballots of a
later generation less than month ago.
Right here in Harrisburg, which voted
so strongly for protection on NoVem-
Der 3, there was framed a policy that
turned Congress upside down, we'll
nigh wrecked a party and relegated
several statesmen to obscurity. al
enabled some to return. 1t Is a fasci-
mating story of how the conference
held in this city was the theme of peo-
pie in every city, town and hamlet in
the then young republic and for those
who have the time and inclination
reading of the lives of Jackson, Clay
and John Quincy Adams will give some
idea of the effect of the meeting in our
town, For those who desire a more
extended study the works of Stanwood
and Elliott on tariff controversies,
Taussig's tariff history and other works
on the tariff offer rich field. while
the person desiring to get the con-
temporary view can find mighty enter
tanning reading in Niles Register.
As a matter of fact, the Harrisburg
convention. as it was called in debates
speeches, editorials. articles and other
methods of expression of opinion, was
one of the big topics and it would be
gratifying to local pride If the aims
and deliberations of the convention
and its effects could be made the
theme of some high school orations. 1t
would be of infinitely more local inter.
est than the Boston Tea Party, the
Hartford Convention and the Missouri
Compromise and really deserves to
take rank with the Wilmot Proviso
the work of a great Pennsylvania,
who is ordinarily not connected with
the Keystone State at all by the casuai
reader of history. Ex-Governor Penny
packer. Governor-elect Brumbaugh and
DR.. Schaeffer rightly hold that so few
Pennsylvanians know the glorious his
tory of their state in peace as we'll as
IN war and that If they knew of her
achievements and of the part the cities
which dot the State have played in
American national, governmental, eco
nomic and industrial history they
wnIIl1 n hni rt 60 70 YtC.
the language of DR.. Brumbaugh, with
Il love as abiding as heart can know"
The Harrisburg Convention, as it
was commonly known, was the result
of the objection of the people of the
country to the tariff of 1924. The
budding industries were subjected Il,
imports from Europe, which was re-
covering from the Napoleonic wars
and flooding every land with products,
while Great Britain in an effort to
revive some of her business was dis
eliminating. The people connected
with the then great American wool in
not getting protection in the tariff act
of 1924, held a meeting in Boston,
october 23. 1926, which was attended,
by New England people and which
started things going. The agitation
following led to a demand for adoption
selected because of it's central location
and its position between the North and
South, an interesting fact to recall
when it is known that this section was
once considered for the national capt.
tai. The call for this conference went
out May IA, 1927, and it was held
July 80, 1927, in Harrisburg. the or
ganization which called the meeting
and acted as host being the Pennsyl-
vania Society for Protection of Manu-
factures and Mechanical Arts. Note
the name, especially the use of pro-
lection. and that Pennsylvania was
early in the move for protection.
The conference was held in the Capt.
tol, presumably in the hall of the
House, which was ready for occupancy
about that time, although other meet
ings were held in various buildings,
including the Courthouse. The con.
ference lasted several days and men
active in affairs but who are long deao
and forgotten took an active part. One
of the most interesting writer's on the
conference is DR.. Albert Bushnell Hart,
the historian, who notes what hap.
pened and follows up the results of
the Harrisburg Convention very close
ly. All writer's agree that the confer
ence got too big and that it resulted
in nationwide protest. Originally
called to aid wool and textiles, so many
other interests appeared demanding
protection that all sorts of combi-
nations were made. and the result was
that iron, steel, glass, wool, woolens.
hemp and fax were declared worthy
OF protection as American industries.
Pennsylvania was then the big state,
as now, in iron and steel and got well
taken care of. What made trouble
was the fact that Louisiana was not
represented and it's sugar did not get
attention, a circumstance which is in
teresting in view of the way Louisiana
got taken care of in the last tariff bill.
The conference did another thing that
reflected the spirit of the times
Among the 100 delegates from thir-
teen of the states We're men who raised
grain and who made whisky, which
as everyone knows, was then in very
common use, not as much adulterated
as now and not taxed. Stills abounded
and the memories of the Whisky In
surrection were still fresh. So the con-
ference solemnly resolved that the use
of foreign wines and liquors should be
discouraged
To those who participated in the
trade conference yesterday when ex-
port was discussed the accounts of this
long ago meeting in Harrisburg fur
nish an interesting reminder from the
past of how Harrisburg took the lead
in laying down a policy.
WFII KN0NN Of