New Britain herald., 1916-11-01
CUMMINGS-McLEAN DEBATE
 ATTRACTS MANY CITIZENS
One Reviews History of Democratic Legislation in Unfavorabe Light-Other Defends
 Acts.


 party whose traditions and instincts,
 whose official declarations and acts,
 past and present, clearly indicate
 what may be expected of it in the
 future. I shall give you the reasons i tonight why I am a republican.
 Reasons for Republicanism. 1 First, I believe in the preservation | Of our industrial independence and
 the protection of the American labor
 CT and American prosperity by pro- i tective tariffs. Second, I believe in 1 preserving the liberty of the Ameri- can citizen and his inalienable right to bargain collectively or single with his fellow citizens without legal re- striction or compulsion. Third I be- lieve in a strong and virile national spirit, I believe in navy and coast able to prevent the placing of a hos tile. foot on American soil, a navy that can and will successfully defend the peace and prosperity of the Amer jean people and the rights of Ameri- can citizens wherever they may be-
 '"These three reasons why I am a republican have been vital issues be- tween the great opposing parties since Washington took the oath of office end they will continue to be the par amount issues between the republi- can parties as long as the democratic party is dominated by the forces that control it's policies today
 Our Industrial Independence
 Every civilized nation in the world today knows that the first law of na- ture applies to nations as well as in dividuals. Every civilized nation in the world today knows that the only way in which nations can successfully defend their industrial life and welfare from the attacks of ruinous foreign competition is by reciprocal and scientific protective duties.
 It took Germany three years with the aid of two thousand experts to frame her latest protective tariff schedules. The liberal mem bers of the British parliament admit today that free trade in England is dead and must remain dead if England is to continue to live. The allies have already published to the world their determination to control the trade of neutrals upon their own terms if ul- timate victory should be theirs. The central powers have already formed {. customs union which will compel the neutral nations to come to it's terms or keep, out of it's way. Japan alone can clog our markets with everything we make at a labor cost of less than one-siXth the labor cost in this eounlry.-<~ There are moro people employed in the factories of France, Germany and England today than there were before the war be- gan. Anyone of these nations can IT. al1e and sell any of the highly spe- claHzed articles made in Connecticut thirty per cent. less than they can be made by us.
 Protection is as necessary to the industrial life of Connecticut as is oxygen to our respiration. The dem- ocratic party is now and always has been in theory and practice the arch enemy of protective tariffs. It's na- tional platforms have denounced pro- lection as unconstitutional, and in it's tariff legislation it has boldly reject ed the principle of protection as vii Cious and unsound. In it's efforts to secure votes in the industrial north it has promised protection before election and brutally betrayed the people. after election. These are strong words but the evidence of their accuracy is easy to secure.
 A striking instance of willful be- trayal of the people of Connecticut was successfully staged in this very city only four years ago. The demo- cratic candidates for congress prom ised their constituents that tariff rates would equal the difference in cost of production at home and abroad and that no industry in Connecticut cb pOcratic man. agers in Connecticut. in order to al lay the fears of the people. sent~for MT. Underwood, of Alabama, chair man of the committee on Ways and Means of the House, and here in this city and in this very room. MT. Un- derwood in joint debate with MT. Hill, made this promise to the people of Connecticut.
 Now let us see where the differ ence between these two great parties is. He-Mr. Hill-says we are 8 free trade party. I deny it. When you equalize exactly the difference in cost at home and abroad. if you can do it-it is possible to do it exactly, but you may approximate it-but when you do that you have got a competi- tive tariff because each can come in the same field and fight for control of the market There isn't a particle of possibility of the democratic party fixing a tariff so low that 1t won't equalize the difference in labor cost at home and abroad"
 MT. Underwood made this promise here in this room and then went back to Washington and drew the Under wood Act, in which by his own con- fession he utterly failed to keep his promise.
 Same Candidates Appear.
 But now what do we see? The same democratic candidates for con- gross that were defeated for cause two years ago begging you to vote for them now on the ground that the tariff heeI, alxop ont ro1;+;,,