Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1895 — ONE YEAR IN FORCE. [ARTICLE]

ONE YEAR IN FORCE.

TRIUMPH OF THE WILSON TARIFF MEASURE. All the People Have Profited by Democratic Tariff Legislation— What the Next Congress Cannot Do-Pro-tectioniata Like Barnum's Monkeys. A Year of the Wilson Law. The Wilson tariff law has been in force one year. When It took effect commercial conditions in the United States were more’ distressing, more disastrous than they had ever been since the time of Black Friday. After one year’s operation of Democratic legislation there appear striking revival in business, marked increase in wages, a healthier tone in every market The triumph of the measure, to which the Democracy in Congress lent its most intelligent energies, has been complete. A New York paper signalized the anniversary of the Wilson law by the publication of an itemized statement showing the experience of one year under the McKinley law and one year under the Wilson law. The statement, which was gathered from the most trustworthy sources of information, demonstrates that within a year after the enactment of the McKinley law wages had been reduced in an Immense number of establishments; factories and mills were closed down, and the whole tendency of the manufacturing Interests in the United States was toward disaster. On the other hand, the year which has passed under the Wilson law has seen mills reopening, running at double time and a voluntary increase of wages by a host of manufacturing corporations. It is further demonstrated by these statistics that while wages have risen prices have decreased. It Is shown that not only has the wage worker profited by Democratic legislation, but the consumer as well. More is put into the pockets of the people. Less is taken out.

Postmaster General Wilson himself, author of the law, writing to the World In comment upon its statistics, reduces the whole theory and practice of tariff legislation to an axiom when he says “There is no way to protect American Industry except by relieving it from burdens upon the materials with which it works; no way to Insure good wages and steady employment to home labor except by freeing it from the shackles which have confined it to a glutted home market and prevented It from seekings its customers all over the world.” Freedom after all is the only stimulant for the Industrial world as for the individual. Take off the shackles In each case. Let every man be as free as every other man to do what he will. Let him enjoy with every other man access to all natural opportunities. Let the nation, like the individual; be free —free from limitations imposed under the guise of protection. This done, justice will be secured in the case of individual and of nation, and he is but a poor American who does not believe that with absolute justice, with equality of opportunity, the American as an individual or the American as a race can hold its own against any people of the earth. - ( The Next Congress. In the Fifty-fourth Congress, which will assemble in December, no party will have a majority of both houses. In the Senate there will be forty-three Republicans, thirty-nine Democrats and six Populists. If two Senators shall be admitted fjom Utah the entire body will consist of ninety members. There will be in the House 244 Republicans, 104 Democrats and eight independents or Populists. The Republicans will have one of the most numerous majorities that ever controlled that body. It is more than two-thirds. They could pass a McKinley tariff bill over President Cleveland’s veto. They could pass any bill of their own, which might show what they would do if they had the power to absolutely control legislation. They could menace the country with revolutionary bills which ipight render unsafe all business interests. What course the Republicans will pursue it is difficult to predict. They cannot revive the McKinley tariff. Probably no Republican tariff bill that •would pass the House would pass the Senate. These facts constitute the security of the country against any disastrous legislation for at least two years to come. The business revival, therefore, probably will continue. For this security to trade and commerce the country is indebted to wise Democratic legislation and to the fact that existing legislation cannot be repealed by the new Congress. The prospect also improves for the election of a Democratic President and Congress in 1896. Such a result would secure the domination of Democratic policy in the affairs of the Government at least till the end of this century. With this prospect in view there could be no reaction from the present growing prosperity of the country.—Chicago Chronicle. Thread Industry Not Dead. / Day by day evidence is being furnished by various industries which disproves the protectionist claim that a high tariff Is necessary in order that factories may run. One of the latest examples to be added to a long list is the spool cotton thread industry, which, under the McKinley tariff, was protected by a 56 per cent. .duty. When the Wilson tariff proposed to reduce the duty to 40 per cent., the largest thread manufacturers issued a statement that the effect would be most Injurious to their business, and that they would probably have to close their factories if the Wilson bill became a law. Well, the duty on thread was reduced, but instead of closing down, the mills have been running this year to their full capacity, With a larger number of men employed. The manufacturers found that people still wanted thread, and they continued to make it. So fades another high tariff illusion. Result of Freer Trade Conditions. The increase of iron and sfc*el prices reported by cable from Birmingham is a direct result of the flush times in American iron production. For some time past American orders have been going to England because of the inability of onr mills to keep up with the

rush of business. The increased demand in Engted sbowa hots fully English trade is coming to be controlled by American conditions.—New York World Poeera for McKinley ite*. While the Republicans are blustering about the certainty of their restoration to power next year, the Democrats prefer to let the great facts of the industrial revival and business prosperity speak for the wisdom of the tariff policy under which the change from hard times has come about. There is no necessity for Democrats to act on the defensive when their party is charged by the McKinleyites with being responsible for the trade depression of 1893-94. On the contrary they should ask the believers in protection some of these questions: 1. Is it not a fact that during the first two years that the McKinley tariff was in operation there were over a thousand instances, Involving hundreds of thousands of workingmen, of wage reductions and closed factories? 2. Was not the high protective tariff of 1890 in force and the Republican party in power, during the period of reduced wages and closing factories previous to Nov. 1,1892? 3. Are the benefits of protection due to the exclusion of trade, or to the political party which administers the tariff law? If the former, as all protectionists contend, was not the McKinley tariff in force during all the two years of panic which ended In August, 1894? 4. If- two years of bankruptcy and poverty existed under high protection, does that not at least prove that if it does not cause panics, a high tariff cannot prevent them ?

5. Is It not a fact that immediately after the adoption of the Wilson tariff, which greatly reduced duties, trade and industry began to revive? 6. Has not the past year witnessed more wage advances, affecting a larger number of working men and women, than in the whole period of the McKinley tariff? • 7. Have not hundreds of new factories been built and hundreds of idle ones started up since the adoption of the Wilson tariff? 8. Has not the New York Tribune, the leading Republican organ, admitted that over a million, workers have had their wages Increased since the Wilson tariff took effect? 9. If the country experienced the worst panic in its history under high protection and is advancing in prosperity by “leaps and bounds” under a revenue tariff, what reason is there for the restoration of the McKinley tariff? 10. If Republicans were honest would they not admit that their claim of prosperity under protection was false, and that the events of the past year have proved untrue their predictions of disaster to follow the new tariff?

Robbing One Another. When Barnum’s show was In winter headquarters in Bridgeport, Conn., a few years ago, a number of monkeys were kept in a large circular cage, divided into compartments by wire partitions. Each day when the animals were fed, instead of eating his own portion, a monkey would thrust his head through the wires and steal from his neighbor’s dish. While he was thus engaged the nejet monkey was stealing from him, and so on all around the cage. The result was that in the scramble and quarreling a good deal of the food was spilled and wasted, and while a few stronger and cunning monkeys got more than their share, the others were poorer than if each had eaten hl, own portion. These monkeys, without knowing it, were true protectionists, and illustrated perfectly the ideal state of society from a high tariff point of view. The McKinleyites would have us all engaged’ln trying to take by taxation from each other’s wealth, for the purpose of making everybody rich through stealing from everybody. The farmer would be robbed for the alleged benefit of the workingman, the latter for the benefit of the manufacturer, wfib himself would be robbed by duties on raw material for the benefit of the landowner, the landowner would have to pay higher prices to benefit the merchant, and so on around the circle. Instead of this complicated system of tolls and taxes the ideal Democratic society is one in which each mail enjoys the full reward of his own labor, and neither steals nor is stolen from. The Republican system means a scramble for favors, like a lot of hogs around a trough. The Democratic policy means an orderly company of gentlemen seated around a table. Which is the better system?

One-Man Rule in Pennsylvania. The events of the present week have proved that this autocracy Is still undisturbed in Pennsylvania. It has been an autocracy established by the Republican party, and there is no proof that that party has any desire to Interfere with it. The Republicans of that State this year have objected to the autocrat, not to the supreme jurisdiction which is implied in the form of government for which he stands. We say the Republicans, because there is no State sh the Union where the Republicans have a clearer control than in the State of Pennsylvania.—Boston Herald. lowa’s Democracy Unitct". The Democratic party in lowa is un£ ted,'thoroughly so, and It will make a stubborn fight for victory. Nor is there anything the outlook that is necessarily discouraging. But the Republican party is anything but united. Some of its hitherto strongest supporters are business men who are out of sorts with the plan of General Drake to ignore Issues that are vital to the commerce of lowa and make his canvass on sentiment.—Sioux City Tribune. ■ >9 Mendacity and Lack of Patriotism. ■ Just as the Republican papers had determined to their own satisfaction that our pusillanimous Government had allowefi itself to be crowded out of the Chinese investigation the news comes that the Chinese Government has appointed a commission to escort Consul Hixson to the place where the Investigation is going on. The want of patriotism displayed by these papers is only equaledby their mendacity.—Louisville Courier-Journal. Ammunition for Democracy. Every, advance in wages is ammunition for'the Democracy, and there have been many of them since the tariff question was settled by the passage of the Wilson bin.—Dayton Times.