Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 March 1891 — PROTECTION THE CITIZENS RIGHT [ARTICLE]

PROTECTION THE CITIZENS RIGHT

A nation should first of all be just to those citizens upon whom its c’b-u ace depends. To support our government, enforce its laws .and maintain its standing among the nations of the earth a largo revenue is required to be regularly fort basiling, backed by an unlimiti'4 i'‘.si rve of both men and money which can be drawn against in cases of emergency. Mot only is every citizen forced to pay taxes ou bin projierty, but, except in cases of infirmity, his person is held liable for military and jury service, and he is never exempt from call to aid in preserving the peace of society and enforcing the laws of tiic land. It is in behalf of these Citizens that protection demands privileges over foreign business competitors that under all Ci rcu mstances

wil 1 fully offset the sacri(ices they are compelled to make- To concede.. thorn less is injustice - for them to accept less Would be slavery. From the standpoint of eon it y, foreign producers have no monright to free admlftayce to the markets of this country for their wares than they would have, IF here, to occupy the business houses of «mr meiciiants withont first making terms satisfactory to the owners. Of course these foreign competitors prefer not to .pay for the privileges they so much desire, and hence they all along conceived it to be their interest to see to it that their preferences were given vigorous emphasis m our politics whenever voters were called upon to select representatives for enacting and enforcing national legislation. The ingenuity evinced by these advocates of free foreign trade in concealing from voters the real question at issue, and the energy with which voters have been urged to believe that the interests of their country would be best promoted by extending to foreign business rivals privileges ilecessarily beyond reach of its Own people, would be especially commendable if brought to the support of some worthier object than advancement of legislation dictated by the British Cobden-Clnb

!ed by the unanimous voice of a ; foreign • press. During the ceu- ; tury that has intervened since the first Congresscleclared against the commercial domination of England, American voters have ndver failed to reiterate their opposition to forign dictation in shaping the economic legislation of this country—ami there is no probability that the national policy of protecfor home industries will be reversed so long as voters are permitted to understand the real aim of the selfstyled reformers of our tariff laws.