Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1891 — STAND BY PROTECTION. [ARTICLE]

STAND BY PROTECTION.

No surprise seems justified by the fact that the McKinley tariff does not suit the men who have assumed the task of “tariff reform” in accordance with the British st andard. Framers of the existing law found inspiration closer home than Europe, and they laid a tariff along those lines indicated by the founders of our Republic and the law makers in its first Congress. Of course this could not be done without exciting opposition from free trade attorneys, as such Opposition is the only excuse for their existence. But the real facts of the situation, at any time since the passage of the new tariff law, have in no wise warranted their bitter opposition to its enactment or their determined efforts to secure its repeal. Immediately following its passage, and before some of its most important provisions were in force, its influence for good was manifested in the renewed assurance given to capital that the great body of American voters might still be relied on to maintain the traditional defences against foreign competition made necessary by the advanced standard of wages and living prevailing in this country. In many localities factories long idle | or materially restricted in output j by enforced division of the domes- j tie market with foreign com petit- j ors, were given new life, skilled operatives found opportunity for steadier employment than before at wages enabling them to live as becomes American citizens, without any material advance in the cost of manufactured product as they reack the hands of ultimate consumers. Never in' the history of this country could more of the necessar-

ies and luxuries of life be obtained by honest effort than since the McKinley bill became law, despite the early prophesies of its opponents that the reverse of this would follow its passage, and their subsequent efforts to insure confirmation of their dolesome predictions. In the face of this array of facts free trade promoters serve notice of a continuance of their crusade against the policy by which all of this has been brought a'bout. By way of preliminaries, threadbare arguments are being patched into shape, oft-refuted prophesies are being placed in the mouths of spokesmen, and the hobgoblin of high prices is marched to the front to scare voters into support of free foreign trade. In short, history is to repeat its record of pest efforts to substitute British political economy for the policy of protection for home industry under which our country has made its phenomenal advancement. Let patriotic voters see to it that the same page shows that history shall further repeat itself by recording the overwhelming defeat of this renewed attempt at checking the prosperity of the world’s greatest Republic.

Intelligent farmers will watch with some interest the reported attempt of the Alliance to corner the wheat marker by instructing its members not to sell until 51.25 a bushel can be obtained. Of course the project will fail, because there are too many farmers to make the combine lasting. Besides this, WhfitTs the dlfferencein principle between a trust formed by farmers and a trust formed by manufacturers? It won’t do to denounce trusts and combines for one class and favor them for another.—Rochester Republican.