| Show DODGING THE ISSUE It is very hard to carry on argument argu-ment with a born dodger That is the opening sentence In a dodging article from the worst dodger in modern journalism We do not think the Tribune was a born dodI ger because in its beginning it was straight outspoken and direct in its utterances and position But it acquired ac-quired the habit in later years and has become a confirmed dodger darting dart-ing from pillar to post evading what it cannot meet fairly and dropping into abuse and invective whenever pushed Into a corner The editorial of which the above quotation Is the commencement is intended in-tended as a reply to some facts and figures given by The Herald in relation to the duty on wool and woolen cloth We showed that with the duty removed re-moved from foreign wool the American Ameri-can manufacturers would have the a same opportunities and facilities as the Eragllsh moftntfactivrer to make the very best of goods and thus compete with the latter in the markets of the world that England has now the advantage ad-vantage of all the varieties of wool that the world produces and is able to export much of her own product The Tribune answers that with this profound argument Of course it is all rot We took up a statement containing a number of errors of fact and fallacies falla-cies in argument published in the Tribune Tri-bune and gave figures and quotations from the McKInley law that entirely disproved them and the reply of the Tribune is Now this contemporary wabbles and twists through a column and more We gave the relative costs of woolen f wool-en goods and woolen cloths in England Eng-land and the United States and the I prices paid for labor to show that the great increase of cost in clothing to the purchaser was not as claimed in the Tribune the difference in wages in the two countries to which the Tribune responds Of course it means simply that the intention is to compel American manufacturers manu-facturers to buy their material of foreign for-eign countries We showed that the statement of the Tribune that the difference in the cost of material in a suit of woolen clothes because of the tariff was only 150 was a great mistake by giving the weight of the cloth and the rates of duty under the McKinley bill This made the duty range from 435 to llJo According to the weight and quality of the cloth To this the Tribune Trib-une makes answer They want to bring the squalors and the degradation that attaches to English Eng-lish factories to America We argued that with the duty taken off foreign wool there would be a demand de-mand for our domestic wool to mix and make up with It That with the great varieties of the raw material at the command of our manufacturers free of duty the price of woolens could be made less to the consumer without reducing wages and that amore a-more genuine class of goods would be the consequence And the Tribune replies re-plies What really is in their thought Is If possible to kill manufacturing in the United States and make us a nation na-tion simply like Egypt or the othi colonies of Great Britain which have not yet in self protection put on atari a-tari fr We showed that it is not proposed to put woolens on the free list but only to reduce the tariff on the manufactured manu-factured article but make the raw material free The results would be we said Better classes of manufactures manufac-tures More genuine wool goods and at a lower price Wages need not j be reduced re-duced to effect this Woolen cloths and woolen suits may be placed on the home market at reasonable rates There will be enough duty on the foreign article to more than make the difference in wages in the two hemispheres Native wools will be wanted to mix with the foreign Improvements will be made in all textile fabrics and the United States be able to compete with other nations for the markets of the world What is the argument the Tribune offers to that Why an attack on the Democratic party It sa sIt s-It is a lawless party It does not believe in emigration it doesnot believe be-lieve in progress it does not believe be-lieve in skilled labor Aftersuch tactics as that we might echo the Tribunes words It is hard to carry on an argument with a confirmed con-firmed dodger But after all it is easy enough to expose its dodgings and let daylight through its flimsy subterfuges The Tribune can spin pretty sentences as eulogies of the dead but when it omes to solid reasoning or living issues its warp and woof are C t < l 1 < < ii vi1 d thinner a great deal than is double width all wool cloth weighing but twelve ounces tp the yard and of much less value than Its figures of the duty on all wool goods in this country The purpose in view of both the great national parties is no doubf In the main the same They want to benefit the country They each desire de-sire to promote manufactures as well as other branches Amelican industry indus-try But they proceed on different linesWe We do not believe the Republicans of the United States as a party want to ruin the country Anybody who says the Democrats want to kill manufactures manu-factures to destroy industry to bring about disaster to foster foreign interests inter-ests at the expense of home development develop-ment talks without reason and without with-out decency He may believe that the policy pursued will have that tendency but if he is in his senses he must know that it is not the wish or the purpose of any party to effect any such thing The ravings of the Tribune are therefore there-fore simply its way of dodging an issue I is-sue |
