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Show ANOTHER OCEAN LINK. Project for - a Line of Steamers Between Be-tween Lonsr Island and Old Ireland. Western Congressmen Want to Get Even with Those Who Refuse the American Hog. Free Trade vs. Protection Beecher's Tigorous Protest. The Free Trade Conference. - Chicago, November 12. At yesterday's session of the Free Trade Conference the committee on resolutions reported as follows: fol-lows: . We submit to the people, of the United States that the continuance of the war tariff with, the duties averaging 42 per cent on over 1,400 articles of home consumption 'and a much higher specific duty on many crude materials, has ; FBOLOTOED THE EVILS OF THE WAB In times of prof onnd peace, and has been the prinoipal cause of industrial and commercial com-mercial depression in recent years by forc ing labor and capital from naturally profitable profit-able into unprofitable lines of business, and by adding to the cost of production produc-tion it has decreased the common productive capacity of labor and capital, and thereby reduced, both labor and wages, and the profits of capital; has provoked antagonism between labor and capital, against which our natural great resources and our free institutions in-stitutions should have protected us. It has impaired our power to compete with other manufacturing nations in the markets of the world, and bo obstructed national progress and development. It has destroyed many branches of business busi-ness and has kept our people from engaging in other branches of business which would have given increased employment to labor by preventing the buying from nations willing will-ing to buy from us, and by provoking retaliation retali-ation in a like spirit instead of promoting a friendly reciprocity. It has obstructed the consumption of our agricultural and manufactured manu-factured products by other countries, and has DRAWN OUB COMMEECE FROM THE SEAS Bv impairing our domestic Dower to buv. It has prevented the full developments of our ! inter-state commerce, and reduced the legitimate legit-imate profits of traffic, and has driven into I bankruptcy a large' number of our transportation trans-portation companies, and made domestic goods more costly. Through the influence of its lobbies, it has enthroned jobbing and corruption in our legislative halls, and has impeded the reform re-form of the civil service. In short, taking by force the earnings of one class of men to enrich another, it is opposed op-posed to the spirit of American liberty and the Constitution. It has imposed a new industrial slavery. It has prevented the national progress of wealth among the farming class, decreased their wages and their purchasing power, and lengthened THE ENFORCED IDLENESS OF WORKXNGMEN, Restricted our manufacturers from their natural markets and demoralized the general gen-eral business of th countryv While holding accordingly that taxes in aid of private interest or for any other purpose pur-pose than the requirements of - the government govern-ment are nn-ATnp.rir.nTi, unjust and unwise, and that every protective feature must at the earliest possible date be eradicated from our revenue system, we invite all who oppose the abuses of the present tariff to join us in promoting immediate steps of practical tariff reform, which we believe will increase wages, diminish the frequency of strikes, develop business and EESTORE OTJB FLAG TO THE SEAS. We, therefore, urge upon Congress for ac tion at the ensuing session: First That under no pretense shall any countenance whatever be given any attempt to increase the protective duties. Second That the articles which are at the foundation of great industries should, in the interest of labor and commerce, be freed from duty, whether they be crude materials, ma-terials, as lumber, salt, coal or wool, etc., or partly manufactured, as chemicals, dye stuffs, pig iron, tin plate, wood pulp, etc. Third That on the products from such articles the duties should at least be correspondingly corre-spondingly reduced, so that protection, real or nominal, to manufacturers, shall not be increased, and that the consumers shall have the immediate benefit of the reduction. We urge that any steps on tariff reform should simply prevent the complications of classification and do away with mixed duties, du-ties, replacing them by ad valorem rates instead of specific duties, which are most burdensome to the -low-priced goods consumed by the great body of the people. We demand free ships and the ABOLITION OF RESTRICTIVE NAVIGATION LAWS, Which, together with the tariff, have driven our flag from the seas, and we oppose bounties boun-ties or subsidies on shipping. We urge revenue rev-enue reformers to vote only for such Congressional Con-gressional candidates as oppenly oppose the tariff for protection and to take steps to nominate independent candidates, when all party candidates oppose tariff reform, preparing pre-paring for that step by diffusing a sound economical literature and promoting an organization, or-ganization, especially in close Congressional districts. - A minority report was submitted by Air. Harper of Kansas, demanding the immediate immedi-ate 'reduction of all protection tariff to a purely revenue basis and that all indirect taxation should eventually be abolished; that the expenses of the Government should be borne by property and not by individuals. in-dividuals. ' - The majority report as finally adopted shows the senBe of the Convention. The announcement that Henry Ward Beecher would speak at the evening session attracted an audience that packed the Central Cen-tral Music Hall to its f ullest capacity. Previous Pre-vious to Beecher's appearance, David A. Wells, president of the Free Trade League, delivered an address, the principal pint of which was that the tariff on wool makes woolen goods so dear that it has ruined the demand for American wool, an article which as a rule can only be used in connection with foreign-grown. Henry Ward Beecher was greeted with enthusiastic applause. He declared himself in favor of no tariff at an. PROTECTION WAS THE JTJGGLEBT OF THE DEVIL. If the politicians were statesmen, protection would die a natural death in spite of the devil, but the politicians were not statesmen, states-men, they were "vote mongers." Thereis no tariff on men, said the speaker, tie wondered if the protectionists were thinking of bettering the situation by placing a tariff on imported pauper labor. This country was non-exporting, and yet it was a large exporter, too, of religion. We sent miUions to heathen countries to instill Christianity while the article went begging at home, and when individuals from those benighted countries come to our shores to be near the fountain head, we meet them with curses and stones. The audience was listening with the most strained attention, when the speaker, in closing, paid a tribute to the liberty that had founded the government, that had freed the slave and which would remove every bar to its commercial grandeur. |