1881 National Tariff Convention, Chicago, Illinois

DOMESTIC DISPATCHES.

ITEMS OF NEWS FROM DIFFERENT

DIRECTIONS.

Two Benevolent.

CHICAGO, November 13. — The National Tariff Convention organized in Fairbank Hall this morning. At preliminary meeting Rufus B. Bullock, ex-governor of Georgia, was chosen chairman pro-tem. Upon taking the chair, ex-Governor Bullock, in a brief speech stated the objects of the convention as being the purification of the public service, restoration of the national flag on the ocean, advancement of the interests of the ship-building industry, regaining of our lost place in the carrying trade, discussion of the advisability of the early reduction of internal taxes of the general government, and discussion of means of naturalizing new industries upon our soil. James Scanlan and E. H. Talbot, of Chicago, and J. M. Barker, of New York, were appointed secretaries. The convention then took a recess.

Among the southern industries represented are the iron and railroad company of Cedar Town, Ga.; Hemingway [sic] Hemingray Glass Company, Covington, Ky.; Natches Cotton Mills Company, Natchez, Miss.; Tecumseh Iron Company, of Alabama, and numerous others from all parts of the country.

The convention reassembled at 3 p. m. when Hon. Wm. McKinley, of Ohio, was elected president.

A vote of thanks was tendered to Governor Bullock for his efficiency in the office of temporary chairman.

Mr. McKinley, upon taking the chair, said that, while he was not the official representative of any single industry of the country, he was still a tariff man, because he believed in protection for the sake of protection. He did not believe in tariff for revenue only, with incidental protection. If there were to be any incident about it, he would have it, tariff for protection with incidental revenue as long as the great growing industry of the United States demanded protection at the hands of congress. He believed that it ought to be voted them, and that not riggardly. He had been educated in the school of tariff to which belonged Justin Morill who was one of the great leaders of the tariff thought in the country. In conclusion he returned thanks for the honor conferred upon him. A committee on resolutions was appointed, to whom all resolutions offered in common were ordered to be referred without debate. The committee asked those who did not care to present their papers publicly to bring them to the committee rooms. Mr. Adams, of Cleveland, offered a series of resolutions, in favor of building up our merchant marine on the policy of that had been used with success by English and other European governments. The resolutions declare that as there is no instance in the history of the world of a great maritime people continuing to be a great maritime people without being ship-builders. This nation must build its own ships in order to become a great ship-owning nation, and that our foreign carrying trade is not to be relieved by repealing our navigation laws and going abroad to buy ships, but by giving legitimate encouragement to induce our merchants to build and own ships; the same policy as that by which all our industries have been built up; that American labor which is employed in shipyards and in ships on the oceans, is entitled to exactly the same protection accorded to American labor employed in any other industry; that this government should treat its mail carriers on sea going to foreign ports, exactly as it does its mail carriers on land, making no distinction between a ship in the foreign trade, railroad, or coast steamer; that the cry for free ships does not come from merchants who want to buy ships, but is a plea for a false remedy, and is not in the interest of this country or its industrial development, and should be condemned by the American people; that the nation's necessity for the naval defense of our coasting commerce, can best be met in part by the building of a merchant marine of great size and easily adapted to naval use in case of emergency, costing the nation in time of peace nothing.

David H. Mason, Chicago, offered a long series of resolutions denouncing British free trade as a scheme to protect British manufactures in the American market, and to enable British capital and labor to deprive American capital and labor of the just protection of our laws.

After the announcement had been made that John Roach would address the meeting in Fairbanks' Hall to-morrow evening, upon American shipping interests, the convention adjourned until to-morrow morning.