McKinley's 1896 Speeches Made the Tariff Sound Patriotic - Just Like Trump!

William McKinley, Library of Congress

William McKinley ran for president in 1896 on a pro-tariff platform. Just like Donald Trump after him, McKinley made tariffs sound patriotic. To support American industries, which McKinley claimed to be a patriotic policy, he said that we need to stop overseas competition. In 1896, the United States was still reeling from the Depression of 1893. The depression’s true cause had nothing to do with tariffs or free trade, and was due to poor monetary policy or, more exactly, the nation’s lack of monetary policy.

McKinley proposed the gold standard and the protective tariff to alleviate the depression. Economically, these ideas were popular but foolish. McKinley argued that the nation needed to turn inward to face its economic catastrophe. This natural but unwise reaction was similar to the reactions that people had after the great recession of 2007. Let’s talk about a few short speeches that McKinley gave about the tariff.

During his 1896 campaign, McKinley mostly stayed at home while delegations of Republican voters marched to his home in Canton, Ohio to hear and give brief speeches. In September 1896, during a speech to a group of Pennsylvania steelworkers, McKinley said that, “Nor do I think that it is economy to buy goods cheaply abroad if thereby it enforces idleness at home.” In a speech to workers from Homestead, Pennsylvania, McKinley said: “Gentlemen, I have always been, as you know, in favor of a protective tariff. (Loud and continuous applause).” He called the tariff a “great principle” and emphasized “the laboring man of the United States.” He came close to saying that abolishing the tariff was part of a conspiracy to help the rich to oppress the poor.

On October 10, a group of Cleveland steelworkers came to hear McKinley speak. He told them that: “we should look after our own people (great applause and cries of ‘That’s the stuff,’) before we look after the people of other lands.” He continued that: “I hope and fervently pray that we will enter upon an era of prosperity.” Hope was his only choice, since his policies certainly would do no good.  Later that same day, a delegation of Republican voters came from Pittsburgh and McKinley made his point even more forcefully: “This is a year when partyism counts for but little and when patriotism counts for everything.” Since the tariff protects American industry from foreign competition, it is easy for politicians to make-believe that the tariff is patriotic. Pro-tariff people often still think that way. Several years ago I made a presentation about parliamentary procedure to a group of Ohio autoworkers. The union hall parking lot’s sign clearly said that only American-made cars were welcome. Lucky for me, I was driving a Chevy.

Like Donald Trump after him, McKinley made no effort at all to explain tariff policy. He did not delve into economic theories to the slightest degree. The brief quotations that I gave above represent the entire depth of his ideas, and McKinley’s many pro-tariff speeches simply repeated the same talking point over and over in slightly different words. Wave the flag, protect American industry, set up the tariff, watch out for the old world.

A while back, I wrote about Henry Clay’s tariff speech, which, in some ways, sounded much like Trump’s tariff speeches. McKinley also ran on the tariff, and, as we can see, his ideas were very similar to Trump’s. Just as Trump made tariffs central to his “America First” slogan, so McKinley made tariffs out to be the only choice that patriots could make. Tariffs are always popular, even though they are always a bad idea. Politicians can easily make bad ideas sound good, and good ideas sound bad. 

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For more information: I talk about William McKinley’s campaign speeches in my book, From the Front Porch to the Front Page: McKinley and Bryan In the 1896 Presidential Campaign. The book is available in paperback and can be found in most university libraries. In his last speech, given in Buffalo, New York, the day before he was murdered, McKinley came out in favor of free trade. I talk about that speech in a chapter in Before the Rhetorical Presidency, edited by Martin J. Medhurst.

William McKinley’s speeches can be hard to find. Various Northeastern Ohio newspapers published texts of them in 1896, especially the Canton Repository. Northeastern Ohio university libraries, such as the University of Akron, John Carroll University, and Youngstown State University, might be able to find copies for you. You might look at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland. There is a published book of McKinley’s campaign speeches, but it is out-of-print and very hard to find. Major university library databases nationwide probably also have newspaper copies of his speeches available; the librarians can help you find them. If you ever visit Canton, Ohio, be sure to see the McKinley Museum where you can learn more about McKinley and visit his monument.