The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-02-04

still further piece Of trick~y is being resorted
to by eastern manufacturers, viz: the facto-
| ries and iron works, we believe, by a precon-
| certed arrangement, are either stopping or
running on shortened time, and sending their
| agents to Washington to demand more pro-
lection, and power to,tax still further the peo-
pie, by keeping good Of all sorts up 10 the
present enorrncns and outrageous prices.
The interests of the people of the west and
the south favor low duties, giving the pro-
ducers chance to sell where they can sell
highest and buy where they can buy cheap
est. The policy, therefore, of the eastern
states, is to keep the south from being repre-
scented in congress, because the south and
west, together, could control legislation to
subserve their interests, instead of being hew-
| ers of wood and drawers OF water for eastern
manufactures and eastern capitalists.
/ Every southern vote that can be kept out
OF congress is vote in the interests of the
manufacturing monopohsts, the operations
of which literally drives the people of the
/ west to the wall; grinds still further in the
dust the PROSTATE industry of the south clips
the wings of commerce, which has already
fallen off by a million or two of tons and
takes bread from the mouth ofthe poor, while
colossal fortunes are rising mountain high in
the eastern cities.
+ We are glad to see, however, even Al
this late day, that some of the senators
from the west are protesting, with great earn
estness, against not simply continuance of
the present tariff. which has operated as we
have described, bat against The passage of {
bill vastly enlarging the grinding exaction'
of the former upon the masses. In view of
the stupenduous exertions of the millionaire
manufacturers and affiliated interests tt
procure the passage Of that measure, those
senators in their hearts cannot but feel tina
all is in so great danger that they could nov
wish to be reinforced in congress by vote
from the excluded southern states.
There is one republican paper, too, in tn
|. east, which is striving to inculcate correc
doctrines on this tariff question. We refe
to the New York Erening Post, one of the
ablest republican papers in this country
which says:
We must again warn congressman agains
the atrocious tariff bin now before the senate
No man who expects to continue in publ
life can afford to vote for that bill which dis
eliminates heavily against the mechanic
and farmers of the country, and in favor 'o
the wealthy
II 1t does this in an ingenious way, whic
makes the tariff muddle to any but experts
| 1t is a fact that in this tariff bill the cheape
qualities of cloth are to have a much highe
proportion of duty laid upon them than tn
high priced cloths. Thus, wollen coating:
the gold cost Of which is 8 ,0S per yard, ar
to be raised twenty -four per cent. higher; bu
the fine and costly qualities, the gold co,
of which Is $40, are raised only eleven Pc
cent; and still finer qualities, of the gol
cost of $3.50, are raised only ten per CEN
, The coaser coatings are to pay from eight
> to one hundred and twenty per cent. in dr
. ties, but the finer and more costly are onl
= hurdened with from sixty-fve TO seventy pc
i cent.
The same is true of carpets. The duty o
Z the high-prieed carpets is not raised at all
that on how priced carpets is raised ten cent
r per oq uStFt fdru, ABOUT uFe per cent IN III
same manner there is no increase on sill
: dress goods, which are bought BY the wea
3 thy; but on small articles of silk, such a
ribbons which are used by the poor as vel
there is an increase of ten per cent. High
priced linens are even put under diminish
ed duty-they- are to pay five per cent. les
: than now.
: The commonest kinds of cutlery are I
pay from one hundred to two hundred pc
cent. duty: that is to say, farmers and Inc
chnnies, s.ad working people sse---~ay, ar
to be made to pay, by this atrocious tariff
twice or three times as much as the article
can be imported for; for, of course, the HON
t manufacturer viii at once put up the price
! to the highest limit at which he can Just III
derseil the importer who has these duties
pay.
This atrocious Swindle upon the farmers
5 mechanics, and working men of the Unite
States ought to be called "a bill to still fu
Their increase the prevailing high prices, All
/ to grind the faces of American workingmen
s That viii be its effect if it becomes a law;
Y win still further raise prices, and greatly
= the cost of home production, thereby entirel
disable US from trading with the rest of tt
world, and make the country poorer an
| III