The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-10-12
Salt and the Farm Prs.
TIC the Editors of the Evening Post:

TG the Editors Of the Evening Post:
The monopolists' hired man who edits
the Tribune feels uncomfortable in that
salt-pchlc bath in which immersed him
the other day. The blunt question Of
the true son OF the Bay State, demand
Ing ether refutation or explanation why
farmers i'll the West should pay twice
and a half as much for their salt as the
fishermen in the East, had to be answer
ed not at all satisfactorily to honest
men. No Monopoly" too, would not
allow the question to 60 to sleep, but eX
posed the cnmity the hired man Of the
monopoiists eyinccs to the interests Of
the farmers.
So this monopolists' attorney makes
one more effort to try and gag NO Mon
opoly," by showing that if Congress
will put on 4 duty on all the salt used
for piclling fish, it will only. make diff
ference Of II cents to barrel of fish adj
ditiOnal
Now let NE, for arguments sake, grant
that it is only u cents additional per
barrel taken from the hard hands of the
fishermen, and put INTO the pockets Of the
three or four United States salt monopO
lists; is it. therefore, the less wrong ?
is it, ask, therefore, the less a piece OF
class legislation
OF course, to measure it by the stand
ard of the pig-iron oppression. the sal
oppression is what the operations of the
Artful Dodger and Charley Bates were
to the operations of Mr.. Bill Sykes. AT
ter all, our revenue is about one and one
quarter million dollars year, and we
put only some three or four. million into
the pockets of the salt monopoIists Of
the United States--while we receive only
about one million dollars revenue on
pig iron, and put fourteen and q half
million dollars gold into the pockets OF
the iron monopolists Of the United
States.
Well might the hired man Of the mon
opolists feel disgusted at the pertinent
question put to him by a Massachusetts
man in the West Such trife as the
salt oppression is only fit for demago,
CUES to make capital out of. and should
not be mentioned by good Republicans
But, nevertheless, the slItpickla smarts
Mr. Fenton, who honestly declares him
self true son of the Bay State, and 6
good Republican, demands only wha
your paper, and what millions of true
Republicans demand, fair play and ne
class legislation. But | want to ask th'
hired man of the monopolists, why there
should be duty on salt at all, unless i
is directly to Cypress the farmer, who
uses ninety per cent Of the salt imported
and made at home, and benefit the three
or four monopolists in salt Of the Uni
ted States? Let the farmer say whethe
if salt was one-third the price it is now
he would not use it as 4 fertilizer to hi
land And whether the agriculture O
this great land would not be benefited
not by ten, but by one hundred million
dollars year? How Insignificant is tht
miserable one and quarter million rev
enue we get from this mostuseful, indis
pensable article, compared with the ben
eits and riches it would produce to th
people at large. TO be sure, the sal
clients of the monopolists' hired ma
would not fare so well; their dividend
would not be quite the useful five hun
dred per cent, besides bonus. But til
teeming millions of the hard-worllin!
men of the country, who are oppressed
would get the benefit.
In conclusion, ! beg to state, that
advocating cheap salt, cheap iron, chea
clothing, and cheap neccssaries for tn
people, entities one to the name of den
agogue, shall be proud to be called on
not only by the monopolists' hired ma
who edits the Tribune, but by every liz
ing soul in the world.
No MoNoPoLT.