North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1869-09-22

Senator Sherman, in one Of his recent
political speeches in Ohio, undertook de-
fence of our present tariff laws, but his
pettifogging and misstatements have been
so thoroughly exposed and severely CEN
sured, even by republican newspapers, that
he will probably turn his attention to "the
eternal principles Of justice and freedom"
and let the tariff laws take care of them.
selves, as best they may, during the
remainder Of the campaign.
II. G. in discussing political economy in
the New York Tribune, has not Jared much
better at the hands of his friends than the
Ohio senator. The republican newspa-
pers have pointed out the fallacies of his
argument, and have ridiculed him, and
piled epithets on him, as if these were
labors of love, and duty to their party
required that he should be shorn of all
influence us political leader.
Western newspapers of "moral ideas"
become exceedingly spunky when discus
sing the protection to American indus
try" fraud and humbug, and insist that
it is not, and shall not be considered as
republican policy. They say that our
tariff laws are costing the nation 81 ,OOO,>
600, 900 a year, and that hut little more
than one>sixth of this sum finds its way
into the national treasury; that the bur-
dens IF "protection" fall chiefly on poor
men, dependent upon their labor for
subsistence; that the tax imposed by our
tariff laws enters into all articles bought
and consumed by workingmen that it is
added to the cost of bread, Of beef, of
sugar, Of salt, Of all cotton and wooden
goois, Of all tools bought by mechanics,
Of all agricultural implements, of rent, of
fuel, of the shovel with which the laborer
digs on our streets, of the dray with
which he earns food for his wife and
little ones, of the hoe with which he mix>
es mortar, of the trowel with which he
LAYS brick, Of the bed on which he sleeps,
of the medicine he buys when he is sick,
of the shroud in which he is wrapped
when he dies, and of the coffin in which
he is buried.
Sidney Smiths humorous but fearful
description of British taxation, its extent,
and effect upon poor men, is reproduced
sometimes literally, and sometimes in
other forms, by republican newspapers, as
truly descriptive of the taxation imposed
by our tariff laws. They are denounced
as an outrage and swindle as tax on
the poor for the benefit of the rich and
as SO plainly inquitous and unjust that
there can be no decent apology for them.
Who are responsible for this monstrous
iniquity which is enslaving and impover'
fishing the workingmen of the country !?
For what purpose was it enacted? II the
newspapers of the ruling party will fairly
answer these questions, they will show the
voters Of the country where to look for
and how to obtain relief. The republican
party will afford no redress. The same
partisan considerations, and the same
subserviency to New England, which con-
trelled congress in passing our present
tariff laws will retain them on our statutes
so long as republicans have majority in
that body.
The tyranny and exactions of coal
monopolists have awakened such indigna-
ton that the press of the ruling party has
been driven to demand the abolition of
duties on coal, but it has not presumed to
70 further. The chances are even that
congress will not comply with this de-
mand. The proprietors of coal mines
and OF iron mills in Pennsylvania will
make the manufacturers of New England
understand clearly that in this "protec-
ton" fraud they must all stand together.
One class will not permit itself to be
stripped of the benefits of "protection, -
while other classes enjoy them Chicago
Times.