Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-02-18

benefit the masses, by even admit
ing iron free rather than to cripple
and destroy the masses for the ben
eft of a .feW rich Iron Masters ,even
if the whole iron interest should
sink out of existence here!
But even here we are safe again.
With our ore and coal on top, or
above the level Of the plains below,
instead of hundreds of feet below
the level, and with our skill and
machinery unsurpassed in the world,
and with the material entering into
the iron interest all over our vast
country, and unequaled in richness,
Americans can now compete with the
world in the iron business! Then
why not reduce the tariff to, say,
2. 90 per ton, receive some revenue,
load English and other, as well as
our own vessels with American
wheat, exchanged for or to be ex-
changed for the iron of olher coun-
tries,if they can make it so much
cheaper, ~ thus have it paid
for. take the crushing load from
the backs of our own people-cover
the seas again with the sails of
American commerce-impart new
energy to the cultivators of Ameri-
cas- productive soil-foster the Ii.
Dor and interests Of the farmer and
mechanic-the bone and sinew of
American greatness, even if a little
at the expense of the capitalist
whose heel has long enough been
on the neck of the toiling. bronzed
faced and hard fisted laborers, and
then the stars and stripes will again
proclaim to other nations of the
Earth that America, slave cursed no
more, tariff ridden no more-with
her muscles again grasping the
standard of her former greatness,
has emerged from the smoke of her
thousand battles, and is again on
the highway Of prosperity to the
citidel of her future glory.
But, Mr.. Protectionist, we want
you to bear in mind that we now
have a tariff--a high tariff-by
which the ''Iron Master" has be-
come power in the nation, wear
ing his purple and fine linen and
faring sumptuously every day, and
yet, with all this high tariff where is
the price of the farmers wheat !?
In 1887 it was S1.75 per bushel, in
gold! In 1916 it was $1.25 in
gold. In 1856 it was Sl,2O in gold
I speak Of the price at Tif1in-our
| IL ~ with th hirr1
est tariff we ever had it is but y
cents, in gold! And while you
give the farmer but p cents for his
wheat you charge him $4,000 in
stead of $25.00 per acre for his
land; You charge him more than
double for his horses, harness, wag-
ons, plows, drills, reapers. mowers,
coffee, tea, sugar, tobacco, arhisky,
many kinds Of dry goods, and all
) else consumed by him, which really
reduces the price Of his wheat to
: less than 40 cents per bushel! The
result of this is you diminish the
E purchasing power of the farmer
more than one halt, and through
him affect the purchasing power of
the masses of the people in all the
vocations of life-raise the interest
on money for any and all purposes
from six, to ten and twelve per
cent per annum, build up favored
few, thereby creating monied aris-
} tocracy, which becomes the masters
of the laboring masses, and sneers
at any demands made upon it, be-
cause laborers have no rights which
it is bound to respect. BY all this
you draw men from happy homes
on the farm to your towns and cit
ies-build up your villages at the
expense of the rural districts-make
men feel that labor is degrading
and, because it pays small profits,
you fill the professions to overflow
ing--double the real demand for
t merchants and shop-keepers-draw
heavily upon what should be intelli-
: gent observation-disclosures dens of
vice and imm ortality by adding to
their patrons such as should be en-
gagged in the nobler occupation OF
farming-often creating commu-
nifty of loafers regardless of all
t principles of morality. And all
| this is done in the name of "PRO
lection TO AMERICAN IN
! DUSTRY," but, really, at the bid
2 ding of few men, whose only aim
: is wealth, and who care but little
how they get it. This is protec-
| ton to American Industry with a
vengeance, and it is high time that
"rings'' to protect such interests
were broken up and the oppressed
go free! But so long as the Iron
Master is left to rule this matter so
e it will be, and the m asses must le-
t main slaves to his money and his
t purchased DEGREES! But there are
4 other "masters," also, yet to speak
v of, having like projections, as well
+ as the Iron Master-such as Lum-
t Der, Salt, Leather, &C., but Of which
1 we can not now speak, as we have
occupied much more space on
8 s'Iron" than we intended.
We, now, only ask the reader to
e think, candidly. On what has herein
1 been said, and then defend such pro
F, lection if he can. If we can not do
Z, that, then stand by what is just and
right to all.
: A. W. B.
+ The Result of Spree--A Drunken