The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-10-26
DEMOCRATIC COUNTY TICKET.
xhe Protection Robbers.

xQ6 3IOt0Ck4O1 ~OOOOAos
One of the resolutions of the New York
Democracy says @ that our tariff duties, like
all taxes, should have the only lawful
purpose of obtaining the necessary revenue;
and that the present system of "favoritism"
miscalled protection" is simply robbery
of the people, and that, except in so far as
the legitimate expenses of the governmen,
may otherwise require, free trade is the
the true policy of the country"
The word robbery is just the word and
especially is it where western interests are
considered. When q western man, who has
voted with these robbers, is up for re.elec
ton, It may not be amiss to examine few
plain statements that directly interest every
voter in the district.
In 1859, according to the official state
ment in the last report of Commissioner
Wells, page 81 the price of 1914 wooden
blankets was $3.50 pair. The price in
1869 was for the same kind of blankets, and
is at this presen. date, $3.50 pair. Both
in 1859 and 1870 the price quoted is for Il
domestic Holland blanket.
Now, then, why should pair or blankets
be 81 dearer to day than eleven years ago
The price of wool is lower in paper cur
rency to day than it was'in gold in 1859.
Wool being the raw material and domes
tic product, the depreciation of currency
cannot by any means apply. The great
fraud, the sand thrown in our eyes by mono
poly, is the highest price of wages. Well,
then, we are prepared to go into this ques-
ton st4sistically.
1t is stated by blanket makers that the
cos. of producing pair of blankets in the
United States is equal to the cost of raw
material lin England it is much less,' Well,
then, the increase of wages in the wooden
mills in 1870 over that of lS59-6O, as Off
cislly given by the United State. Bureau of
Statistics, is go per cent. We therefore
submit the following table:
Cost of pair of l0-4 Holland blankets in
lSos ........S3 Sc
Costof q pair of 10 4Holiand blankets in 1870 D
Cost OF raw material in 1883 10
Cost of raw material in l870.....-........... Is
Cost Of labor in 1859 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 10
Cost Of la Dor, so per cent. advance, in 1870 so
Net amount of monopoly robbery, 95 cents per
pair.
We defy experts or manufacturers, mo
nopolists or their hired or unhired apologists
such as Hawley or Logan, to refute these
figures. They prove that after all allow
ances for the increase of wages, the people
arc rybIe1 hu utran yppnopolv Of
nearly one fifth Of their substance whenever
they buy pair of blankets. But why can
such thing be practiced, when we are only
atwelve days voyage from a country that
will sell us the s. so blannets for 81 so
gold 1t is simply the result of the tariff
which lays duty of 145 per sent on foreign
blankets.
But Hawley says if you reduce tho duty
on blankets you virtually repudiate the ma
tional debt. Judge then for yourselves, you
voters who have voice in the matter
Amount of blankets imported in the years 1889 |
and 1870, from the official report o. the Bureau |
OF Statistics, page 475.
1mportations in 1869 .,,,,,..,..,,.$ 1873 I
Importations in ls70.................. 2l,952 |
Therefore it can officially be stated that
the revenue derived from blankets is q III |
diculous paltry of twenty or twenty-five
thousand dollars, and that only for the most
luxurious kind, inssmuch as blankets pay |
duty by the pound and ad valorem. The
costlier and finer pair of blankets is, the |
less duty in proportion does it pay. Can
voters who have large families and slender |
means, when in this cold weather the poor |
hard working father would gladly give to |
his little ones the luxury of an additional
pair of blsnkets-can such voters, We ask
give their support to such men as Hswley |
and Logan. who voted this robbery upon the
people for the sake of making few eastern
manufacturers rich at the expense of the |
suffering poor q? HAwley cannot dodge or
deny this, and, however much be may
promise for the future, he should not be
trusted again, after having betrayed US once
Let every man cast his vote for Mr.. Gable
who cannot be bought to vote against the
of the people, and who will work to
eradicate this vile monopoly, this robbery Of
the shiver,ng poor all over the west, for the
benefit of blanket millionaires of Massschu-
sets. All We ask OF the voters Of the
district is to snalyze and test our figures,
and on their merits decide whether they can
afford to vote for Hawley after he has thus
BETRAYED US.