Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-04-15
FREE TRADE VS. PROTECTION
LEATHER &c.
no. 3.

NO. g.
Mr.. Editor
Some who sail under the colors
of the old flag of Protection are
rather inclined to look upon articles
like this rs useless in a county pa
per. and in peculiar manner ask
what do you expect to gain or ac-
complish here and thus ? Our an
swer might be, nothing, but that
would not be true. We expect to
gain much Education makes the
man tbs said, and when the people
see what causes so much toll for
nothing, the evil will be corrected.
The work has not all to be done
here, but we must do our part. 9th
, ers will do theirs.
The object Of this article will be
to show how Protection to Ameri
can Industry affects the important
item, in life, of leather. Leather
covers, or should if it does not t,every
| foot on American soil.
Boots & shoes belong to the nee
essaries of life, and are worn alike,
from necessity, by rich and poor,
and, therefore, should be produced
with as little tax in the way of pro
lection as possible--indeed there is
no reason for any protection.
We will only ask you o think of
the many other matters into which
leather enters, withou naming them
so that you may, thereby, have Or
arrive at an idea of the monstrous
impositions under which all must
live for the benefit of a class who
are f;.ltening on the hides Of ami
mails, while thousands have all they
can do to earn enough to obtain a
little of the meat to sustain life in
their little ones. ...-....-. ..
There are thousands of farmers,
mechanics and others who can not
tell why boots d shoes are so dear.
These men are intelligent as to their
business, but have not the means at
hand, nor the time to investigate
this matter. They know the fact,
think the war caused it and that all
will come right by and by. No, gen
tlemen, while the cause remains the
effect must be the same The me
chanic's wages and the farmers pro
fduce will decline, but your iron
lumber, salt nails, machinery, paints,
boots & shoes &c. which You must
buy can not nor will not decline
while the cause Of the advanced
price remains. You ask what is the
cause?' l answer protection to a
class, a few, who are robbing you
under false name, under false col
ors They know it, but what do
they care for you or for me? We
are their slaves, they our masters
now! We toll, they gather in the
greenbacks we bear the heat and
burden of the day, they revel in
luxury and ease, famed by ocear
breezes, at Newport or other water
ing places we wear the stripes, they
the silks, satins and broad cloths
we the hard cowhide boots, they the
kid slippers and morocco boots WE
are the hewers OF wood and drawer.
of water, they are the flowers plan
ted by our hands, and made gloriou:
by our toll and care.
But what of leather? Leather de
mands q tax from us Of IN ore thar
fifty per cent in addition to wha
should be its legitimate cost of pro
, duction,nearly every dollar of which
, goes into the hands Of few men
and very little to the government
Why does it cost this The duty
j, lis 3o per cent on leather, 10 pei
!, cent on bark for tanning, and the
additional duty of 90 per cent Oh
lumber which enters into the struct
, ure in which the work is done.
, Before our present tariff W as i'm
|, posed on the American people boots
costing now nine dollars could be
, bought for six dollars, just ont
third less than now. So with al
kinds OF shoes &c. Now if the tarif
, is for the payment of the National
debt, and to run the Government
the only thing it should be for, thi
great advance in the cost of one o
the great articles entering into til,
! necessaries of life, should yield. al
enormous amount of revenue Suci
however, is not the fact.
: The cost to consumers or pur
chasers for wear Of Boots & Shoes
during the year 1868 was more thai
four hundred millions Of dollars
: Now one third Of this amount woule
! be more than one hundred and thir
.ty millions of dollars, Or in othe
words s133, 900 000 more in roune
. numbers tha the same would hav
i cost before the new tariff was passe,
y and under the effects of which W
= y are now suffering as people. Now
+ in exchange for this S133,000,00l
i the people should receive somethin,
= more than the covering to the feet
i II the war made necessary this grea
: increase in the cost Of boots 1
shoes, it only did SO by making th
a demands of the Government create
upon the people, and the Govern
ment should get that $780, 100000
or large share oft. If the GO,
ernment does not get it somebou
else does. We know that the pee
g pie, the whole people, pay it. We'll
u now, how much did the Goyernmet
II get of if? True, official authorit
u says that the Government did &c
T. exactly 81, 363, 4S1 81 or one mi
/ lion Of the l33 millions; where di
'G the rast 90 rIlo lala,,aa