Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-09-18
AN ELEvEN.DoLLAn ARGUnENT.


4 We occasionally see the name Of
| General Brinkerhoff in the newspa-
!! pers, in connection with free. trade
opinions. This brings to mind ali in
cident in his history, when, in the
plenLitude of his free-tradc devotion,
hc had entered npon the work in Ohio
of organizing ont Of existence the
protective policy of tho Republican
party. La his appeals to the people,
he had coat and an argument which
were inseparable companions in those
by-gone stumpings OF the State. This
hero of the mass-meeting, it appears,
had purchased garment of foreign
manufacture throughout, which he
was accustomed to wear when max
| ing his harangues before assemblies of
his fellow-citizens, with very much
such purpose as induced Vallandig-
ham to carry about with him in his
oratoric perigrinations, for popular
exhibition, double eagle of United
States mintase. We cannot reproduce
his exact language, but this was his
mode OF reasoning:
"My friends" he would say, with
insinuating unction, this coat was
made in London, England; the cloth
"cost SO much per yard in that city, it
would cost so much in America; so
"mnch for lining, buttons and SO on,
"there; SO much for the same articles
'.here. In London this garment was
"bought for $ll in Cincinnati 1t could
mot be purchased for less than $2S.
See how you are robbed by pro-
Elective tariff. Ii compels you to pay
two and half prices for one Of the
''neccssaries of life. 1t puts its hand
.in your pocket and clutches away
''your hard caanings to swell the opu-
'.lencc of manufacturing nabobs. 1t
| 'sis tyrant that oppresses you, one
| ''and all, in the prostituted name of
"beneficience. Il is an enemy to YOU
''and yours, that ambuscades the rights
sand interests OF labor under the
| "masking pretensc of giarding and
! extending them. 1t is . foe to nor
| "msl development and progress, and
"an ally to monopoly and fraud. Just
"see what you lose by being deluded
into opposing free trade, your best
ssfriend. Were that economic policy
"the rule of the land, you might save
Seventeen dollars in the purchase OF
"a coat, to say nothing of the saving
sin the purchase of many other COM
amodies Why should you stand in
"the way Of your own advantage?
l"Why should you tax yourselves to
make the rich richer and the poor
"poorer9" and SO on to tho end of the
chapter.
Upon persons Of contracted UNDER
standing, who are easily misled by
surface indications, this practical ap-
peal to the senscs-this adroit touching
of the pocket-nerve--made very
impression. For its use General
BrinkerhoH won golden opinions
among his free-trade cronies, and felt
as proud as if he had discovered the
philosophers stone. He could not
make a speech without introducing his
fOrcible illustration III one or another
of its various forms. 1t was to him
an inexhaustible arsenal of argument
alive weapons. He challenged the
protectionists to spike his great
Paixan gun sixty-four-pound effective
ness.
Ii happened one night, after the
speaker had discharged his piece of
orstOric ordnance with accustomed
eci0t, that . man arose in the audience
70 ask him q question. General
BrinkerhoH," said the interrOgatOr,
"you have kindly informed us of the
'cost of that coat az whole, and of
''i,s cost in detail; but there is one
point on which you have not get en-
frightened US. How much was the
'.journey-man tailor who made that
'garment paid for his labor 2" This
II kpp rpm nj rra a hot. u
and water. The General clearly COM
pretended the point, but did not see
any way to evade the issue. He
managed, however, to stammer out
that he did not know the exact COM
pensation, but believed it was some
where between one dollar and half
| and two dollars. Every well, replied
his questioner, ''let us take the highest
Figures. Now," continued he. Il am
"a practical clothier; have had many
"years of experience in my business |;
.and consider myself competent
Judge OF this matter. No tailor
"could make such coat, all by him
"self, in less than three days. That
"would give four dollars u week as
'his wages. Let me ask YOU how
''long it would take him to buy coat
"at $li, while receiving such wages,
"and how long would it take The
american workman to buy the same
"coat ut SIS, at the wages he receives?
"ln the former case man would have
ito labor over two and nearly three
"wecks to make the purchase at $l1,
~while the latter could earn enough
money in considerably lcss,than two
Il vpx xasal- IN hru hN -
Under such phases OF the case, which
"of the two men would be better off
"and most independent? II protec-
ation gives us the more desirable con-
"dition, why should not we continue
ato support its principles at the ballot
"bot p
General Brinkerhotf fully compre-
hended that the hurricane of hand
clappings which, followed this ex-
PLANTATION was not intended as a COM
pliment to himself personally, nor to
tho impregnability OF his logic. In
deed, he felt his signal discontinue
very keely, and found it convenient
| ever afterward to abstain from wear
ing his famous London coat, and
from making it . prominent feature
of his mass-meeting eloquence.
But isn't 1t about time to bring the
garment into oratOric use again II
bis argument was once cogent and ef-
fective, ii certainly ought to be equally
so now. It would DO novel to many
Of his hearers. 1t would subserve all
the purposes Of 4 spic-and-span-new
Illustration. And he might not meet
again acith the clothier of the oltlea
l t1me. BY all manner OF means, let the
General furbish up his London coat,
and bring it into the political arena
during his next itineracy in the in
terests of Chicago Jour
nal.
| The New York Herald editorially
says in its daily issue of the 7th inst /:
| IA stranger taking dinner, the. 9TH.
day, at house near AGRA, in Green
county, N. Y, was identified by a
lady as the, horrible murderer Bender,
Of Kansas; and the inhabitants of
AGRA and that neighborhOod are re-
ported as securing the mountains Ia
| search of the tramp. We hope they
| will find him and that n mav nrnve tn