The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-03-28
TARIFF MONOPOLY AGAIN.

The object of all government is or
should be, topromote the safety and hap
piness of the people. The recognized
underlying principle of our system of
government is JUSTICE, and this embraces
equality ofrights, and that all should be
equal before the law. Hence we cannot
recognize the doctrine Of special or in
dividual privilege by partial laws. Some
persons call this protection" which
only means favoring certain interests at
the expense of the mass of the people.
1t is not justice-not equality of rights,
and only works evil.
Those countries in ancient and mod
ern times have been the most prosperous
and powerful, as a rule, where individ'
ual liberty has been most faithfully and
carefully preserved, where no establish
ed, ruling aristoCracy, and no Establish
ed" ruling religion, existed. The liber-
ty Of the individual, then, is the correct
rule in a free country, That country
cannot really be free where certain clas-
ses receive special privileges from the
government. 1t is class legislation, the
entering wedge to build up an aristocra'
cy. What student of history does not
know that the curse of England has
been her Established" aristocracy of
church and state2 So of Italy, of Spain,
and all other countries. France never
was so powerful as when after she got rid
of her aristocracy. For years she with
stood Europe in arms, and triumphed.
Shortsighted, selfish rulers, influenced
too by class interests, legislate for them,
giving them privileges, protection" at
the expense of the balance of the people.
Privilege, "protection," then, is only mo-
nopoly, and is an infringement upon the
rights of others. An aristocraCy Of
wealth is the curse Of any country, and
is the outCropping of force and fraud,
not honest law and justice. Thomas
CARLYLE dares the whole British aristoc-
racy to show a genius like Robert Burns,
who hardly cost his father 25 cents q
week, till at very early age he earned
his own livelihood. Theinventor of the
steam engine was a poor mechanic, Jas
Watt the man who gave us the locomo-
tive was toiler in coal mine, George
Stephenson. The bone and sinew of any
country are the people of industry, not
the children of luxury and ideness. The
great authors of the English tongue,
Shakespeare, Milton, &C., were not of the
aristocracy. The pampered child of for
tune does not put forth the requisite ex-
ertion for eminent authorship. Such is
history in all times and all lands, for it
is in the inevitable nature Of things.
The "protectionist" farmers love to be
deluded with the idea that they have a
monopoly on wool, and are quite willing,
under this delusion, to pay for "protec-
ton" on all that they buy. They imagine
they get dollar in their pockets, but do
not pause to see the hundreds that are
filched from them. Happy delusion
But it is all delusion on the part of our
farmers. The wool buyers are compare
lively few, and at the proper time they
hold back their wool money, and down
goes the wool. And again, at the right
time, when the wool is down low enough
to suit them, they buy. Besides, the
tariff on wool is only about one.half the
tariff duty on manufactured woollen
goods. The large woollen manufacturers
are comparatively few, and easily COM
bine to chisel the farmers, who love to
have the wool drawn over their eyes
their own wool, too, at that. That far
mer must be blind, indeed, who cannot
see that free trade is best for him-or
nextto that, a tarifffor revenue only. The
protection" monopolists viCtimize and
plunder the farmer, and the protection
policy enables them to do it.
Let us run out monopoly and see the
outcome. When a manufacturing inter.
est has secured monopoly, by law i'm
posing heavy tax so as to prevent heal
thy competition, the first result is an ad-
vance in that class of production. This
induces. increased activity in this line Of
manufacturing, and, of course, increased
production. Usually, too, more capital
is invested and new establishments put
in operation. Under this state of things
all is lovely. Generally, too, at this
point, numerous workmen arrive from
Europe; for the news of the great activ'
ity has flown across the ocean on the
wings of the wind. Here is seen the
stimulus of protection" and the first ef.
fects of the monopoly. The market is
soon fully supplied, and then in course Of
time comes a glut, and complaint Of
"oyerproductioD." The stimulus has
overdone it, and stagnation and ruin fol.
low. This forced interference by
government, always works bad. 1t dis
turbs values-changes regular channels
of trade-throws business out of gear,
and only ends in ruin to all. The pres
ent is the Closingperiod of happy fnan-
cial protection" time Let laboring
men remember and consider, Be not
deluded and deceived by the cunning
devices and cries of the monopolists.
As Mr.. Widener declines the Republi-
con nomination for Trnstee of Canton