The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-10-14
A Word to Mechanics and Farmers

Have you, mechanics and laboring men of
Virginia, ever stopped to think for one mo-
ment how the success of the Democratic party
in this contest will affect your interests Have
YOU studied this question of tariff sufficiently
TO convince yourself that there is no danger to
you and yours whatever may be the result in
November next? Ii not, pause and reflect.
Consider that just across the waters there are
men who do the sawe class OF work that you
do, and for it receive wages which would
hardly suffice, with you, to keep BODY and
soul together Their families are brought up
in squalor and poverty, and Wfetchedhess
abides forever in their households Ihey live
in an over crowded country and suoslst on the
plainest and coarsest of food. Year in and
year out they struggle through existence VIII
out thought OF laying up "a competence ana
with no nope of providing anything iof 'heir
children. In competition with such lapol DIS
that does the Democratic party propose 10
bring the mechanics of America 10 protect
you against that competition the Republican
party enacted the tariff That tariff, IN piain
English, means this; That the product OF the
pauper labor of Europe shall pay duty Wheh
it comes to this country which shall make It's
cost to the purchaser equal to the cost OF us
production if manufactured by our home me-
chancs, who are paid over double as much ior
their labor as the men across the water. WIN
out that tariff, the artisans of America would
l :, a., of those who know
nothing of life save its hardships and toll Did
the Democratic party manifest its concern iof
the mechanic by aiding in this effort to pulld
I'D home work and home workmen? NO at
every step they antagonized it, steadily, per-
sistentlv and bitterly, and to-day they would
throw open the ports of the world and abolish
the protective tariff if they had the power.
They declare it in their platform which says
"there shall be tariff for revenue only, ana
that means practical free-trade So far as they
are concerned the skilled mechanic must look
out for himself If he can't live on what the
European artisan exists upon he Will nave 10
90 out of the business or quit living altogether.
But we are told that this is a free country
and men should be allowed to make their pur-
chases wherever they can buy the cheapest !;
that the farmers are the real producers and
that tariff operates hard upon them. we
deny any such assertion. Establish manuiac-
lures in every community and home market
is created at once, crops are diversified, money
is more plentiful and ready sales at good prices
can always be effected. Take the State OF
Pennsylvania, with less of natural wealth and
fewer natural advantages. 1t has far out
stripped Virginia, and its pros perity is due al
most solely to the protective syst EN-. Its lands
have increased in value, a home market is at
hand for all farm products, and the farmers
will to-day vote against any attempt to nitro
duce free trade Pennsylvania is now the
most prominent seat of the iron and coal IN
dustries. But the demands made upon its
resources are too great to be supplied, and
business men and capitalists are looking else
where for opportunities of investment. Iney
turn their eyes to Virginia, and behold her
standing ON pedestal of iron, whilst the rich
garden spots which intersperse her vast min :
eral deposits give assurance of all the supplies
necessary. Every condition of prosperity
exists here and under the present system,
plants could be made in Virginia which
would introduce to our people life and
wealth they have never known before. But
the monied man will not make his plant
here now, because he reasons thus: Suppose
l invest my capital in Virginia; suppose
open mines and establish manufactures there,
what assurance have l that the Democratic
party will not attain power and abolish the
tariff or reduce it to a practical nulity, thereby
leaving me high and dry, for the labor in this
country cannot compete with that OF Europe,
and if free trade comes, my establishments
must be abandoned
| It may be claimed that no fears Of a
change need be apprehended, should the
Democratic party succeed. Have they not in
their platform declared that there should be Il
change? What says DR.. Moffett? What says
Mr. Tucker? What says Judge Allen? What
says Gov. Vance? What says Mr.. Ellis? Each
and all of them endeavor to make the farmers
believe that they are terribly oppressed by the
tariff, and by way of proving it, tell them that
by its abolition they will get cheaper blankets
They forget that the farmers sell hundred
times as much wool as they buy blankets and
that reduction of tariff means material re-
duction in the price of wool.
Can the farmers and mechanics OF this sec
ton, can the merchants and business men al
ford to strike direct blow at their own inter-
ests that a few political dead-beats may secure
office? Does any mechanic expect to be COM
pensated for reduction of his wages? Will it
pay to join in a noisy clamor because it is pop
ular Are you willing to see your wives and
children deprived of the comforts they now
enjoy, for the poor privilege of huzzaing with
an unthinking crowd? Men Of Virginia con-
slider these things for yourselves. Look at
them in business way. Study and think for
yourselves and that action which your judg-
ment approves have the manliness and indie
pendence to carry out.