Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-09-22
POLITICAL FUsrIAN ABOUT THE
TARIFF.

0 NeAA
it won't ask protection.
This will be so whether Democrats or
Republicans are in power. Business al
ways supersedes political orParty consld'
e%rations. Or rather, business consider
atoms are the highest questions OF pol
itics.
No political party is going to send IT.
self to the bow-wows by Gripping or
destroying the business interests oil the
country, or any single department OF
business. No party has ever done so or
ever will, Notwithstanding the terrible
scarecrows Of this nature that
are hung up before the
people in every campaign.
We like the good common sense way
in which Ben. BUTLER treats this subject
of tariff. BEN. has been a Republican
and helped make the present tariff laws.
BEy. also lives in a manufacturing town
and has more thaa one.half OF his pos
sessions invested in manufacturing.
But BEy. is not scared by the AWFUL
scarecrows that the Republican press
picture about Democracy and the tariff.
Ben. knows that this is a question OF
business; that It is above party and par
tv platforms. The government must
have 4 revenue. That revenue is raised
from two sources, tariff taxation and
vhiskey and tobacco. The a. from the
latter source is as great now as those
articles will bear. Amy party
coming into power must collect from the
flrmer source the balance necessary to
defray the expenses OF the government.
The revenue derived from tariff x
tionEs not likely oditTer much :n.amount
undera Republican or Democratic ad-
minlstration. The n question Is what
particular industries shall and shall not
receive protection. \ Democratic poll
cy would differ only in this point with q
Republican policy. There are many in
edualities in the present tariff that
the Democracy desires to correct, and
will correct. But it will be "a tariff for
revenue only" all the same whether
Republicans or Democrats rule. At
least it is only likely TO be more il the
Republican party succeeds.
In his speech the other day at Pitts
| buryh, General BUTLER thus refers to
this tariff ougaboo:
What else do they say" What they
say, and IL is Il iavorlte argument OF
theirs, IF YOU vote for Hancock and
the Democratic ticket, why all the work
ingmen will be thrown ont OF employ
ment. because the Democrats will repeal
| the tariff laws" What mills will be
| stopped, and what furnaces will be put
out? am not much frightened about
that, for in the first place ! heard that
same cry in 1911, when We tried TO elect
Polk. and did elect him, but still the
furnaces blazed and the mills worked
on. SO il is no new thing. | myself
have no fears. | nave lived all NV
life i'm manufacturing city. More than
hall I have in tine world Is employed
i'm manufacturing, and | for one have not
the slightest fear on that account, and
want 20 tell some Of nv Republican
friends that | am not afraid No party
can get into power in this country, asl:
Is a great and growing country, and
spend much less money than We have
spent heretofore. How is that money
20 be raised? There are but two ways
Of raising the money one Is by revenue
u tariff taxation, that is putting a duty
on goods imported; another is p%uttinga
tax on whisky and tobacco. The DEM
Ocrats have 10 raise rs much money as
the Republicans have been raising, and
they have got Only these W sources to
raise il from. Democrats have been IN
sisting on a reduced tax on tobacco and
whisky. States can put some taxation
on those articles and that will reduce the
revenue there. Then they must put
more on the tariff but they can't put it
anywhere where 1t won't be Incidental
protection. There has been no tariff for
protection siGCe the time OF Jackson; We
had a tariff for protection only, and we
raised more money than We wanted Tor
the sake OF protecting American indus
try. We raised some thirty d millions
more than we wanted after paying our
debts, and Old Hickory had it distribute
ell among the States, but from that time
to this there has been no other tariff to
raise evenue.
IL there is so muchmoney to be raised
and American Industry must be pro-
tected where are yJj, going to put 1t, on
tea and coffee? Oh. no. They tried
that when / was in Congress and We
defeated that. Tea and coffee are prime
necessities OF the people. you must not
put il on that; il you put 1t on from II
protects Pennsylvania; on wooden goods
il protects the farmer; on cotton
goods ii protects my mill. You can't
put it anywhere that it won't work pro-
lection. Now the ann OF the RePubli-
can party has been to get as much oil
the tariff revenue, and as much onto
whisky and tobacco as possible; that Is,
having less money to raise, have less
protection, and | would rather trust the
Democratic party in this regard than
any other. We have nothing to thank
the Republican party lOr. They have
been against any change in the tariff to
make il more equal and to protect
American labor. Why, we are paying a
tariff on certain articles that 90 into our
manufactures that We sell abroad, and
the consequence is there is protection
against Anne ican labor. Now will say
what | want to see | am speaking as a
manufacturer, not rs q politician. |
want to See a tariff to raise all the reve-
nue. We want, except what ison whisky
and tobacco, and | don't want to
see as much upon whisky and tobacco,
especially on tobacco, that Is the poor
mans luxury. Then | van 1t so re
duced that it shall protect American
labor, and in order to have that done l
want to see the Democratic party put a
Burea OF Labor, like the Department OF
Agriculture in Washington, who shall
look after the interests OF labor in that
regard, and | have no doubt ii you elect
Hancock YOU woTkingmen will have that
department OF bureau established to look
after Your interests. Yours is the great
est interest in this country, the bottom
OF all interest, and why should you not
have a bureau TO look after il "a well as
agriculture. as well as education, as well