Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-04-14
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
The Tie,cs Of an Old Democrat on Pending
Issues.

Issues.
To the Editor of the Globe.
In a recent issue of the GLOBE I OBJ
serve the result of interviews of many
of my old friends on the political ques-
tons of the day. Will you allow me the
privilege of expressing my sentiments on
the same subject
notice that all are IN favor of tariff
for revenue only. This is always and every
where good doctrine and the only thing
better than that is free trade. But free
trade need not come now but it will come
after while, when all taxation will be
direct. On this platform you must bear
III mlnu that you will lose
Pennsylvania and some of the
New England States, or every
Pennsylvania Democrat is for high tariff
and protective duties all the time. They
will vote for no candidate, nor work with
any party that opposes high tariffs. 1t
will not do to say that the "taritf is only
local question, and that it came up IN
your town when you were boy"
There is not anything more universally
operative than tariff duties on imports.
1t varies the price of the article imported
and of the same article manufactured in
this country. 1t is most oppressive and
unjust tax. 1t enables American manu-
facturers to export their wares to foreign
countries and sell them cheaper than they
do at home. Every human being in the
United States is taxed to enable certain
manufacturers to send their goods to
do Acio A fri
America, and there sell them at lower
rates than Americans themselves have to
pay at home, and this in ordOr that our
manufacturers may undersell the English
and the French, Then again high tariffs
obstruct and prevent the development of
manufacturing and mining industries in
the newer States instead of encourag-
ing and fostering them. They
enable the iron manufacturers, the coal
miners, the cotton and wooden manufac-
turers of the East to buy up iron and coal
fields and water power in the West ,n.ere-
ly to prevent them from being improved
and entering into competition.
But there is much more important
matter than the high tariff which must
be grasped and settled at an early day by
the governing authorities-I doubt if the
Democratic party has the cour-
age to meet the question fairly and
bravely, though that shining light of
the party, Judge Black, has sounded the
bugle call, and called on all to rally under
the standard hoisted by him. The con-
troll of corporations by the State-national
and local, is the question of all questions
now pressing on the attention of the pub
lie. There are so many public men and
so many newspapers controlled by railroad
interests, that the side of justice and of the
general public seldom gets a hearing, much
less a defender. Let the Democratic
party emblazon on its banner these words
The State must and shall con troll 0U cor
p0rdti0nS aoit7lin its borders.
Rates, freights and passengers shall be
reasonable and uniform and shall not ex.
coed ten per cent. on invested capital
rates to be paid according to distance. No
rebates or free passes, and all earnings
above ten per cent. shall be rebated'to the
shippers in proportion to the amount
of their respective ship
ments Of course all railroads
and telegraph monopolies will oppose
you, but they do not number more than
one fifth of the voters. including all en-
ployes of such corporations. The people
will stand by you if you keep faith with
them These two reforms are all that
are needed at this time, except the sup
preston of polygamy. If the Democratic
party will start out on this simple plat.
form, disregarding losses in Pennsylva-
MIA and New England, it will sweep
the country and redeem the hard-work-
ing farmers and producers of wealth
from the most grinding tyranny and ex-
tortion free people ever endured or sub
mitted to. G. r. W..