The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-08-01
TO PROTECT THE FARMER AND THE
IABORER

all true republican governments that tax
alton shall be equal and uniform, and that
no one class or section of the country shall
be taxed for the benefit of another. III
ever there was an infringement of this rule
and violation of this sacred principle, it is
found in the high-tariir system now pre-
vailing in this country, But its upholders
are equal to the occasion in the matter of
ingenious defences ard pulling OF the wool
over the eyes of the poor lambs they are
ileecing. Yea, they even find sup
porters among the outraged flock. They
tell US that by protecting American
manufactures, they are obtaining work for
the laboring masses, that by such protec-
ton the country is enabled to keep up the
prices for labor. And they make the in
genious appeal to certain agricultural
classes, the sheep-raisers, for instance, that
these latter can thus find better market for
their wool, etc. Let us look at some facts
that are shown by the last census returns,
of which are coming to hand in advance
sheets form. We find that from the exports
OF the United States, which give us the bal
arce of trade, S2l per cent. come from the
agricultural interests, and less than of
per cent. come,from manufactured products!
What is the meaning Of this fact :?
1t means that the farmers and
the laboring men and women OF the United
States are paying the enormous taxation Of
the country in just that proportion. 1t
means that the 100000 magnificent resi-
denCe and the $4,000, 600 colossal manufac-
tory of the monopolist are paid for by the
toier in the fields who has to rest content
with his humble roof and ordinory domes-
tic comforts. 1t means that he has to be-
relegated to homespun and calico goods
only for his family, while the tribute-coy-
ing nabob dons his or her silken and satin
habiliments, and drives their splendid span
in right royal style, with footman
to outstrip in gorgeousness of at
tire the stripped rural denizen.
How does this follow? The figures
mean that the farmer who furnish that
large percentage of s2l Of those entire
products is compelled to come in compet!-
ton with the ill-fed ill-clothed pauper
labor of Europe with the wretched classes
of Russia and India and elsewhere, paying
from 200 to 800 to $50 per cent. ad valorem
tariff, as we showed in our article yester-
day, in order to protect the favored in
dustries of the parties owning those splen-
did establishments just alluded to. Where
else do all these fortunes come from if not
from the soil brought forth by the hand OF
the laboring man, We instanced yester-
| day the case of piece of wooden
goods to show the cost which protection
forces the poor man to pay here.
| Let u.s. examine now one or two more
illustrative tests, A piece of cassimeres
made by, say an Iowa factory, from Mis-
souri, woods, would cost the manufacturer
| just 5IA cents yard, material, labor and
| all. Now, what is the price charged for it !
Just 81 yard to the consumer; nearly SOC
per cent. profit Take the case Of hosiery.
| Hose made from southern wool costs tie
New England manufactured some II cents
per pair. That quality is sold to us in
Texas ut 30 cents per pair, or 200 per cent
profit On dress goods we find q
duty of some 20 per cent; on blanket!
and ilannels We find the duty ranging from
20 to % per cent. And the worst feature o
this is that the less in price the blanket oil
flannel is, the less is the rated duty, thu
forcing the poor man to pay more than hi
richer neighbor. Again, the total amour
of tho taxes per capita in the United State
is nearly 81 per head. Now, assuming tina
there is one tax-paying person to every iiv
of the whole population, and that onc-iiltl
only of the articles consumed in the coun
try come from, or are such as come from
abroad, and hence are subject to the tax
We have the showing of the sum of $40
per year per capita paid into the treasur.
OF the United States for protection, and o
this the government gets $50 and the man
) ufacturer pockets $50. Pursuing tho in
vCstigation further, We will discover that tn
proportion OF the agricultural population
to the manufacturing is as ,spa'ys $50,
that the farming inlIw' goes TO the gov
per capitaa6 $40 into the aforesaid pock
Les. fever there was fraudulent deyic,
for wringing money out Of the Golfers of tn,
many for the benefit of the few, this higl
tariff business is tho one, and one whicl
outragcously violates every principle o
justice and constitutional guarantee
But again, we are told that the wool-gro
is advantagcd. How stands this assertion
now after the iactsw have just set out as /,
the prices he has to pay for his wooden goods
his cassimeres, his blankets, his socks, etc.
etc. Having reared, bred, nourished
sheared the sheep, marketed the WOOL etc.
he sells II for IS TO 10 cents per pound,
comparatively small yield for all his labor
care, etc., has 1t manufactured into thes
articles aud pays the manufacturer 70
them the enormous oounties we have Jus
named. As some one has said, "the result |
at last like one of these patent well bucket
that comes up full and goes down empty
and repeats this process the year round
the farmer thinks he is protected in hi
!. | al La, l.,. Ia. A.