The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 6

promised relief, and innumerable mas
terly Orations have been delivered at
various sessions defending the people
and crying for reform, but no reform
has yet gladdened the hearts of
THE ToILING MASSES.
How long this will last. and how long
meekly abiding people will allow
such wanton direliction of duty on
the part of their elected rulers is the
great conundrum of the hour. Count
less millions hope that the time will
not be long before Strong-handed jus
tice sweeps forever from power the
politician or the party that dares To
stand any longer in the way of re-
| form in our taxation system. The
Republican party is, and always has
been, the great stumbling block
IN THE WAY OF REFORMATION.
The party of moral ideas, the grand
old party, So-called, is controlled by
interests that wants mattersIto remain
us they are; the ally of giant corpora
lions bred by special legislation, and
of mOnopolies that are enabled by the
tariff to bleed the masses to fatten
| bloated individuals. No one can eX-
|
from the Republican party, and
congress may once more adjourn
without single thing done towards
tariff revisiOns. The tariff as it stands
now is of peculiar disadvantage to
the south, more SO than to other sec
| lions of the country; our manufac-
lures are in their infancy SO far con-
| fined chiefly to the weaving of cot
ton fabrics. Cotton milling machinery
is enormously costly in any country,
but particularly so in America, where
there are but few shops devoted to its
construction.
TO ERECT \ COTTON MILL
in the south, we are compelled to
submit to the exactfons of these few
shops, whereas if the tariff were
changed much cheaper machinery
could be bought in England, and in
consequence cotton mill that now
! costs a southern manufacturer $780,
600 could be built for $2OO,O00. But
our Republican SolonS not only want
! imported iron heavily taxed but
refuse to relieve single article
of iron make even when the eVi
is so plain and the benefits to be de
rived so great. The Democrats in
congress are assailing the evils with
heretofore unknown vigOr. TeXil,
produced last year 100000 bales OF
cotton. The dream of her citizens is
to manufacture every pound of it al
home. We want cheaper machinery
come from where it will, ano
it is needless to say that the
delegates from the Lone
| bot ~
efforts to hayel the tariff revised in
this and hundred other particulars
The debates in congress on the tariff
has been unusually interesting lately
SENATOR COKE,
in his speech on the subject, was fire.
quently interrupted by Hoar, Nc.
PhersOn and other protectionist SEMI
tors when he uttered his telling re.
marks against the iniquities of the
present system. The senator clearly
proved that the tariff was Il
fraud as far as protecting the
| American laborer was concerned; he
showed that if anything the English
factory operative was better paid
than our own, and that while the tar
i'll excluded foreign goods from this
country, it also excludes our goods
from outlets to foreign markets.
In the course of his speech Mr.. Coke
/ said in the old countries, in England
and in France and Germany, where
the accretions of centuries under the
laws of primOgeniture have cast
great wealth upon individuals,
their wealth is as nothing compared
to that which has grown i'll this coun-
try in the last twenty-five years in the
hands of few individuals. Individ-
ual energy could not have attained
such results. 1t has been attained by
the aid of the government; the gov
eminent has been diverted from its
legitimate mission to the aggrandize-
ment of favored classes. Millionaires
and paupers have been the result of a
protective tariff. Well paid
labor would never engage in the
strikes that are SO frequent in this
count Try There is Chicago within
pistol shot of Texas. European free
trade nations absolutely control the
trade of that country because trade
allows them to furnish cheaper goods
than we can. This is because all of
our products are placed on stills by
the protective policy; all of the ele-
ments of manufacture are taxed. The
tariff was only agreed upon by our
| forefatherS Us a temporary eXpedient
| to protect infant industries; now we
need no protection against England or
any other country. The senator's
speech was lengthy and exhaustive
and covered the whole history of the
protective tariff in this country and
was mastery Tefutation of the ar
guments of the able members from
the other side of the chamber who as
sailed him. The speech contained
many other salient points too numer-
GUS to mention here. A few more as
Saults like Mr.. Coke'S will effectually
settle the iniquitOuS system which
has been a bane to our prosperity,
especially in the south.
The resolution reported from
the house judiciary commit
tee and adopted calling upon
Secretary Teller for information rela-
tive to the Leavenworth, Pawnee and
| Western railroad company is based
| upon Il suspicion that the road is in
possession of land within the limits of
the indemnity land grants, to which
it is not entitled. If the matter were
| closely looked into it would be found
that other corporations beside the one
mentioned are
ENJOYING ILLEGAL POSSESSION
of public lands out west. 1t would
be well to pay some attention
to the railroad gentlemen that are
now hanging about the capitol beg
ging for special legislation.
The novel sensation in Washington
at present is the
$4,000 LIBEL SUIT
of the Rev. w. w. Hicks against the
Evening Star newspaper company.
DIR. Hicks was the spiritual adviser of
the Hon. Charles J. Guiteau during
his last days of terrestrial existence; a
thirst for nOtoriety prompting the
good man. After the assassin's death
he managed to procure frequent in
terviewS in the papers and for
a time he was one of the
great men of the town, but
now all interest in him has died out
He has preached several sensational
sermons, but still the pdblic failed to
notice him, and now comes his libel
suit. The article on which it is based
contains nothing that could be con-
strued as as an injury to character,
and the case will doubtless be thrown
out of court. But, in the meantime,
Hicks name will appear frequently
in type.
The senate committee on postoffices
and post roads has decided to post
pone until next session the further
consideration of the bill