The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-05-30

beet root sugar. Hoosiers were told by this
statesman that the soil and climate of Indi-
ana were unfit for the cultivation of wheat;
that Texas, Georgia and Minnesota were bet
ter wheat States, and that the only coarse
left for our far me was TO raise beets, con
vert them into sugar aud trade the sugar for
Pennsylvania window glass, shingle nails,
etc. This is the statesman who frames the
tariff measure for which you and your coll
leagues vote. He it was who directed you to
vote for a duty on steel blooms which closes
the steel rall mills in Indiana and elsewhere
and you obeyed him. What is most needed
in our party now is spirit of resistance to
this tyranny. We are tired of seeing sensible
Senators and Congressman led about by the
nose to do the bidding of such men. You
know they care nothing for the party unless
it serves their selfish purposes. Senator Con-
ger threatened to oppose the party If it put
timber on the free list. Senator Sherman
threatened TO defeat the whole tariff legisla-
ton of last session unless the Senate obeyed
the commands of the iron masters and the
party basely knuckled to such insolence. l
say am tired of it, and Others are getting
tired.
The phrase protection for American
labor" sounds well, but it is very hollow il
our tariff laws are to be looked to as an in
dication of its meaning. What am trying
t. show you is that such legislation as we
- considering is oppressive and not pro-
SectIYe. Its effects upon the shoemakers of
this country are curious and instructive
The world knows that American shoemakers
are the best in the world Their wares are
exported in large quantities. By the tariff
law you have shut them out of some of the
best markets of the world, and have enabled
their foreign competitors to undersel
them. This is how it came about. In
warm countries, in South America and else
where, there is a large demand for shoes
made OF light stock. Our native feathers
are too heavy FIR them aud it is necessary to
import the material used by our shoemakers
II manufacturing the goods for this trade
What have you done? You tax serges and
hastings s. per cent. You tax kid skins -
per cent. The cottons, nails, tacks, buttons
and thread used in making the shoes are
taxed and the iron used in making the ma
chinerv necessary for shOemaking is also
heavily taxed. Now it is easy TO see that
foreign manufacturers of shoes who get these
materials free of duty are enabled to under
cell American shoemakers, or compel them
TO sell for such prices as require them to re-
duce the daily wages of American work
men. Mr.. Howard NJ. Newhall, a shoe
manufacturer of Lynn, Mass, stated
to a Committee of the Legislature of that
state last winter, that: "a removal of duty
from all articles@used in the manufacture of
a shoe, would be an advantage to the en-
ployer and employed; 1t is hardly necessary
to say that to lessen the cost of shoemaking
material will. also benefit home consumers,
who would get shoes at lower prices than
they now pay. So, little by little, I am try
ing 70 show you the hypocrisy OF the pre-
tense of protection by men who frame laws
which Cypress American manufacturers,
labOrers and consumers. When you protect
anybody it is some giant home monopoly or
the proprietors of foreign industries who are
orippling our foreign commerce.
w. P. FIsHBAcK.