The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-04-25
Another Wback at the Plate
Glass Editors and Pig
Iron Orators.
The Duty on Pig Iron Fixed by Packed
Conference Committee - The
Timber Tax Ventilated.
One Genial Republican Lifting the Hide
From Brother Republican i'm a
Republican Organ.



When one undertakes to defend free trade
he is denounced as a hair Drained theorist,
or the paid agent of British manufacturers.
In these letters the British free trader and
his corrupt minions' have been Left to
shift for themselves, the object being simply
to ring the backing be!r' and warn you
and other Republicans who sit in high
places that it is not good policy to keep say
ing in our platforms that in levying tariff
duties we should discriminate in favor of
American laborers, and then pass laws dis
eliminating against the laborers and
IN favor of rich monop0lies
who employ the laoorers. But
it so turns out that when the oppressive
taxes you put upon the food, clothing. shell
ter and working tools Of the poor man are
pointed out, straightwsy the pla;e-glass
editors and pig iron orators begin to vapor
about the beauties Of
THE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM IN GENERAL.
The question is and let us stick TO il:
Was the law you voted for framed and
passed in the interest of the rich and agsinst
the interests Of the people2 / say it was,
and If that can be shown, enough is shown
to induce shrewd party managers, like your
self, to consider whether you may not hurt
our party by passing such laws. And it does
not tend to settle the controversy TO say that
the Democrats are not harmonious ON the
4u- if 1frf-o ra1 Tl.rk%
per cent. of fools in the Democratic party
viii not be disputed By me-and the further
fact that there is a very large per cent. of
the Republican party made up of men who
do their Own thinkiDg-Should give very
little comfort to Republican Congress man
who allows himself to be coaxed or bullied
into the support of unjust and pernicious
legislation.
In my last letter in the News L showed by
reference TO the Congressional Record that
you raised the duty on pig iTOn from So per
con. the rate egreed upon In the Senate, to-
&c -, the rate fixed by
PACKED COMMITTEE OF CONFERENCE.
1t was also made to appear that this increase
was made in obedience to the demand OF
Democratic and Republican iron masters
who care about as much for the good Of the
people as Mr.. Vanderbilt is said to care for
public opinion. II possible. a worse outrage
was perpetrated when you came 10 fix the
duty on crude iron ore. As to THE you can
not invent the slightest pretext for an apollo
gy. The Tariff Commission had reported
that fifty cents per ton was high enough
duty on crude iron ore. 1t would seem that
Legislators desiring to protect laborers who
work in factories might see that any increase
in the cost Of raw material must diminish
the profits of the propr1etors and the wages
of the workmen. Iron ore is simply dirt
mother earth. 1t requires as much skill
it 'A d6ss to ! Ess gravel to mfI Io%
bank to platform Car. The laborers who
shovel this dirt in this country work for one
dollar q day. Exhaustless supplies of iron
ore lie upon the earth's surface in Missouri
Michigan, Virginia aud other States. A tax
on this ore increases the cost and price of
every article made of iron.
WHY TAX 1T AT ALL?
With surplus of revenue, why not get
rid OF senseless imposition which oan new
er be justified except as necessary tax un-I
der stress of war? No! Mr. C0nger, of Mich
igan, for whose constituents the country
bears the salt and timber taxes, must have
his iron ore protected also. Mr.. Malone. of
Virginia, late and expensive acquisition to
our party, cls mored for duty OF two dol
lars per ton on iron ore. After debate in
both Houses the rate fixed by the Conmis-
sion, viz, fifty cents per ton, YVES agreed up
on Your packed Conference Committee
took ND the matter and of its own motion
shall | ssy?-increased the rate to seventy
five cents per ton. This was an outrage up
on the public and an insult to both Houses
bnt honorable Senators and Congressman ate
their humble pie without murmur To
have offended Mr.. Malone may have led 10
the election of Democratic Secretary of the
Senate-a disaster too dreadful to contem-
plate.
HAVE MENTIONED TIE TIMBER TAX.
Let US look at that moment. That the
sources of our timber supply are rapidly
diminishing is notorious. 1t is also a we'll
known fact that the pine lands of Wisconsin
and Michigan have passed into the hands of
a lew men who control the lumber market
of the West and Northwest. Canadians
would gladly send lumber to our markets,
which would cheaper building material
and retard the destruction OF our own for
ests. Senators and. Congressman from the
prairie States begged Congress to put lumber
on the free list, and ia one branch, the Sen
ate believe, that proposition carried. But
your potent Conference Committee, at the
bidding of Mr.. Conger, put tax of20 per
cent. on sawed timber, 81 per 1,OO0on boards
10 per cent. on slaves, 20 per cent. on picls-
els and plilings, 81 per 600 on clapboards,
and 35 cents per 1000 on shingles, and you
voted Tor 1t. InlS LlmDer LAX Iolly Will
make trouble for our party in the prairie
States. The settler on the prairie has
APRErTY HARD TIMz,.
unless he begins with good deal: of capital.
II he goes West by rail the cost of transport
ing his family and household goods is quite
large-and larger than it ought to be for the
reason that your iron ore tariff and your pig
iron tariff and your iron and steel Eail tart #
adds 10 the cost OF every mile of railway
travel. Arrived ct his destination he must
build dwelling, and barn and enclosures
| for animals, and on all the material he uses
| for these you impose this senseless timber
tax. u happens frequently that he has no
money TO buy high-priced lumber. and he
builds dwelling with prairie sod, and in
/ this cave he adde's With his family until
bouatiful nsture gives him crop which
enables him TO pay the timber
tribute you impose upon him for the
profit of the vandals who destroy
oar forests Last winter while you were in
Washington looking after the interests of
the public, there appeared in Indianapolis
q minister of the gospel with well-worn gar
ments soliciting aid for a Presbyterian
Church, of which he is pastor. He lives in
Nebraska, and the Church building in
which he breaches is made of sod. he
travelled 1000 miles to get money to enable
the poor people of his congregation to pay
Mr.. Congers rich constituents the tax which
you and other Presbyterian elders in Con-
gress were putting upon building material.