The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-08-29

aOOut,and with agricultural implements
and boots and shoes. For thirty odd
years we have been unloading them on
John Bulls dunghill, and thirty odd
years he has had to suppress them, and
has utterly failed to drive them from
his own dunghill.
The rates provided by the tariff of 1857
would be wholly impossible for years to
come, not till the public debt and our
pensioners cease to exist. 1t was passed
by the first Congress that the Repu5ii-
cans controlled the House, with Matt.
Banks as Speaker. There was surplus
of the vast sum of $l6,OO0,O00 in the
| treasury, just about sufficient to run
| the government two weeks at this time.
The speeches of these pioneer Republi-
cans at the present time, and in view of
subsequent events, read amazingly
strange. They were mOnOmaniacs on
| economy. That scanty surplus, which
they could not control as long as there
was Democratic administration, in
spired them with abiect terror. The
| cOntagiOn infected the Democrats; even
the old Whig element. so fond of a big
surplus for internal improvements, each
made tremendous efforts to excel the
other in describing the terrible misfOr
tunes that would befall the country if
| the revenue was not diminished by re-
ductiOn of the tariff.
| REPUBLICAN CONGRESS MADE WOOL
FREE.
In the expiring days of that Congress
| the tariff of 1857 was passed, and here
at the first time in our history that Re-
publicans were able to influence legisla-
tiOn, the interests of our farmers were
sacrificed.
Under the tariff of 1916 the duty on all
raw wool was the highest rate provided
for manufactures-the same as on
wooden and iron manufactures, and %
per cent. higher than on cotton and
wOrsted manufactures; whilst under the
tariff of 1857 all wool not exceeding 20
| cents in value in the country from
which it was imported (Which would
| make it % cents here) was admitted free.
THE REPOSITORY FOR FREE WOOL.
How much the Repository contributed
to this may be inferred from an editorial
in its issue of January 9TH, 1857, which
urged the removal of tariff duties on all
wool: Here it is:
"As the duty on wool only tends to in
crease the importation of woollen goods
it Is proposed to repeal it to advance
manufacturing at home, and hence, not
| only benefit'the wool grower but the in
| dustTy of the country generally by feed
ing our own manufactures and saving
the millions of gold annually sent away
project, and hope it will be effected"
How naturally free trade argument
comes from the lips of a pTOtectiOnist
when farmers happen to receive bene-
| fit from the little taXeSl But apply that
| argument to pig iron, rolled iron, or raw
! steel which feed" and as material or
fixtures, machinery and appliances
enter into every industry in the land,
| where it applies with hundred-fOld
force, and the protectiOnist will hold up
his hands in holy horror.
How the little taxes lose their magic
| power to benefit the country where
farmers derive benefit
AMERICAN WOOL EXPORTED.
How much the foreign woods "fed"
our manufactures IS we'll shown by the
fact that our farmers had to send their
wool away at much less price to feed"
foreign manufactures. The first year
after that tariff of 1857 our export of
wool was OVera million pounds and by
1860 it had reached over one and half
million pounds. And how much it bene-
fitted the manufacturers is shown by
the fact that over 80 per cent. of the
wool imported under that act was free
of duty-the imports being free $17 ,220,
100, dutiable $787, ,120.
Our Republican friends are very fond
at times of describing the results that
IOllOW6u Lu6 bdElu VI lOO q, anu dI6 utN6T
tired of speaking of the "imbecility of
the administration that couldn't raise
revenue enough to pay the expenses of
the government" 1t don't come with
good grace from them, but it neVeTthe-
less is true that the rates of the Republi-
can tariff of 1857 were so low that, in
those days of economy, which cOntrasted
with the subsequent era of extravaganza
and plumber seem marvellous, when the
nrAf nf N m nWnf
did not exceed $60,000.OO0 per annum,
the revenue was insufficient to run the
government. And when in December,
1860, Congress assembled there was no
money in the treasury to pay the Con-
gressmen their salary.
SHERMAN, THE FINANCIER.
The subsequent "financier" Sherman,
however, was there, and his first feat
was successful in relieving the desti-
tute statesmen.
By the little bill introduced by him
the hungry herd obtained for salaries
one year treasury notes at 80 cents on
the dollar and bearing interest at IL per
cent; and 1t was the first time since the
war of 1912 that ever a government
security was given for less than par or
bore more than . per cent. interest,
though Secretary Chase during his time
never sold single 6 per cent. bond at
par, Dub always hG large ulSCOuub, anu
even as low as 40 cents on the dollar.
This little episode which relieved the
Congressman has proved a continuous
blessing to Republican demagOgues; in
their minds those treasury notes are
transformed into all the bonds issued
before the war, and that one is stretched
to cover all time preceding it. To this
day they are repeating the lie that
Democrats sold bonds at 50 cents and
with IL per cent interest.
ENGLAND's OPPORTUNITY.
But what was John Bull doing dur
ing the four years this low tariff was in
| fOTee2 Here, according to FOIaker, was
his golden opportunity to inundate this
| country with his manufactures and
| crush our industries. The result was
| just the opposite. The very first year
the imports of foreign merchandise de-
clined 20 per cent.-frOm $348, ,428, ,342 to
| $263, 1888 ,654, and it was the first year
for many years that our exports of mer-
chandise exceeded our imports.
This talk of Foraker is childish
twaddle. The low rates of 1857 could
n