The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-08-29
FORAKER'S KEYNOTE.
His Weakness and G Contradictions
on the Tariff Question.
Tariff Robbed and Poverty Stricken
Spain and Free Trade Eng
land C0ntrasted.
FORAKER's KEYNOTE MARVEL.


Foraker was not undeserved, and that
he is not qualified to fill the office of
Governor of fhis great state, his key
note" amply furnishes the missing link
His "keynOte" is marvel in itself,
and If it h is no other merit, 1t certainly
has that of being original. Any person
reading that great production can come
to no other conclusion than that Fora
ker, if he understands the force of what
he says, and means what he says, is
free trader at heart, with free trade
principles 50 ineXtricably interviewer
in his intellectual composition, that
with his limited faculties he is unable
to smother them, and uncOnsciOusly,
while making an elaborate protective
argument, furnishes the facts which not
only destroys the force of, but Tefutes
his argument.
Without grasp of mind sufficient to
comprehend the tariff problem, and des-
titute of sufficient information to form
an intelligent opinion, he appears like
a schOOlbOy. confused by discussion
beyond his mprehenSiOn; but who, re-
tanning some indistinct and incOherent
ideas of the matter discussed, makes a
desperate effort to conceive a theory,
and to marshal the isolated facts that
have escaped his memory, but the force
and hearing of which he does not un-
derstand, into an argument to support
his theory.
FORAKER'S CONTRADICTIONS.
The most contradictory facts at once
in his mind harmOniZe; facts that not
only antagOniZe but utterly refute;
are not only TecOnciled with, but be-
come proof inVincible of his theory;
glaring exception to universal rule at
once annihilutes the rule and becomes
itself the rule; and unable to retain in
his mind the chain Of his argument or
the force of his reasoning, he refute5
what he has proved, and again proves
what he has refuted.
Like the cOuntryman who sees the
ground covered with hopping toads af-
ter dTenching shower has driven them
out of their holes, he exclaims, "Oh,
blessed shower that has rained down the
tOads to devOur the insects in my gar
denP' But with equal facility he can
exclaim, "Oh, the blessed tOads have
brought the rain that refreshes my par
ched gardenp And when occasion re-
quires, he can as readily deduce from
the circumstance that the tOads prOduc-
ed the insects, or the insects the tOads,
or that the insects produced the rain, or
the rain the insects. In fine, nothing is
insurmOuntable to his genius.
Given sequence of events or a con-
cuTrence of circumstances, and there
from in his mind flow naturally all the
grOtesque, incOngruOus, fantastic and
ludicrOus deductions that could pOssi-
bly, emanate from disOrdered intellect
and diseased imagination.
1.-THE SUN DO MOVE"
He has one prototype, and the 10th
century has produced but one. 1t is
Jasper, the cOlOred minister of North
Carolina. Jasper has read that Joshua
commanded the sun to stand still, and
hence the sun daily moves around the
earth; and Jasper, shutting his eyes to
existing facts and the demonstrations
of science, shouts: "The sun do mover
Just so does Foraker. He sees a city,
Toledo, that by reason of its natural adj
yantages, and in spite Of the incubus Of
the protective tariff, has progressed rap
idly. He shuts his eyes to its natural
advantages, to the fact that 1t progress
ed equally before the tariff, that some
cities prOspeTed much more rapidly be-
fore the tariff, that some cities that
prOspered far more before the tariff
have since ceased to prosper, and ex-
claims, "Oh, glorious tariff" "The sun
do move"
TARIFF ROBBED SPAIN.
Having proved the protective tariff a
blessing by one city, he graVely proceeds
to refute it and prove it curse by ma
tiOn.
The name Toledo brings to his chaOt-
ic mind another city, the Toledo of
Spain, that miserable nation Of tariff
robbed labOTers. He has before him now
not an isolated city, but a nation; not
the experience of twenty years, but the
experience of generations and centur-
les.
For centuries before and up to 1849,
Spain protected her labOrers by an abb
sOlute prohibition of all impOrtatiOns of
everything produced by her manufac-
turers. From 1849 to 1869 she admitted
some few articles under very high tar
if, but prohibited all others. From 80
to 1875 she admitted some additional
articles under high tariff, and since
1875 she admitted all things under a
high protective tariff. Her mannfactu-
reTs for centuries met no outside COM
petition. And what has protection ac-
cOmplished for herp OF all civilized
countries the condition of her labOreTs
are the most abieet, miserable and pitt
full. Foraker himself says the regular
diet of the labOrer and his family is
coarse bread, oil and vinegar, with a
mOrsel of meat less than dozen times
year.
One city prOsperousl A great nation
prOstrated, ruined, beggaredl Glorious
Tariff "The sun do mover
SPANISH LABoRERs AND FREE TRADE EN-
GLAND.
And then Foraker gravely proceeds to
say that labor is better off in most other
countries of Europe, and receives dou-
BILE the wages Of the Spanish labOrer in
some. Yes, free trade England, with
less natural resources and much less IA
VOrable climate, gives her laborers dOu-
BILE the wages that tariff robbed Spain
gives hers. But all the same glorious
tariff "The sun do mover
But how Spain could serve to Illus
trate the blessings of protection is an
unfathOmable mystery. Did Foraker
aimlessly and accidentally allude to
Spain? Or had he a purpose in so do
ingP Let US see. He had before him
protected manufacturers and unprOtect-
ed producers, both wage payers; both
with products to sell, and each consum-
or of the others products; the labOrer
receiving wages, with nothing to sell,
ond aononrnar ~ hath nrodnafa. and