The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-02-14
THE oorroN TIE AGAIN.

Congressman Mckinley of Ohio and
the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette have
arrived at the perfection OF argument.
logic and morals in the discussion of
the Tariff question. Mr., Mckinley In
advocating an increased duty on cotton
ties, made the profound discovery that
in the sale Of cotton, the ties were
weighed and paid for as so many pounds
of eOttOnl The genius who presides
over the Gazette and sheds light on the
manufacturing interests Of Pittsburgh,
at once discovered that this was new,
powerful and unanswerable argument.
just consider for moment, what
fraudulent and depraVed state Of affairs
this discovery OF Mckinley (and remem-
ber In the meantime its truth and cog
ency are fully endorsed by the Gazette)
reveals to an honest and we'll regulated
prOtectiOnist, Here we have a whole
section Of the country, that not only
maintained slavery and engaged in the
wickedest rebellion the world ever saw,
but now sells scrap iron to the innocent
and unsOphisticated Yankee as pure cot
ton.
The Gazette and it's Mckinley, have
also shown to their entire satisfaction,
that when a merchant purchases dry
goods, contained in cheap packages, the
merchant in the innocence of his guile
less heart, pays the same for pound Of
cheap package that he does for a pound
of valuable goods, and he does not take
the packages into account in fixing the
price.
The same line Of argument followed
to its logical conclusion, will prove all
planters and farmers set of cheats and
frauds. The farmer sells corn with cObs
concealed under the grains, hay tied
with wire and contained by wooden
strips, potatoes. with skins on, wool tied
up with cords and pigs with hair and
tail on. To be sure, an ingenious Yam
kee might manufacture whistles out of
pig tails, but willow bark is cheaper
and evolves sweeter, music. But the
wood, wire, cObs and pOtatOe skins are
total loss, and show cOnclusively that
high protective tariff is not only just
and necessary for the manufacturer, but
Is also beneficial to the farmer as 1t fur
nishes him "hOme market" for his pO-
tatO skins and pig tails and protects
him against the pauper pigs Of Europe.
But there Is another phase Of the
subject, equally important and eOnclu-
siYe. The Gazette presents 1t in this
languages:
Most of our readers are familiar with
this cotton tie question, and they know
that Mr.. Mckinley is right, The fact
that cotton ties are brought in under
lower duties than hoop iron does not
prove that they are not justly dutiable
az hoop, but only serves to illustrate
those shifts and evasiOns which have
been resOrted to for the benefit of for
sigh manufacturer and importer. And
those who sustain such transactions
have the face to accuse otheTslOf robbery
and pillagepI
Mr.. Mckinley and the Gazette have,
| therefore, convinced themselves that it
! is robbery and pillage for the cotton
planter and wool grower to sell their
products tied up with hoop iron and
twine, the iron being worth less than
| cotton and the cord being worth far less
per pound than wool. Those gentlemen
do not complain 30 much about the fact
that the robbery and pillage" are per-
| petrated upon the purchaser OF wool and
| cotton, as they do about the persons who
| do the act and receive the supposed bene-
At. 1t Is piece of audacity, exclaim
these mOralists, that cotton planter
should be permitted to buy ties at 80
| cents per pound and sell them as cotton
l at cents per pound clear profit, thus
taking annually $4,000 from the loyal
Northern pocket, and putting II into the
rebel Southern pocket. Therefore, as an
disqualification of the high moral sensi-
6ilities which guide and actlate the
4 Gazette and Congressman Mckinley in
their respective public duties, they pro-
test sOlemly against this robbery by the
planter and farmer, and affirm that
l Congress should at once enact law en-
| abling the manufacturer of the cotton
tie to charge price to the cotton plant
| or, which will make the ties cost him as
much as he gets for them. Congress
man Mckinley does not state In what
manner the cotton buyer is to be bene-
hted by this newly discovered morality,
but 1t appears there Is not SO much OBJ
| lection to robbing the cotton buyer, so
the exclusive right to the spOils.
1 1t is great public misfortune that
L Congressman Mckinley had nOtdeVelOp-
ed his wonderful powers of statesman
ship before the last congressional cleo
tiOn, as in that case, he might have
swelled his majority to 10 or 12 votes in
a strongly Republican district, instead
Of 8. which he now claims, Mckinley
"pans out" beautifully.-Review and