The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-05-23
THE EIGHTH.
Another Letter From Mr.. Flshback to
Congressman Peelle.
How Werkingmen Look Upon Tariff Legis
lation-Its Effects in Fostering Mo-
noPoly-The Danger to the
Republican Party and
the Country.

THE News
Hon. Stanton J. Peelle:
had talk day or two ago with Re-
publican who said II agree with what
you have been saying, and see clearly
enough that our party sooner or later must
change its course in this tariff business, but
believe we can carry the State next year
on the principle of high protective
tariff" You see IN this the assumption OF
the practical politician" that the voters,
the common people, the workiugmen, can
be csjoled into believing that enormous
bounties paid 10 few selected monopolists
will produce an extra abundance of food
and clothing for those who work for wages
There is danger that our party leaders may
thus underestimate the intelligence of the
masses. 1t is safe to fool the people to the
top of their bent while they are in the
humor to be fooled, but they make quick
and thorough work with their deceiv, r!
when they open their eyes to the true state
OF the case. To show you that they are
already opening their eyes. 1 copy here al
extract from letter addressed to NE by g
mechanic who works in one of the largest
machine shops in Indiana. He says:
II am employed in the large shops of - 10
this place and am brought in daily contact it'll a
about the place, enk find your letters heartily
Endorsed by large portion of the Republicans
about the works. My object in writing to you Is
to assure you that there mas been "a tn last two
years radical change among the workingmen OF
this place in reference to the tariff helped or
ganize the Republican party in Indiana in SO.
ana since that time have been identified with the
party and have been brought into close contact
with the laboring portion of the party and there
fore speak advisedly when say that the laboring
men are diSgusted with this talk about -pauper
labor by men who are importing duty free pau.
per labor to compete with them. think you
may safely say to our leaders that if they attempt
70 carry Indiana In S1 on high tariff platform.
they will be worse surprised than they were last
fall. The fact is the Republican party must face
about or go under"
This man represents large class who are
tired OF hearing platform palaver about pro-
tecting American industry. when they see
the men who write such platforms enacting
laws which increase the hardshipS of the
laborers, while they add to the enormous
wealth of the men who employ the laborers
Statistics such as Mr.. Kelly produces show
ing the rapid accumulation of wealth in the
country may crafty ones national pride
but what should interest us more is to know
how the wealth is distributed Wealth I'M
equally distributed, where the inequality is
not the result of legislative interference,
but comes from thought and industry on the
one hand, or idleness and wastefulness on the
other, gives no cause for complaint. But
where laws are enacted, such as the tariff
law we have been examining at the dicta-
ton of the rich and powerful. the effect of
which Is to diminish the food and clothing
OF the poor and weak, there will be signs of
discomfort. A good citizen should take no
pride in the growth of great private
fortunes and corporate wealth If it
results in widening and deepening the gulf
which separates the ricn from the DOOR
Poverty disfranchised and ignorant may be
kept In suolection with the bayonet. Pow
erty armed with the ballot and intelligent
enough to trace effect to cause will punish
its oppressors.
Sissy Jupe says that when her teacher Mr.
McChoakumchild was explaining to her
class about National prosperity, he said
Now, this school room is nation. And in
this nation are fifty millions of money
Isn't this prosperous nation? Girl number
twenty, isn't this prosperous nation and
ar mt you in thriving state?" Sissy being
number twenty and unsophisticated, an
swered that she did not know, and thought
she couldn't know whether it was prosper
Gus nation or not, or whether she was in a
thriving state or not unless she knew who
had got the money aud whether any of it
was hers.
Sissy Jupe's hesitation was natural. The
French peasant, gathering nettles TO make
broth for his starving children, took no salts
faction in the knowledge that the mobiles of
Paris were enjoying themselves, and loyalty
to the Queen can not reasonably be expected
on the part OF Irish peasants who are barely
on a small allowance of third
rate potatoes" Something tells the French
peasant and the. Irish peasant that
it is not God, but the
unjust laws OF man that affilct them thus
and the sffiictIon is none the less because it
is said by tie rulers that the public
good requires il. Men with ballots will find
a way to prevent or correct such evils before
they are brought to diet of nettle soup and
''thi I'd rate potatoes" Now it so happens
that we are producing in this country class
of nabobS who can only subsist in commu-
nifty where the rich are getting richer and
the poor pooref-a state of things which,
continued few years longer, Will bring
many of the working-classes to this nettle
and potato diet or no diet at all. When
you hear that Jay Gould approves your high
tariff legislation it should make you put on
your thinking cap and consider what you
have been doing Gould's money shows
what genius for villainy, aided by corrupt
legislation and a corrupt judiciary. may
accomplish. Jim Fisk, the accomplice of
Goulds earlier crimes, said it was folly
to acquire money by the slow process of
legitimate business when it could be OBJ
tanned by the speedier method of "rescuing
property from its owners" The Grand
Opera House, of New York, and the Erie
Railway were the fruits of the first petty
larcenles OF these footpads-a mere bagateIle
to the later deyil-fsh acquisitions of
the surviving partner, whose ex-
chequer is now said to contain $780,
100000 Every dollar of that sum repre-
sents a hard days work of some lsborer.
Not dollar of it has been gained in legiti-
mate business pursuits Cunning lawyers,
corrupt Judges and pliable Legislators have
conspired with Mr.. Gould to filch it from
the pockets of men who labored to produce
it. For one / am not pleased with the spec
tacle. / take no comfort in the assurance
that Mr.. Gould put 100000 in the Repub-
lican campaign fund in 1880. 1t is more
probable that he also contributed literally
to the fund with which Senator Barnum was
carrying on the mule trade in Indiana, for
he has more than once declared that he was
neither Republican nor Democrat but
worked with either party when it helped
his schemes. The point l wish to impress
upon you Is, that legislation which encour-
ages the rapid accumulation of such for
tunes is viscious and dangerous. The really
dangerous classes in this country are
the lobbyists who procure such legis-
lation. The Bessemer steel lobby was
powerful enough to induce Congress to enact
a law which, il not speedily changed, will
shut up every rail mill in the country but