The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1884-08-20
For the NEws
CLODHOPPER
FayOrs Us with Few Remarks ON the
Tariff Question.


can citizen or any party composed of Amer
lean citizens that have any regard for the
interests Of the country at large, can advo-
cate 'free trade, is past my understand
ing, and I have no patience with any such
nonsense. We can understand why many
of the importers of the seaboard cities can
advocate free trade" For instance, New
York and Boston particularly' New York
which is not manufacturing city at all
but thrives and lives on the immense COM
merce whichis carried on through it between
the United States and foreign countries;
and every one knows, that knows anything
on the subject, that "free trade" would
greatly increase the amount of imports and
exports, which must all be carried through
few seoboard cities, of which New York
is the chief; hence we see her bring forth
Grover Cleveland, as the "great reform
candidate, " backed up by G.. W. Curtis, the
Golden Club and all the free trade dudes
in the country.
The real design of the whole fraud is
thinly disguised under the name of re
form" Who in the name of 'the seven
churches in Asia" would ever think Of the
Democratic party reforming the Uuited
States Government? Too thin. too thin is
the veil over the cat in the meal tub. To
show how actively this free trade party is
at work, and how iudustriously; I am con-
tinuOusly hearing people that ought to
know better, saying, 'what does the United
States want protection for?n 'Why, we
are the greatest nation on the earth 2" 1--WE
are able to compete with anybody. we have
the capital and the machinery, and the op-
eratives, and we believe now is the time
towean the manufacturers from government
protection and let them stand alongside
of our agricultural interests: they are not
protected by import taxes, except sugar
and wool, and they all get along well
enough"
Now this kind of talk is all bosh. In the
first place, in the matter of manufactured
goods, Of nearly all kinds, in which the
cost of the articles produced is nearly made
of the labor Or time consumed in their pro-
duction, the abundant capital and low rates
of interest with the cheap labor of our
European competitors, with the protection
taken off of foreign goods, the breaking
down of our home manufacturing interests,
would only be question of a very short
time. The free trader" says, "lst them
break! if they can't manufacture without
a premium being paid them to keep up
their establishments, tOdy let them 6reak,
then we viii buy where we can buy our
goods the cheapest"
Yes! yes! oh yes, buy where you can get
them the cheapest; that is very nice but
when the American competition is broken
down there won't be any cheapest, only
cheap bread and meat for foreign markets,
and British goods to sell to us agricultur-
lists at their own prices Do you see?
American manufactures gone to the bow
vows; the men, women and children that
had been employed in manufacturing all
turned out Of employment.
They must become tramps or seek em-
ployment in agricultural pursuits. The
same Of millions of capital employed in
manufacturing. There would be nothing
left for its employment but agriculture.
Agriculture is overdone now, and what
with our varied manufacturing industries,
with their hundreds Of thousands Of opera
tives to make a home market for our agri-
cultural products thrown back on the soil
to become themselves producers of bread
and meat instead Of consumers, or if not
that, great army of tramps, eating like q
fostering cancer on the nation at large.
The breaking down of the manufacturers
means making an army of one million of
tramps in this country in less than two
years; it means bankruptcy, national and
and individual; it means broad riots, with
fire and sword spread broadcast over our
beautiful and peaceful land. The late war
would not be a circumstance to it.
And this is the great reform" we are
invited to by g. w. Curtis ct al. This is
heavenly indeed; to be brought about
under the guiso of reformation in the ap-
poinment of custom house and postofice
clerks. The tariff question is the great
and real question at issue in the present
political campaign. 1t is disguised as care
fully and sugar coated as nicely as can be,
but the issue is there all the same. And
the issue is this, is the American people
going, voluntarily, and by o. majority Of its
votes TO give away all of eirnationol pros
perity just to satisfy the whims of few
hair Drained theorists that believe in the
impracticable, and the interests of few
seaboord cities that grow, like great and
monstrous parasites, by sucking the life
blood of the nation?
When 1 see the descendants of the aold
Wings, following this ''igausJ Jatuasn of
the Democratic party, after this worst of
all political heresies, it makes me doubtful
| if Providence is not preparing q terrible
scourge for us as Il people on account of
some great national crime which has not
yet been atoued. CLoDuoPprE.
GREENLAwN, o., August O., 1884.