The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-04-24
Mr.. Kelley's Reply.


taxes.
Mr.. Kelley's Reply.
Mr. Kelley, OF Pennsylvania, made the open
ing speech in opposition TO the bill. lie ala not
believe any cheapening goods could relieve any
American Industries. The EVIL was not tnab'
goods were not cheap enough or that America
could not produce them The Truth. 70 be con-
sidered OF all men, was that the power or pro-
duction the world over had outrun the power OK
| consumption, and that the markets were over
GUS people had been idle for a large portion OK
all recent years. Nihilism in Russia, Sociallsnl
| in Germany, Socialism and Nihilism IN the bor-
der regions of Austria, Communism In France.
told the story in those grea5 countries, OF ldie-
ness, want, and misery IN every lndustrlaL
center. He then proceeded to give chapters
| from the terrible lives of the industrial classes
of England as learned by him during three
months visit 70 Merry England, prosperous,
free trade England. in order 10 show the fearful
condition or the laborlng people OF that country,
and said the proposition now made was that the
| United States should enter the race with the
world for oheapness, which had led TO such ter
rible results in England. Their was nothing or
! so little value in England as "a working man or
woman with reasonably good appetite. In one
! town he had seen women making trace-chalns
and yet the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr..
Turner, was returned to Congress every year pc
cause he advocated placing trace-chalns on the
| free-list
Mr.. Turner said that that was good PROPOSE
| ton which lie hoped would be adopted.
Mr.. Kelley replied that women could realize
| 50 or 81 cents week for making trace chains.
| God forbid tuat any Kentucky woman must
| ever work at such masculine employment Tor
/ such starvation wages. He recalled the reply OF
| Emery Storrs 10 an EngEshman who, at a
| dinner given by Minister Lowell, was badgering
| him about free trade: Il Will admit free trade
Is the best for you-at least for those OF you who
can afford to consume anything that Is pro-
duoed; but claim that protectonis best for US.
| You think more a great deal OF cheap shoes than
| you do of a prosperous shoemaker, while IN
America we think more OF the artisan than his
work.
After describing the wretched condition of the
! laDorerS IN Birmingham and surrounding towns.
| he said: God forbid that American labor
| should ever be embodied in any production that
| should be cheap enough TO be sold to the In
dustrial towns that surround Birmip CHAM.
| Much was heard about free raw material He
| denied that the free-trade Democracy OF the
! country, as represented on this floor, was in
| favor OF tree raw material. Under the present
tariff every element of raw material which could
1 be discovered was already on the free list. The
pending bill put twenty or thirty articles on.
| the free list, but not one OF hem
| terial The raw material for salt was the brine
| which pumped out. Coal IN earth, selling
at certain rate per ton "Gnsight unseen was
raw material: but when thousands and hun
dreds of thousands OF dollars had been ex-
pended in making IL accessible to mans use, il.
was not. Alcohol was raw material, and only
| two Democrat -Messrs. Hewitt and Randall
were in favor of putting II on the free list.
| What charged Tor the use Of Natures
| solvent, for which the wit of man had yet dis
| covered no substitute? Before the American
| farmer could advance his raw material corn
one stage in the manufacture, he had TO ray 90
| a.
| it was a tax on the producing and trading
classes. In the race for chcapness production
| left prosperous countries and found its way to
the most oppressed, and those whose people
would work for the smallest mOdcum of food
and clothing The United States had entered
on the work of banishing manufactures, and he
asked that the tariff rates be rcnstated, as he
| had hoped they would have been by the ma
| jority of the last Congress- By abolishing the
| duty quinine and salts of quinine the
| largest manufacturer in the country had been
| obliged to send all his stock abroad, and
to employ cheap German labor and cheap
raw material in its manufacture. By putting
duty OF lilo cents per pound on tin plates
the United States had succeeded In establishing
manufactures; but, by the displacement of
Ito cents had been imposed. The
effect of this had been TO strike down the
industry. The sapient Secretary of the Treas
ury had held that the word highest" in the last
tariff law meant lowest, AMI on account of
that ruling the wlre-rod makers were importing
wire-rods pretty well made from the other side
| of the water
MIR Hewitt, of New York, suggested that the
Republican and not the Democratic tariff had
Mr. Kelley replied that If 20 PER cent of the
! Democrats in the last Congress had united with
| the Republicans the tariff on wire-rods would
have been placed at such rate as TO enable
Americans to manufacture them.
Mr.. Hewitt-Would you have allowed us to fix
the thing in conference conmitteeY
| Mr.. Keley-Nes, sir No Democrat would
| serve on that commit ee save Mr.. Carlisle, who
/ served quietly in order to observe what was
/ done. Nary one dared.
! Mr.. Hewitt-1hen the whole performance was
a Republican performance?
! Mr.. kelley-The conference had to deal with
the materials you sent US. Are they Republicans
in this House who propose 10 reduce the duty
on wire rods 20 per cent? Who voted for IL to-
/ day, Republicans or Democratsl Don't let us
talk about what occurred year ago. Let Us go
back only two hours
Mr.. Kelley then repeated the assertion he had
made that the production had outrun con-
sumption. Every reduction of wages dimin-
ished the power OF the masses 10 consume and
\. go
whole industrial world were now suffering. This
| evil could not be mitigated by a 20 per cent.
reduction in the tariff now too light on a good
many articles which should be produced in the
United States, nor by "A blow at the agricultural
| interests. The south of Russia now en-
gazing Americans to erect elevators, to build
J factories for American agricultural machinery.
and 20 aid in the construction OF railroads to
/ the scaports: and IL the farmers of America
did not care for their int res and did not strive
by the proper legislation to diversity their agri-
| cultural products their markets would be gone.
ana In conparlso with the price they now
received for wheat they would receive a price
! little more than nominal. He could see but two
means by which the markets could be increased,
with third means glimmering in the future
/ Stop all importation of cheap labor. Send back
| TO whatever country they came from the men
! or women who had signed the contracts in for
ei0n lands or on shpboard 20 work at lower
wages than the wages OF American labor. See
! that the wages were kept so high that the pub
lie schools might be well sustained and the
| children reasonably well educated. Let not the
American women become degraded. Protect
/ the American motherhood against the deg
| radiation or becoming the drudges OF men
/ in gla s-wOrks, iron-fOrCes, and rolling mills
| II necessary, by declaring eight hours the
longest period in the twenty-four that men
production of sorghum in the West aud
| especially in the Southwest. as means OF di-
versifying the labor of the American farmer
and enhancing the sale of his production Let
| the country be isolated IL was unlike any 9TH
| err 10 was not monarchy or an empire: NJ was
| free republic, every human being belongngto
which was citizen with tho rights of fresmen
and with the duty before him OF helping main
| tain the Governments which could only live as
| long as virtue, intclltgencc, and indef endence
characterized Its citizens. And this il could not
| do II IL was 70 begin I'm an unhoiy race for the
cheap and nasty understandings OF dismal
science.