The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-03
TALK ABOUT THE TAR1FF.
How the Great Popular Debate Is Progress
ing All Over the Country.

New York Tribune
II don't object to the tariff if it helps you
silk-workers,n said man on Jersey City ferry
boat, but am carpenter, and my father and
brother are farmers, and | don't see how it
helps us.
Where is your fathers farmi Near Paterson.
isn't it2'
yes They send the stuff from the farm into
do you think it does not help them TO have
more people in Paterson to buy and eat their
stuff OF course it must, and they must get
better prices for farm products than they did
Eyes they do. But is not that so all over the
country2r
Wherever manufactures have built up coun-
try towns where there were none, or cities
where there were small towns the farmers get
better prices than they used to get. But this is
not all. How many men at work in the factories
in Paterson used to be at work on farms, do you
think2 great many, know. If your brother
had all those in the way to compete for every
odd job he would not get as good wages as he
does when he goes out to work by the day. Turn
all these men in Paterson out of the mills and
shops and they would have to find work at some
thing What wages could you get, then, as car
penter9s
Il can see that point but what has the tariff
done to change the number of people at work in
the factories and mills of Patersonp
Only this: it has made it possible to manu-
faeture great many things without loss which
could not be made in this country without loss
before the duty was put on When you Demo-
Gratis went out of power in 1860 we did not make
a yard of silk cloth in the country, and we paid
$34. 900. 900 for silk goods from Europe. Now
we produce about $44 900, 900 worth of silk goods
and have over ZOO persons at work in Pater-
son alone making such goods. They earn over
ST. 900 900 year, and spend most of it for things
produced right here by our own farmers and
mechanics Paterson had less than 20, 900 peo-
pie when you Democrats went out of power now
it has over 81 600 Do you think that makes no
difference to farmers and mechanism
After this fashion the great debate goes on to-
day, in every part of the Republic. THERE'S not
a corner of this great country where the men
who work, in whatever occupation, have not
direct personal interest in upholding the system
which secures fair returns to those who work.
Whenever the discussion springs up it always
goes against the Democrats, because they have
been going against the interests of the voters.
In Passaic county, which includes Paterson, the
majority for Mr. Lincoln twenty years ago was
only 163, and this at the very crisis Of the war,
when Democracy meant peace at any price. In
1880 the same county gave l,8OO majority for
Garfield, and men who know it well say it will
not rest with any such figure this year.
It is not strange that the men Of Northern
States see that their interest lies in voting
against the freetrade Democracy The only
wonder is that in any Northern State the
result should ever be at all doubtful 1t
would not be if the Democratic party did
not lie so persistently about its intentions.
Every year that party pretends to have some
great moral reform" on hand, so that it is
obliged to sink its opinions on the tariff ques-
ton. 1t was Tilden and reform in 1876 and
Hancock and reform in 1880-the reform mean
ing cipher dispatches in 1876 and the Morey for
gerry four years ago, But as soon as that party
has control Of the House it always begins a des-
perate effort to tear down the tariff just as it
did last winter Then. when defeated by the
self interest of about fifth of the Democratic
members and the solid resistance of the Repub-
licans, it concocts some new trick of words to