The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-04-19
LOW ,rARHEE.


is an enthusiast, they have only to
understand that his idea is that if our
tariff laws were abolished or reduced |
to a revenue basis, from that very mo-
ment, all over this broad land, the
looms would hush, the spindles stop,
the factories suspend, the furnaces
blow out, and we be left to the merci
less manufactures of England, who
would sell w goods ut double their
former prices. Magnificent reason
ing! ! doubt seriously if there is a
small hoy iii any Of the small boys de-
Lating clubs, who would endorse such
a statement. Why Protection" ought
to know that England, that he so
much breads, is free trade country
Is it possible that the American facto-
ries that have been pampered and
protected for almost a century, and
that now represent millions of money,
are to sicken and die so soon rs the
Government withdraws it's aid?
He asserts that if we had protection,
"manufactories would spring up our
population increase and an era OF
prosperity follow" If this is an ar
gument, the manufactures would be
responsible for this increase of popu-
lation, which, of course, must come
from foreign country. Thus by his
own argument he would draw for his
additional population upon the cheap
laborers of England.
Oh, no, he would not have Ameri-
can workmen to compete with En-
glish "paupers" though three thous-
and miles away, but is so humane
that he would bring the poor fellows
home to us. This talk about higher
wages for our workman by security
from the pauper labor of England,
will not do There are more than fiji
ty millions ofpeople in this country,
and less than three millions of them
are engaged in manufacturing pur-
suits. Every year five or six hundred
thousand people arrive from Europe
to compete with the forty-seyen mil
lions who have no protection. 1t is
alright for these new corners to com
pete with the farmers, the mechanics,
the consuming and pr0dncing classes,
but if one of them dares to cross the
, protected lines without first paying a
tribute to the manufacturer, he be-
comes pauper laborer, and is declar-
ed unclean.
Protection thinks if a high tariff
r was assured for fifty years, manufac-
tories would spring up all over the
country and these would give oul
farmers a "home market" for products
In 1879 three hundred and thirty
q millions OF dollars worth of provisions
were exported from the United States
Imagine the enormous increase Of
people engaged III manufacturing il
: order to consume this surplus. What
q is to be done with the goods manu-
= featured by this vast army? How are
= they to be used? OF course If we can
q compete here with foreign cheap Ia
q Dor we cannot exportto Europe mt
: compete with the "paupers" at home
p Therefore our manufactures would
have to be sold at home or not at all
y and the result would be glut in thu
n market, a reduction in the wages o
s laborers to starvation rates, and ther
4 strikes and riots like Pennsylvania
= had few years ago. We are furthel
r told that the fear OF free trade ha
been making Tennessee poorer each
d year. Why. we have had protection
e high protection for twenty years, anC
It if we are growing poorer is it not tim,
n to call halt? If high tariff is sucl
glorious thing, surely there neet
i be no fear of free trade doctrine pre-
). vailing. | do insist that protection
!. benefits the manufacturer alone, ant
J. that it is unjust to tax the many TO
v the benefit of a few. 1t is true tina
l. Johnson City has mandatory in it
i" infancy; the farmers would not hav
It it taken away the laborers are no
II tired of it; our merchants do no
10 think it a nuisance; those who sci
bark don't want it wiped out the ta
"A payers are not tired of it no on
n wants it ruined. | might stop her
" and his questions would be answered
V. But Protection thinks the great tar
it merry, owes its existance to a protect
,e i've tariff. He never was worse misti
k ken. The "theiving tariff" is it
e greatest enemy. Every tolerably we
it informed man knows that the wors
d obstacle to leather dealers is the sy'
/? tom which cuts them off from foreig
lg hides. The hides used at the tanner
Id here are mostly from South Americi
If where thousands of wild cattle al
killed for their hides alone But 70
ne the enormous tariff, these bides eoul
be brought here for a nominal sun
ee and the money thus extracted couI
81 be made to increase the wages of I'll
laborer. The present tariff system