The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-10-09
A GRAND EFFORT.
WELLBORN WAKES THE WELKIN
WITH HIS WITOHING ORA
TORY, LAST NIGHT.
The Tariff and Other Living
Issues Discussed in
Mastery Manner.

SpA Tie audience, too, repreSente
IN an eminent degree the culture an
refinement, the worth and wealth {
the city Of Austin. A hundred ladit
were present, attracted by the CROWN
fame of Olin Wellborn as a speake
of uncommon power. Nor were the
disappointed. There was only on
opinion. about tit was q gloriou
success. The great crowd hung en-
tranced on his utterances, and as hi
sonorous sentences rang through tn
chamber, climax on climax, they CAV
vent to their appreciation of the mai
and the principles he enunciated b.
repeated demonstrations of the mos
real and intense enthusiasm.
Mr.. a. u. Woodbridge called the
meeting to order and Dudley q
Wooten, Esq, introduced the speaker
whose presence was greeted witt
cheers.
Mr.. WellbOrn began as follows:
81 speak for an honest, economical
and efficient administration of our
state government; and therefore coun
sci the support of those distinguished
and competent rulers, Ireland and
Gibbs. | speak for an able and salts.
factory representation of this district
In congress: and therefore counsel the
support of that gifted and chivalrous
son of Texas, Joseph ID. Sayers. ]
speak for the restoration of the SUI
premacy of the constitution, the puri-
fication of our civil service and the inn
provement of our system of public
taxation, and therefore counsel the
support of those greatest of American
TafnFn1aFC lInUnInnh 1rsn
MIR. WellbOrn then spoke in sub
stance, as follows:
To the federal issues with which
these several candidates. are directly
or remotely identified he would de-
vote the present conference. He said
that in popular governments the right
of suffrage involves the highest duty
of citizenship: to the discharge
OF this duty American freemen are
once more called. Practically their
discretion was limited to a choice be-
tween two parties-the republicans
and democrats. For brief periods
and to limited extents, other organi-
cations had attracted popular atten-
ton. These organizations, however,
are now little more than indistinct
"reminiscences. The greenback party
was the latest of these offsprings, and
had died in the embraces of Ben
Butler.
This is all the notice the situation
requires to be taken of the greenbaclx
party. The issues dividing the repub-
lican and democratic parties were
next alluded to. The most important
of these was the reform of our
federal system of taxation and the
publication of our civil service. That
the federal revenues under present
eXigencies must be largely raised by
custom duties, is proposition on
which both parties are agreed. 1t
would be unavailIng therefore to dis
cus5 the respective merits of direct
and indirect taxation. The only prac-
tical inquiry related to the principles
on which the latter system should be
based. AS discussed in the politics of
this country there are two systems of
tariff taxation, the revenue end the
protective. Each system was appro-
priaiely defined by the speaker; the
protective policy was vicious, particu-
larly in three respects: 1st-It was
an illegitimate and wicked use of the
right of taxation. 2d-It was the par
ent of monopolies and ruinous to
commerce. 3d.-It operated with pc
culiar hardship and injustice on agri-
culture, the great source of all
wealth. Under the first of these
heads, the general inequalities and
vices of protection were depicted.
In 1880, the year of the
last census, the tariff augmenta-
ton of prices was $1,073, 783, 191. Had
this sum been raised by direct per
capita tax, it would have taken an
assessment of $21.89 on every man,
woman and child of the country. The
government does not receive dollar
of the vast excess, but THE whole in
ures to the benefit of preferred classes.
For every dollar which tariff of 1880
carried into the treasury 1t placed in
the pocket. of the manufacturers 1915.
OF the total population of the United
States but 22.17 per cent were engaged
in manufactures, while 1882 per cent.
were employed in other pursuits. OF
the small number engaged in man
ufactureS, less than one-third were
owners of manufacturing establish
mentS. So that we are confronted
with the startling fact that 81 per cent
of the people of the United States are
annually and GENEROUSLY taxed for the
exclusive benefit of 13 per cent. Such
monstrous situation the tax payers
of the country cannot longer submit
to; they were thoroughly aroused: the
agitation would continue to go Cd, I'M
til the last shackle of protection was
Sundered, and the people thus redeem
ed from the most Ubiquitous thra, dom
that ever cursed a republic of freedom.
The effects of protection on COM
merce in all It's branches were most
disastrous. Ship building had been
paralyZed, Our ocean transformation
had been intellectually lessened, the
volume of our foreign trade greatly
diminished. Commerce between diff
ferent countries is but the mutual eX-
change of their respective commodi-
ties, money being required only for
the settlement of occasional balances.
The logical result of protection was to
destroy these exchanges while its I'M
concealed purpose was to restrict
them. The protective policy threw
its most grievous burdens on agricul-
ture, an interest which with us in a
pre-eminent degree is the foundation
of individual prosperity and nationa
wealth. The farmers of America con-
stitute nearly one half our popula-
tion, and their products four-ffths OF
all our exports, yet this interest is the
very one on which the protective
policy throws its heaviest bur.
dens. First, it adds largely
TO the cost of all the farmer buys.
Second, it reduced largely his receipts
of all the products that he sold. These
points the orator elaborated, showing
the approximate amounts which pro
lection added to the purchases made
by the farmers and the reductions or
the sales of their products. He then
showed the position of the republican
and democratic parties onlthese ques
tions demonstrating that the republi
can party both in its recent platform
and antecedentS was pledged to til,
petpetuation of protection, while the
democratic platform promised full
ultimate relief from the enormities O
protection. The civil service wa
next taken up and the manner il
which it had been prostituted unde
republican rule. The public record
of the opposing candidates for tb'
presidency were then fully discusse,
and contrasted and his hearers in
vited to the earnest support of Cleve
land and Hendricks.
BOB CAIN CORNORED.