Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-10-02
The Tariff


from the certain defeat that awaits it
in November, are misrepresenting the
position of the Democratic party upon
the tariff question, declaring that the
Democrats if they get into power will
establish free trade, or in other words,
remove all duties from imports. The
people are thinking and thinking hard
this year, and will not be deceived by
such chaff. The Democratic party is
not in favor of free trade; read its plat
form and see for yourselves The DEM
ocratic party says to the country that
there should be a tariff reform; that a
few monopolists should not be made
richer, while the great masses of the
people are made poorer; that over $780,
600, 900 of taxes more than is needed to
run the government should not be
wrung from the people each year; that
these large sums of money should not
be taken from circulation and locked
up i'm the vaults of the treasury, while
our people are crying over the hard
times and the scarcity of money. The
Re publicans, pushed to the wall, are
forced to acknowledge that the tariff
needs revision, and pledge their party
to reform it. Read their platform and
see if it does not contain the following
words: "The Republican party pledges
itself to correct the inequalities of the
tariff
These words are a plain admission
that the present tariff is not just-thst
it is so arranged as to be burdensome to
the great mass of the people and to
give undue advantage to the few, thus
creating monopolies-and yet one of
the standard arguments of the Repub-
licans has been that the Democratic
Congress is always "tinkering with the
tariff" How are you going to correct
the inequalities Of the tariff" without
"tinkering" with it? Every time the
Democrats have had control of the
popular branch of Congress they have
adeavored to correct the inequalities
of the tariff" but have been thwarted
in their purpose by a Republican Sen
ate and Republican President. This
year the people propose to give the
Democratic party control of both the
! Legislative and Executive branches of
the govern neat, and they will then
secure relief from this burden of taxa
ton, and not before.
| But who is to blame for this tariff
that the Republicans acknowledge to
be unjust and ,burdensome? What
party enacted the present iniquitous
tariff laws? What party reduced the
tariff on wool and at the same time in
creased the tariff on woolen goods? The
Republican party has been in power fol
nearly quarter of century, and it is
responsible for the INEQUALITIES of the
tariff" pauper contract labor, burden.
some taxation, and all the other ills
that the Republican platform acknowl.
edges now aff1ict. the people. Thai
party is now crying out that it is going
to let up on the poor man, that il
pledges itself to reform. Readers, il
has been doing that same kind of talk
ing for twenty years. But it always
fails to carry out its pledges, and the
consequences are that business is stag
nant, money is scarce, mills are shut.
ting down and turning thousands out
of employment, the laboring classes are
crying for bread, and strikes with theil
dire calamities occur all over the
country. Is it any wonder the people
are coming to the conclusion that it il
time for a change? Reader, when you
are told that the Democratic party il
the party of free trade, and that it's sue
cess will cause ruin and disaster to The
industries of our country, read the fol
lowing extracts from the platform
adopted by the Democratic Nationa
Convention at Chicago last July:
"In making reduction in taxes it ii
not proposed to injure any domestic in
dustries, but rather to promote theil
healthy growth.
"Many industries have come to rely
upo legislation for successful contin
uance, so that any change of law must
at every step, be regardful of the labor
and capital thus involved.
"The necessary reduction in taxation
can and must be effected without de
priving American labor of the ability
to compete successfully with foreign
labo", and without imposing lowel
rates of duties than will be ample tt
cover any Increased cost of production
which may exist in consequence of tht
higher rate of wages prevailing in this
country"