National Republican., 1884-04-14
Hurd Trying to IIoodwink.

Mr.. Hurd, of Ohio is probably tho ablest
and most consistent champion Of free trade
in the house Of representatives and the
equal of Mr.. Beck in tho senate. Mr..
Morrison, though bold person and much
praised for courage, does not quite fill the
bill He is we'll enough in theory, but halts
when he comes to oct, and instead Of framing
measure based on real free trade, he retains
tho principle of the old Morrill, bill, cuts
down the rate of duty horizontally, and calls
upon the free traders to help him re.ensct all
tho protection which protoctionists them
selves enacted twenty-three years ago.
When asked to go further and mako an act
in conformity with the free trade principles
which ho processes to hold, he uses the Lam
guage Of the "down east" coward and claws
off exclaiming, IL darse'nt" He has the
courage Of his convictions perhaps, but dares
not attempt to put them in practice.
Mr. Hurd surveys the field and finds the
protective feature in tariff not only wrong,
but injurious to the interests it aims to pro-
lCCbt uuu lhuo hhulub ho WVuih bOhOhb thp
wool grower, the manufacturer, tho laborer,
and the consumer by removing tho duty to
the lowest rate consistent with raising enough
revenue to pay the expenses of government
economically administered. On this theory.
if wool sold at 40 cents under the tariff as 1t
stood in 1882, and the reduction by tho last
congress brought the price down to 81
cents, tho wool grower was really bene-
fitod aud would make more than
when he was selling wool at 40 cents per
pound. Hurd is an astute lawyer, and
convince the average democratic mind of the
soundness of his proposition, but some of
those Ohio farmers arc extremely hard
headed and perverse, and when they go over
the return of sales on two thousand heeces at
q reduction of cents per pound they are
unable to discover the additional profit which
this cute Toledo lawyer has figured out for
them. They begin to think they have been
fooled after tho fashion OF the old gentleman
whose college son proved to him that two
chickens were actually three. "This is one,
that is two, aud one and two are three" said
the lad, and be did not fully realize how
sharp he was until the old man invited him
to mako his dinner of the third fowl.
The logic of this Toledo lawyer is of the
demonstrative kind, and proves everything
as it goes along. He says, in effect, you
farmers are able under the tariff to sell wool
at 40 cents. This price is so tempting that
competition is created. Everybody goes into
wool growing and so much wool is raised
that you cannot sell your crop, and so you
see that to prevent competition you must sell
wool SO low that other folks will not bo
tempted to engage in the business This
logic convinces David A. Wells and Henry
Ward Beecher, but the Ohio farmer, in his
perversity, says: "Look hero, my friend
Hurd, do you charge lawyer fees a, on tha tha
principle! 10 you accept five dollars fol
advice instead of ten on the ground that low
fees are better for you than higher ones
Must sell wool without profit in order to
keep other men from raising sheep?'
These questions involve Mr.. Hurd in diff
cultes. First you must not prosper in busi
ness, because you will excite competition, ant
then you will bo worse OFF than if you had
not prospered. Thisis ingenious, but not cap
tivating. Second, in order to prevent being
utterly ruined by domestic competition the
farmer should rejoice at the benefcence which
: offers to introduce enough foreign competi
tion to keep wool down at figure which will
: not tempt any one to engage in wool growing
: Third, when you are so poorly OFF that no on
can afford to compete with you, you arc bette
off than when making money. Fourth, keel
down prices and you will secure monopoly
and monopoly is sure to make you rich, 70
all monopolists get rich. These difflcultie
are seen by the farmer, but not by Hurd an
as to the last one. tho farmer fatty refuses t.
believe that he will be able to become yer
wealthy monopolist SO long as a low tarii
allows foreign woods to come in and suppl
the market and depress tho price.
/,
The Dynamite Conspiracy.
Y England must enforce her own laws. Th
. C.a1o, oo,aal ho ownn,tod a. ...o.z,