The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-11-01

speakers and orators who discuss the
tariff as an economic question, APP
pear to be afraid OF the subject, They
go round in circle like d blind horse
and rarely ever venture up to it. |
They beat the bushes on both sides, all
the time fighting windmills like the
renowned Spanish knight de la Man
cha, but never come to the point
They give long and intricate tables Of
figures showing the tariff on wool
when there is an election in Ohio, and |
on sugar when the election is in Lou
isiana, and on pig iron wnen the elec-
tion is to come off in PENNSYLVANIA,
but not one mothers son of them ever
throws Il particle of light on the sub
ject | do not propose to deal with
the subject in that manner, for il the
"blind lead the blind, they will both
fall into the ditch" But if the lead
er can see and then pulls wool over
the eyes of the man who blindly fol
lows him, he not only becomes de-
ceiyer leading his dupe into ditch,
but leads him into trap also, deliber-
ately laid to catch rhe unwary and
ignorant. Such leader is unworthy
of confidence, and the man is very
unwise who follows him. A proud
and independed man scorns to blind
! ly follow any man until season is
given why he should go that way. ii
the reason is good one, and the lead
er known to be man of truth, who
always keeps his promises, we do not
hesitate to follow. But ii his logic ia
oad and the man has deceived us be-
.ore, we very naturally suspect the
HE purity of his motives, seeing he
has deceived us once and may do it
again.
If a man enters into contract with
the State to build turnpike for the
privilege Of charging travellers over
the road, the State generally fixes
.hc tariff or charges, and says to him,
YOU shall only charge IL man on foot
five cent, but man on horseback
may be charged ten cents" If you
pass over the road, you ride to the
gate, pull out your dime, pay.the tar
III and go on So when the tariff vas
irst collected, the merchant vessel
passing through the Strait of Gibraltar
{ .anded at the little town of Tarif, paid
toll and passes Oh about its busi
ness.
+ Some years ago Congress passed &
law laying a tariff of ninety cents tC
the gallon on all brandy manufactur
!, ed in the United States 1t was call
ed Internal Revenue, because tht
+ tax was levied and collected inside o
A the country. Who did it? The Re
/, publican party. Before that tariff law
. was passed and enforced, what wal
f the price of brandy by the gallon
p You could buy it from 25c up to soc
= gallon. What do you yay now? !
you take it by the barrel it can b
n bought for two dollars a COLON, bu
= il you are poor man and have t
u take it in smaller quantities than
n gallon, it will generally cost one del
lar quart, Of eight times as mnch a
i it did before the tariff was put on b
Il the Republicans. How is this? Th
,r Republicans argue that u high tari
10 makes low goods. They either b.
IF lieye their own argument or they d
If not. Ii they really believe it, the
~ have an immense stock Of creduality
i but if they do not believe in the trut
OF their own statements, they are tr,
ar ing to deceive and are unworthy
a. confidence, All! There's the rul
ss Can any man not an absolute idiot b
q lieye when brandy is selling at fft
ps cents gallon if you levy a tariff
is ninety cents on the gallon it will SC
m cheaper with the ninety cents addt
~ than it did before it was put on? I'll
,lf Democrats say, let US come back
IN old time honesty and fair dealing al
only callect revenue enough to su
40 port the government and protect OF
81. manufacturers against the cheap lab
Tor Of Europe.
m Let us illustrate here are H., T.,
br A. and p, all engaged in manufactt
-, ing certain kind OF goods. All five
liz them have invested thermoneyinm
AR ufacturing machinerey, and the /
publican warty saysto them; "As v
ost have engaged in this enterprise, yo
,olf infant factories need the fosters
70 care Of the government. Now give
id good working majority in Congrt
i've and we will pass such tariff laws
will enable you to successfully co
zen pete With the pauper labor OF EIrol
ave and your goods will become such r,
is dy sale all over the country, you "
zee soon gather up large fortunes