Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-03-01

WV" DohNA %AO
the government. In the second cast
the government, i'll trying to tax yot
for itself, has made 81 mistake, played
into the hands Of the sharp Yankee
who invented the dodge called ''indi
rect taxation," got nothing itself, ant
taxed YOU S375 tor the benefit of YOU
shrewd counirymen. How do you llk'
that
1t. then, the government raises by
customs, say $500, OOo, cooper annuln ans
YOU farmers are by far the largest ex'
porters, does not the bulk of THIS CONF
out Of your pockets ? And if, as Ii
tt q we use four times as much home
products as toreign-and, as is also
true, the prices are but u tri1e lowel
than foreign prices with tariff added,d
YOU not bear the greater share OF $500.
OOO, 900 more -? And is not that about
BIG for each man, woman and child IL
the countrv-Sl6 MORE than enough te
support the government
Men and brethren, l have but ont
query more: WHAT Il YOU GOING tt
DO ABOUT IT?
WHAT IT COSTS ONE MAN.
I wish, fually, to make a simple
statement OF facts, though in narrative
form. The true story OF one man's un
conscious experience with our tariff
will be, l hope, worthy of considers
ton and careful thought. The detail:
were carefully verified by the old
law, the facts having come under my
attention at that time; but the changes
have been inconsideraJle, and the prin.
ciple remains the I'm
Strolliug down the street n morn
ing, l met my good friend, Mr.. john
Hoidfast. {It may be well to admit
that l have written thus far without
being taxed, except for the paper, %
per cent, and pencil so per cent? As
the day was warln Sunlight is still on
the free list, but will be taxed mex;
year to "protect" the gas mem, he
wore u straw hat 90 per cent? and
carried a light sun umbrella $50 per
cent? AS usual, he was neatly dressed
(suit, 45 per Cent; cotton hosiery and
underwear, As per cent; shoes, 70 per
cent?, though as a business man, and
not a gentleman OF leisure-John's i'll
dustry is proverbial. On seeing me. he
smiled (if congress ever did tax ''lnxu-
ries" it would tax that SMILEY, drew of
his gloves Gov per cent? and grasped
my hand. 1t seems that he was III town
with his carriage (35 per cent, to say
nothing of the extra cost i'll iron, steel
aud trimmings), and expressed a de
sire that I should visit him at his new
home, just completed, in the suburbs.
To this l readily asscnted.
Before leaving town l went with him
rs he ''ran on errands," entrusted him
by his wife. There were some hair
pins as per cent?, a package Of need
les (25 per cent? some casti e soap Isl
per cent?, a comb and brush go per
cent? sone thread eco per cent. "a pair
Of scissors (45 per cent? a bathing
sponge Go per cent?, some sewing
machine needles (35 per cent?, a few
doses of santonine for the baby (S3
per pound-the santonine, not the
baby! Thank heaven there is II SIN
FAINT industry" that the government
does not meddle with, except to tax its
little blanket 60 per Gently and q gall
lon of syrup Gug, % PER cent? For
himself he purchased a carpenters saw
GO per cent?, a pen-knife 80 per
cent?, file Gao per cent?, a dose of
salts $50 per cent? for a sick horse,
some pens [45 per cent?. a razor as
per cent?, and a package OF screws e
cents per pound).
After stopping at the blacksmith's
shop where he had left a favorite mare
t, be shod (>hoes, 2 cents per pound),
we drove rapidly to his home. Passing
through an iron gate (i5 per cent? we
reached his door. His wife gave us a
pleasant greeting, and we followed her
INTO the sitting room. l mentally noted
that she wore a neat alpaca dress Cos
per cent? and looked i'll every respect
the sensible, hard working woman that
she was. Almost Immediately we
went to dinner (crockery, 30 per cent. ;
glass ware, - per cent; table cutlery
and spoons. 45 per cent; salt, sc per
cent; rice, l23 per cent? The room
VI finished and furnished plainly, the
door covered with Il drugget a. per
;emt.,) plain sllad%e-curtails t45 per
cent? at the windows, Il small mirror
go per cent.) over the mantel, and had
d; small coal stove as per cent? for
winter use.
Returning to the family room, we ell
gagged III conversation about the new
ON John thought he had managed
quite well, and brought out his mater
ial bills, which showed (me) that his
tax in this direction, OH Il by no mean
costly residence-perhaps Si,50o-had
been S94.
Complimenting him on the care and
detail with which his were
kept, he assured Inc that his wife was
quite as accurate; and to prove it, pre-
q series of accounts covering
years. Asking permission to
make q few memoranda, I a:terward
that the account for cloth
bedding, etc, of the family, four
i'll all, sustained an average annual tag
of Sll3 %: that the house-iurnishing
stoves, etc.-had paid about
50! 50 per aiiilli:u: and that their table
IaX-chlna. cutlery, sugar, salt, etc,
was no.. far from So per year. Nor
could | learn that q single dollar Of this
into the national treasury, OF inn
but that every penny was, by
the enhanced prices due to the tariff,
transferred from the earnings of this
busy nan. and from the savings of this
lard- working woman, into the pockets
= few American manufacturers!
SUNK Is FREE.
Wa. IL Il wonder that my friend com.
Of being "ralher hard up Just
iow!" Yet he could not tell wily! He
full of nope, however, and said
hat wheat never looked better, and
if the LIVERPOOL MARKET held
jrln he could get at least q dollar a
'ushel for it. 1t seemed all opportunity
lot TO be lost: SO ! started 10 call his
attention to the tariff that was bur,isn-
llg him SO heavily while he had to sell
n open market. But at the first sem
ence his partisan spirit took fire, and
exclaimed: "What! Theorizinr
gain! Will you never become practi.
al! Does the Golden Club own you,
odv and soul? Think Of the free list!
.ook at the free list!" (,
Well, | did; and found that nv friend
ould buy, free of all taxes whatever,
pecac, cd scraps of leather, asatetida,
zap, ilcorice root, nux vomica, altar
I roses, anise seed, caraway, fennel,
ivender, rosemary, saffron, arsenic,
tutted birds, bologna sausage, eggs,
rcken bottles, hoep-poles, sauer-krant.
ausage-skins, skeletons, and SUNK.
ly impression is that John has not inn
'orted much of the last named article.
My telloW-meil. this is Il great cuun-
fy-a great county! Remember that
PUNK is tree-anl do you just get a
ood quantity on hand for the uext gen
raj election!
THE BRAKEsMAN's STORY.