Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-05-02
HON. WILLIAM T. PRICE ON THE
A ID

HON. WILLIAM T. PRICE ON THE
TARIFF.
The congressional record contains
the speech of the above named gon-
tlemen delivered on the 22nd instant.
1t is remarkable spsesh remark
able for It's clndor, and for the keen
irony that runs through it, knitting
the doctrine of protection in almost
every sentence and making it ridicu-
lous by exposing its sophistries while
apparently upholding it. Mr.. Price
declares himself in favor of "a tariff
for protection only He frankly ad-
mits that the theory of protection
rests on sellishnesS. In expanding up
on this theory he puts the supports Of
protection upon the false maXlms that
have been the Stumbling blocks of
human progress in all ages. In short,
Mr. Price reasons that because man
kind are selfish, therefore il is Mr..
Prices duty rs a legislator to outdo
them in scliishnesS. B! cause there
are some swinish p ropensities observ-
able in nations, therefore. Americans
should cultivate the growth of tusks
and bristleS.
Mr. Price next lays down rs fun
damental doctrine that the wealth
of nation should support its govern
ment 70 this doctrine he holds.
He declares that TO raise our revenue
by taxing consumption is in direct Vi
olatIon of this principle. lie then
proceeds to advocate and uphold that
very system Of protection the purpose
and object Of which, and the effect of
waich is not to make the wealth of
nation support the government, but
TO make the poverty and the labor
IN, ,Yport not only the government, but
also to panper and foster wealth. He
upholds the system that taxes con
sumption not only to support the
government, but also to add II bonus to
wealth lie declares that II system
that taxes consumption to support the
government is vicious and false i'll
principle, and in the same breath
pleads for system that taxes
every pound of sugar, every yard of
of cloth, every ounce of iron, every
foot of ldmber, every plate, cup,
spoon, knife, fork, pane of glass and
shred of clothing that is consumed
in the abode. of the poor and all this
for what2 Not for revcnae but for
protection only, by enhancing its
price, and driving the poor man away
from the market where he can buy
the lowest, and barring his road to the
market VIII ere he can sell the highest.
Mr.. Price then proceeds to say that if
we strike the tariff from lumber of
say - per 200 feet, on 3 500, 600, 600
feet of lumb.r we shall paralyze that
industry and DESTROY n home market
for the agricultural products that are
cousumed in the pinerics.
But Mr.. Price, as if to be as sar-
caStical upon protection as possible,
says that if the tariff of 50
per 1000 feet were struck
from lumber the Canadian would
raise the price Of his lumber, that
amount. How, then, the removal of
the tariff on lumber would harm the
lumber corporations on Black river,
Mr.. Price docs not explain. But it is
easy to see what is in his mind He
knows that If Canadian lumber were
let in free it would tend to make lum-
ber plenticr and cheaper; and he
wants to exalt labor and dignity it by
making the materials scarce and dear,
out Of which the poor home builders
of this land must erect their
homes in this generation of de-
velopmcnt, when home building is
the ehiefest pursuit. But Mr.. Price is
So candid that one can not scold him.
He frankly admits that he does this
because he is selfish. He says: II
must take care of the interest of the
people who sent me here, rather than
of the interest of the people of any
other district" lie wants lum-
ber scarce and dear in every
district in the union, so
that the products of his own
district shall command high price
and have monopoly of the market
But So long as he admits that he acts
from pure, brist!e back seliishneSs and
does not pretend that he wants to
plumber the lumber consumers for
their own good, and in the name of
benevolence and philanthrophy, Mr..
Price is q great improvement on the
average tariff robber.
Mr., Price attempts to answer the
argument that while wages are high
err here the cost of living is so great
that the one neutralizes the other.
He SAYS the conclusive answer to this
is "that men come here from all the
free-trade countries of the world to
labor and none go from here to stay
there" This is just no answer at all.
Men come from Eaross here because
land is cheap and population relative
ly scarce. They come in greater
numbers from countries waere pro-
lection is the policy than from free
trade countries. And where one man
comes here to work in a protected in
dustry at least ten come to work in
one that is unprotected.