The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-11-19

10 "a cents peril gross. Ihls is low
er than they have sold for years, and
barely cashes their corn at 90 cents
per bushel, AS good hand on good
land can only make about 500 bushels
of corn, this is placing the labor Of the
mule-plows, use Of land, ETC., at 800
per year. The rent of the land is q
or 3315 dollars--the use of the mule,
plcws, gear, blacksmithing and feed of
the mule will amount to 500 more
leaving the farmer $4625 for his labor.
And this is the class of men that are
called upon to bear the burden Of a
protective tariff. Isn't it a shame and
an outrage that government in this
enlightened age should be guilty of
such unjust and iniquitous discrimin-
alton against the men who produce
the wealth OF the countryH The tiller
OF the soil must compete with the pau
per labor of Europe-and in addition
must pay freights from here there to
do so-but our great iron interests
have no crocodile tears to shed for
their misfortunes-they are all shed
for a more favored class.
We have Disseminated against Eu-
rope until they are retaliating. Ger
many and France made pretext OF a
few pieces Of diseased meat, to place
an embargo on our bacon. England
to retaliate on us for excluding her
manufactured goods has used super
human efforts to develope the wheat
producing capacity OF Australia, and
the cotton products of India. The
farmer is Disseminated against at
home and abroad, and yet we have
politicians telling them that it is all
done in their interest. How much
longer will this dewn-trodden, op-
pressed class permit themselves to be
made "hewers of wood and drawers oi
water" for the iron barons and the
manufacturers of purple and fine lin.
en-? Can't this oppressed class be
goaded into resistance to the burdens
heaped upon them by their task mas
tersp
The theory advanced that protec
tion enriches any country is false
Protection builds up a section and
the protected class, but does it at the
expense of the unprotected class
The nation is not made richer, but
the wealth is concentrated in the
hands of few.
|, A thousand streams empty into the
t Mississippi, and their combined wa.
/, ters make mighty river, but there il
! no mere water in the United States
( afterwards than before. If you levy q
tax upon the entire State of Tennes
see for the benefit OF Nashville, Nash
ville's wealth is increased, but tht
/ States is not. You have only robbed
s 100000 people for the benefit Of rs,
J, 900. Ifyou levy a protective tarif
s for the benefit of the iron interest 0
e Pennsylvania, you enrich that State
n but you have done so at the expens
s Of the balance OF the United States
|. and the nation is no richer. Becaus
e there protected interests flourish lik
d a "green bay tree" they are pointe,
l. at with great pride as mighty monu
d ments of the beneficial effects Of pre-
e lection, but the fact that million
d have been robbed to erect these grea
o monuments is lost sight Of Yo
TT might as well point to the treasury {
o the United States, with its hudreds {
l. millions, as proof that taxation il
N creases our wealth. The treasury
full of money, but it is concentrate
"a there by taxation upon the sweat an
SIS toll of sixty millions of people. VIII
st will argue that because Of these mi
" lions concentrated at Washingto
ID City, that there is more money no,
n or the nation is richer, than when a
m these millions were in the hands
al the taxpayers? Who will argue thi
III because a thousand streams have cor
d bined to make the Mississippi Rive
n that there is more water in the Uni
ne ed States after, than before the
n streams emptied their waters in tn
great riverP No one. And yet, Il
same principle applies to proteccd i
dustries. They are built up by ma
,t ing the great mass of the people pay
re bonus, or a tax, in increased price
their benefit. If every man in t
~ State of Tennessee would give me
dollar / would be rich, the wealth
Cannon county would he increas
As and every other county in the Sta
would be that much poorer, but t
he State would be no richer. The CO
We centration of wealth in the hands o
ol- few does not increase the wealth Of
nation. Protection concentrates,
,il does not increase wealth. 1t impc
erishes nation to build up sectit
air To my mind these are self-eyidt
are propositions.-James A. Jones in Ma
gille american.