The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-15
Mr.. fuckers Speech.

Y ork, to repeal the tax on tobacco. cigars
and spirits distilled from fruits. We do
this IN justice to Mr.. Tucker and his
1t is proper that his ma
tured and expressed views upon any i'm
portant subject, affecting the interests of
the people. should reach those whom he
more Immediately represents, and to aid
in this we give what he has said in the
VIRGINIAN, which reaches larger num-
Der of his constituents than any other pa
agreeing with some of the propositions
he advances, the closing sentences of his
speech convey such catholic spirit and
are so free from anything like mere parti-
zanism, that it is relief to furnish them
to the public to the extent of our circula-
ton. The bill to which he was speaking
was offered by Republican. and the eff
feet it would have would be TO sustain the
protective policy of the Republicans, and
when Mr.. Tucker can so free himself from
party influence as TO say, II do not care
by whom or what party it is done 1.-THE
tax reduced) am not such partizan as
to reject the relief because rendered by
Republicans will not claim the exclu-
sive honor for the Democratic party to do
this just thing and to achieve this victory
against an oppressive wrong let Demo
Gratis and Republicans unite in patri otto
alliance to DO Justice to the people of the
country and the people will be satisfied p
we can meet him half way, at least, and
commend the temper and spirit of what he
says.
The proposition contained in the fol-
lowing paragraph we do not endorse
1.-THE logical framework of protective
tariff is that which makes duties so high
as to prohibit importation of foreign
goods. But if importations be prohibited
no revenue accrueS. Lessen the duties
and protection decreases, as revenue on
increased importation increases. The
present tariff on many articles is so high
as to protect the domestic article by al
most absolute prohibition of the importa-
ton of the foreign article. This is the
case with blankets, hats or wool, and hun
dreds of other articles.''
Boiled down, this is unadulterated free
trade, and it is against this policy that the
people.will protest. 1t is simply an ar
gument to favor foreign manufactures and
destroy domestic manufactures Expe-
rience has shown that the benefits accru.
ing from home industries are greater than
the relief assured by a minimum impost
on importations. The practical effect of
Mr.. fuckers theory would be to inhibit
manufactures in this country, to take
from labor its employment, destroy the
home market for the farmer that is
created by domestic manufactures, and
transfer all the advantages and benefits to
foreign countries. Either this or the wages
paid in this country and the modes of liv-
ing would have to be brought to level
with the conditions in other countries, in
order to compete with the prices they
would be able to sell at. With home in
dustries stimulated and encouraged by pro-
tective duties, the competition created be-
tween home enterprises, would reduce the
price of the manufactured article to the
lowest possible cost, and the article of
blankets to lower figure than the same
article could be purchased in Manchester,
England, and shipped here free of Gus.
toms tax. The practical effect of the the
DRY presented in the quotation above
would be to destroy the industrial indie
pendence of this country, which is just as
essential as political independence. In fact
the two are blended and interdependent.
To destroy the one would be to emascu-
late the other. The labor of the country
is the source of it's wealth and power, and
this cannot be nourished and fOStered UNI
less it has tavenues of employment, and
this cannot be gwen if what, we consume
is manufactured in foreign countries and
transported here free. or under minimum
customs duty. England could ask no bet
ter policy than that presented in Mr..
fuckers position. 1t would give her the
control of our markets, and that assured,
she could regulate prices to suit herself
and not us, for American competition
would have been destroyed. and England
left master of the situation. We would
get our revenues at the expense of the i'm
poverishment of this country, and the
more revenue we would collect under
this policy the greater would be our
prostration, for it would imply larger
importation of foreign manufactures and
diminished home manufactures, and as
consequence idle labor and restricted con-
sumption.
No one realizes that he is oppressed"
by the methods of collecting the revenues
chinery which produces the immense treas
ury supply of this country is operated so that
the people do not know they are paying
taxes. Oppression" is simply an imagi-
native expression, for where there is no
oppression felt. there can be no oppres-
sion in the sense that the term is used. 1t
is only in collecting State revenues, where
the taxpayer comes in contact with the
tax-collector and he has to put his hand in
his pocket to meet the tax-ticket which is
presented, that anything approaching sop
preston is realized.
1t is due to the views we entertain on
this subject, that we should say this much,
in giving to the public Mr.. fuckers
speech, and not for the purpose of contro-
versy, for we have heretofore fully dis
cussed the question which is thus brought
prominently forward again.
Dr. j. o. Roe, of Rochester, N. Y, on
the 3lst of December, 1884, performed a
surgical operation, assisted by DIR. Padeira,
using the new an@sthetic cocaine, which
excited general interest among physicians
in that city. He amputated the left size
of the tongue Of a hackman, William
Whitehair. Cocaine was applied to the
left side of the tongue and rubbed in, and
soon the flesh became insensible to the
thrust of needle, and was as cold as ice,
while the right side was in its normal con-
dition. The knife was then applied and the
left side of the tongue, upon which there
was cancer, was successfully cut away,
without pain to the patient. Surgeons in
Rochester had thought that the drug could
not be used except in superficial opera
lions, but this case, and one we noticed had