The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-12-09
The Presidents Message.


ariff and civil service reform. These last
wo topics will be of more general interest
o the average reader.
Mr.. Cleveland's presentation OF the
ariff question is but a re-hash OF the Tree
ratie speeches heard from every hastings
If the union within the past two years.
\ OF only is the argument the same-lf
argument it may. be called-but the IAN
,uage itself disclosed a very close study Oh
choice campaign literature
10 generously distributed by the Golden
Club in every doubtful district. Our
English cousins may we'll feel. encouraged
at the result of their efforts when they see
the views they have spent so much money
to disseminate embodied in the Official Ut
terance of the Chief Magistrate OF the
nation. and sent forth as the mature con-
clusions of the one man chosen as the rep
resentative head of this great government.
With the ayowed object Of reducing the
national revenues, the President entirely
ignores the question Of internal taxes ana
addresses himself solely to the curtallment
of import duties. The ordinary receipts
of the government for the fiscal year, end
ing June 3Oth, 1886, were 1886, 439.72' oo.
OF this amount 1892, 905, O2S.4l were re-
ceived from customs, and $ll6, ,93o.4 o
from internal revenue. % The total Ordinary
expenses of the government for the same
period were S242, Asa, 1850. leaving sur
plus of sos, 956, 5SS.56. 1t does not seem
to occur to the President that this sur
plus could be sufficiently reduced by aool-
isblng the tax on tobacco and liquors.
and. thus Kidding the country OF about
the only feature of sFederal ta3atlon
that was imposed by the grevious burden,
willingly borne, at time when the gov
eminent needed millions to maintain by
war the safety and integrity OF the union. =
His excellency, however, INDUCES IN no
contemplation of the abolition of the in
ternal revenue system. His batteries are
all aimed at the tariff. He places hlmself
in square alignment with Morrison, Hurd'
Carlisle and the free trade. and whiskey
interests generally. The argument he
employs is neither original nor well foftl-
fed. His assumption that the duty Is
added to the price of the article is theory
so thoroughly exploded that no one can be
deceived by it,,at this late day. Least OF
all need he expect to find favor with the
working people and farmers in advancing
upon this line. The working people know
well that the articles consumed by Them
are not imported and hence pay no import
duty. They know that everything manu-
featured in this country, unless under a
patent, is sold at a reasonable profit to the
manu- facturer. They know it the profits
upon these products were SO enormous.
that millions OF money would not be seek
ing investment in 3 per cent. bonds, but
would be employed in creating still greater
domestic competition, and they know that
an influx of foreign goods means reduc-
tion of their wages to the prices pad
for the same class of work by the foreign
manufacturer
| If the President contends that the duty
is added to the price, whether the article
| is imported or not, then his recommends
lions would meet with little favor among
| the farmers. In that case. tie effect OF
reduction of the duty on grain would be tc
lstill further depress the market value OF
farm supplies, and curtail the slender
margin of profit the farmer now receives
In truth, the prices of domestic products
whether of farm or factory, are regulated
almost solely by internal competition, and
this fact has been 50 impressed by eXper
fence that the Presidents special plea vii
have little effect with the thinking masses
Nor will his gllttering promise of ''cheal
goods" strike responsive chord in the
popular mind. Unfortunately for his
theory, the people are now passing through
period of ''cheap goods" To day goods
can be bought cheaper than ever before
and yet fewer of them.tind their way into
the homes of the poor. Why? Because
along with the cheapening process has
come the cutting down of wages and the
enhancement of the value Of money 10
point beyond the reach Of the day laborer
What the farmer wants is reliable
home market where ali of his products are
in demand at remuneratiye prices. What
the wage learner wants is fair return FOL
his labor. Neither can be deceived by the
cry of cheap goods, for both have found by
| bitter experience that cheap goods mean
fewer comforts, greater priyations and
general business stagnation, such as they
are now passing through.
The key note to the Presidents tariff
views is found in the recommendation to
'tgSce freer entrance to such imported ma
teriaIs as by american labor mag be mama
featured into marketable commodities. >
This is the first''step to the democratic de-
mand for free ore, free coal, free wool, and
free raw materials generally. 1t is the
embodiment of the worst features of the
enactment into law would close the mines
and furnaces remote from the coast. II
would seal the industrial doom of the South
| It would render the sfocks of the WOO
growers profitless, and throw out of EN-
| ployment the tens of thousands of laborers
now engaged in digging out the iron and
coal, and the tens of thousands of Others
employed in the handling and Transports
ton of the products of the mines. Ii
would destroy the home markets now be.
ing established throughout the mineral
sections, and place the farmers at the
mercy of an uncertain foreign demand.
The President is less frank than his Score
tary of the Treasury, but his recon-
mendation is none the less pronounced.
Mr.. Manning i'll his report, which the
President endorses. declares that an act
"should be Immediately passed simply and
solely placing raw wool upon the free list. I"
If the President and his party would have
the manliness to come out squarely as does
Secretary Manning and let the people
know that revenue reform is nothing
more nor less than practical free trade, he
would at least command the respect that
honest conviction must always elicit.
His employment of words to conceal ideas
will deceive but few, whilst it justly sub
jects him to the unfriendly criticism Of
many. Stripped of verbosity, his tariff
recommendations are so many demands