Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-07-28

" over-production."
They say the times were good be
fore the war under a low tariff !
Read Henry Clay's speeches in 1920,
House of Representatives, April
26,) and four years later, (March.
30th and 3lst, 1924. "Generai dis
tress," he says, pervades the whole
country. The unthreshed crops per-
ished in the barns for want OLA mar
ket; yet then as now, the free trad.
ers' mouths watered for the markets
of the world. There was bankrupt.
cy, he says, want of employment,
ga ravenous pursuit after public sit.
uations;D "the distress pervades
every part of the Union, every class
of society, fit is like the
atmosphere which surrounds U.S.
all must inhale it," That was free
trade. In the Senate. iu 1882, he
D..
said; han aga .4,a.a.4G p.
"If we're to select any term of
seven years, since the adoption OF
the present Constitution, which ex-
hibited a scene of the most wide.
spread disrnay and desOlation, it,
would be exactly that term of seven
years which Immediately preceded
the establishment Of the tariff of
1924; and if the term of seven years
we're to be selected of the greatest
prosperity which this people have
enjoyed since the esta Enlistment Of
the present Constitution, it would
be exactly that period OF seven years
which Immediately followed the pas.
sage of the tariff Of 1924"
Mr. Clay was Democrat and q
protectionist, but lie surrendered
his convictions to avert civil war
when the south had organized troops
to enforce the demands for "a tariff
for revenue only" There are Dem
ocratic leaders today in u similar
attitude before similar circumstan-
ces,-the administration. backed.up
Mills bill. ,..
They had good times under the
decreasing duties of the compromise
act ! So they say. History says the
national government could not pay
its expenses, and ITS representatives
could not negotiate any loan in En-.
rope. The bankrupt law of 1S41
was enacted, and was followed 10y u
tariff for protection in 1912. Tariff
tinkering continued, and the times
changed for good or bad according
as tie principles of protection or
free trade dominated. From 1885
to 1910 "debtors clamored for stay
laws and other means of protecting
their property from confiscation."
In 1860 President Buchanan endeav,
ed to negotiate loan OF 100000
There was no foreign bid. New
York and northern bankers offered
money at from Z to 81 per cent.
That's the effect tariff for revenue
only had on our national credit.
Under a protective tariff since the
war, the United States treasury
need not 60 begging, unless indeed
it is to get somebody to relieve it of
its surplus, and the government
could negotiate millions at home or
abroad at less than three per cent.
But they say this robs the poor
people; well, they were never richer
or better off than when living under
a Republican government. They
say it encourages monopoly, yet
they refused to put sugar on the free
list, now one of the worst mOnopaliz.
ed products in this country. Pro
lection enables the capitalist to
make large profits, they claim; when
it is plain that labor gets its share
and fares better at S1.50 to S3 a
day under protection in this country
than it does in tree trade countries
at 40 and so cents a day,-half
price for women and children. o
but they have the benefit of cheap
er clothes and cheaper living! The
answer is two millions are starving
in London alone millions are com.
ing to this country and you cannot
drive them back. Even laws have
been passed to keep the panpers at
home, but never pauper goes to
England from America. Wealth
and fashion go there to air them.
seves, but the money was made in
America. 10
Protection makes capitalists ont
of the poor mans pocket through
the Robber Tariff That's what
they say, but it hasn't made any for
Martinsburg,-and that is just what
we municipalities to start manu-.
factories, develop our resources and
give work to more people. o Mr..
Free Raw Material will do that, and
more; it will give us cheap clothes,
cheap salt, cheap coal, cheap lum.
ber,-cheap everything Anything
but money and work,-they will go
to England's pauper land.