The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1888-08-02

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and Thurman and low taxes.
A tariff duty is a tax and it is a tax
so laid as to enable the home manu-
facturer to charge more for his product
than he could if he had to compete
with a foreign producer OF the same
article. If the duty did not have this
effect the protected" capitalist would
not so sternuously insist on it, If the
high tariff did not put money and a
great deal OF money-into the pockets
of the protected capitalists, they would
not fight for it and resist lower duties.
Mr.. Carnegie, who advises everybody
to go coaching in his holiday, and who
spends his money in England very
freely, pocketed a million and half
dollars in one year as his personal
profits on steel rails and beams, which
are very highly protected. Mr.. Car
negie is one of the most earnest pro-
tectionists in the country, and means
to vote for Harrison and Morton.
He wants the "home Market" and
he wants high duties to secure him
and his fellow lords of protection this
"home market" What does that
mean? The protection lords regard
the tariff as a means of forcing the
great mass OF unprotected Americans
to buy OF them at the prices they
choose to fix, Is not that rather inn
puden?
If capitalist should come along
and ask Congress to lay tax so that
he could force foreigners to buy of
him at his own price, there might be
some sense in that. 1t would not be a
particularly honorable thing to do,
but, at any rate, our own people would
not suffer.
For who makes up this "home mar
ket?" They are the great mass of
unprotected people in the United
States-people outside of the pale Of
the high tariff people whom the tariff
does not guard and cannot guard
against foreign competition. How,
for instance, can q baker of bread, a
blacksmith, Il tailor, a servant, q dock
laborer, a drayman, a clergyman, a
carpenter or painter or butcher; a
lawyer, a school teacher, a workman
by the day anywhere in the country ;
a farm laborer, railroad engineer, a
fireman, a switch man-how CO n any OF
these be "protected?" These and a
multitude of others, including the
: great mass of the farmers, make that
: "home Market" to secure them the
r control of which the Carnegies and
} other protection lords cry out for a
} high and higher tariff.
Is it not an impudent thing for the
lords OF protection to demand high
duties on the plea that they want ex
: clusively this "home market?" 1t il
8 simply demanding that duties-taxes
' that is to say-shall be SO arranged
0 for their benefit that they shall be able
D to force the great mass of the people
who are not protected" and cannot bt
protected" by any tariff, to buy o
them and them only.
Oh, but they speak for their work
s men. Do they? While Mr.. Carnegie
0 was in England spending his steel raj
profits in coaching, his partners were
trying to cut down the wages OF hi
workmen, and every workmen in thu
land knows that these millionaire pro
e tectionists have imported hundreds o
+ thousands Of Italians and other che4I
y laborers to take the places of men whit
t asked only for living wages. Tha
d cock won't fight any more. The dea
workman is beginning to discover tina
he is too, too dear for the protected
capitalist, who likes the scum of Eu
ropes cheap labor much better.
y But suppose it were true? Even il
n so great manufacturing State as NeV
s York the unprotected people are s
Is much more numerous than sthos
:? gaining a precarious living in "prC
of tected" industries that they could a
most afford to pension the protected
laborers, so called by their lords, AM
not feel the loss, if they were not take
by high duties far beyond the needs {
r the government. The whole numbe
n OF persons working for q living in thi
ls State by the census is 884,645. {
ID these 537 1897 are engaged in persons
IN and professional services, 339,419 i
g trade and transportation, 345,720 i
r. mechanical empioynents-as carpei
le ters, bakers, butchers, painters, &C.
Id not one of whom gets any protection
ut from the tariff, while all make up thu
''home market" which the protectio
lords rob by trusts and high price
Then there are still 977, $40 inagr
IN culture, who get sham protectio
re which costs them much more than
st comes to.
ut There remain in this State 284, il
ey people engaged in protected" indu
le- trins--nnnrer maid living more wretc'