The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-08-24
ANOTHER TARIFF TALK.
How Free Trade Will ParaIyze IndnstrIe,
md Close Factories,

and Close Factories.
vsv York Pres.
Our tariff talk to-day is with Mr.. Jas.
W. Birkett of IS Myrtle avenue and 81
Smith street, Brooklyn, who is the larg-
est manufacturer Of steam heating appa-
ratus and steam filters engineers sup
plies in that city, and who has accumu.
lated a competency with his own head
and hands.
"Of course | shall vote for Harrison
and Morton, not because ! am Repub-
lican, but for the reason that am for
Protection to home industries, and they
stand on that platform, and so they will
get my vote. If they stood on the
platform made for Grover Cleveland
would cut my right hand off before it
should deposit ballot for them.
~ employ great many men, and
their wages average sd week. In
Europe they could not earn half OF it.
l would be better of il the Democratic
theory OF taking the duty off raw ma
terial was put into practice, but am not
so selfish US to favor SO pernicious a doc
trine because il would benefit me and a
few others. / take a higher view OF it,
and do not squirt ut it from that point
alone. A great deal OF arrant hum
bug finds its way into the columns OF the
Democratic newspapers to the effect that
the manufacturers are the greatest bene-
ticiaries from u protective tariff. OF
course they are benefited.
III they werenot they could not main
tain the high rate OF wages which our
mechanics and working people receive.
1t is the latter who get the greater bene-
fit from the tariff, not the manu-
facturers. Why, we pay on an average
more than twice as much to our working
people as they. could get in any
free trade country on the face OF the
earth. Ifprotection doesn't enable us to
do this what does? There is no COM
parison between the worSingman's con-
dition here and abroad.
"In Italy, Belgium and Austria forty
OSiiity cents day is big pay for skilled
mechanics, and thousands OF them live,
sleep aud eat in the streets because they
have no homes. only wish every
wurkingman could take trip to Europe
before he votes, to see for himself the
degradation and misery OF the working
people there. He would come back for
protection and for Harrison and Morton.
My men are able to bring their families
up in good style, and TO educate their
children. II they lived in Europe they
could do neither Itell you, the govern
ment OF the United States is the greatest
one in the world. Why? Because the
working people, who are the handspring
Of any nation, are better housed, better
fed and better clothed and better eduCa-
ted than those OF any other nation.
"Let Grover Cleveland and his Free
Trade lieutenants from the South have
their way and in ten years all this will
be changed. Instead OF building manu-
factories, churches and school houses,
our ingenuity and purses will be taxed
to the utmost to build almshouses fast
enough TO meet the demand for shelter
from our wOrkingmen and women
whose occupations will be gone when
then the products OF the pauper labor
of European countries flood our market.
ooh, no, saysthe Democrat, 4 am not
II Free Trader, 1 am only for the rcduc-
tlOn Oh war ulSeS. W uuI uumDuk. IL
is an insult to IL mans intelligence. Re-
.ducing import duty will increase the
revenue, because OF the increased de-
mand for the cheapest productions, and
the only way the revenue from i'm
ports can be reduced is to take the duty
OF altogether.
"On many things we have a prohibi-
tory duty now; reduce it and our work
shops will be closed, but the revenue
Wilt be increased, not reduced. Com
petition here makes the price here as
low as it can be for the welfare OF the
nation and the people. Take off the
duties and swamp our manufacturers
with pauper labor produced goods and
financial ruin will stalk throughout the
land. How careful the Democrats are
not to hurt their fire eating brethren in
Louisiana and the low lands where
sugar and rice are grown, and yet these
same fire eaters were absolute Free
Traders when they had the power to be.
One OF the cardinal principles embodied
in the Constitution of the late Confeder-
ate States was in these words, Nor shall
shall any duties or taxes on importations
from foreign nations be laid to promote
or foster any branch OF home industry
And now these hypocrites say they do
not mean Free Trade. l wish they could
be induced to stop lying just long enough
to tell me what in the name OF heaven
they do mean, il it is not Free Trade"