Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-09-06
HuRRAH FOR REFORM

HuRRAH FOR REFORM
Ex-senator Macdonald In Hearty Acco-d
with the Democratic Plan or Campaign
His Speech on the Tariff Before the
Hendricks Cub at Indianapolis.
Ex-senator Joseph Macdonald, the other
day, delivered an address before the Hem
bricks Club Of Indianapolis which may be
regarded as the keynote of the tariff re-
form campaign in the Hoosier State. The
substance of the speech was as follows:
GENTLEMEN OF THE HENDRICKS CLUB
AND FELLOW CITIZENS: At the opening of
the present SESSION of Congress President
Cleveland, in his annual message, devoted
almost exclusively to that subject, called
the attention Of Congress and the people
to the fact that the amount Of money an
nually exacted through the operation OF
present laws from the industries and ne
cessities Of the people largely exceeded
the sum necessary to meet the expenses OF
the Government that as consequences
OF this condition of our revenue laws the
National Treasury was becoming "a hoard
ing place for money needlessly withdrawn
from trade and the peoples use, thus Grip
ping our National energies, suspending
our country's development, preventing in
vestments in productive enterprises,
threatening financial disturbance, and in
viting schemes of public rlunder.,
"This was the legacy the Republican
party had left to the people of the United
States When that party came into power
the National revenues, if they had been
levied upon the pro rata principle, would
only have equaled SIS per head; when it
went out of power the average rate Of tax
| alton per head was 81. 30.'
The speaker then quoted from official
statements the amounts received from
| customs and excise duties by the Govern
| ment for the fiscal year ending on June
30 last, showing an excess of $103, 900, 600
over expenditure, and pointed out that
this was in vocation of the constitution of
the United States, and any attempt to use
| the power of taxation vested in Congress
for private advantage or in behalf of any
, class of citizens was gross perversion of
| that power. Referring to the Mills bill,
he said it was designed to reduce taxation
| to the extent of SIS. co., 600, half of which
| was from the repeal of the tobacco tax
| and the remainder from the additions
| made to the free list. In discussing the
measure he said he would pay no attention
| to the denunciations hurled at it by the
Republican speakers and press. but would
en1eavor to answer such objections as are
| actually made to it.
Continuing, the speaker said:
"The chief features of the Mills bill con-
| sist in transferring to the free list raw
wool, timber, salt, hemp, and its equiva-
| Tents, together with quite number of
| other articles of lesser Importance; of re-
ducing the tariff on wooden fabrics to 40
per cent. ad valorem; of reducing the tar
| if on steel and iron blooms and steel rails
| to from 80 to 35 per cent ; Of reducing the
tariff on sugar, and the repeal of the tax
on tobacco and products, except as to
| cigars and cigarettes. First in impor-
lance in the changes thus indicated are
! those made in the wool and wooden
schedules"
| By statistics the wool-growing interest
was shown to have departed from the East
ern and Middle States and was now situated
in the Southwest and States of the Pacific
Coast, and that in the East and Middle
States, therefore, the people were inter
ested in cheap wool and cheap clothing.
"Therefore,' said the Senator, lit would
seem very clear that the measure under
consideration would be beneficial to the
farmers of Indiana and to all other classes
of our citizens, as it would undoubtedly re-
duce the price of WOODEN clothing at least
one third, so that those who now pay $40 or
SIP for suit of the cheapest and cOarsest
wool clothing would be able to obtain it
at from 81 to IS, and so on in proportion.
1t is fact not appreciated by our people
| that at present, on account of the. tariff on
| raw wool and the tariff on wooleD fabrics,
we pay tax ON foreign clothes of at least
| IS per cent. and of course ray an almost
| correspondingly enhanced price for the
domestic article.
but, says the Republican speaker, if
| you adopt this measure, you will ruin the
| wooden Industries Of this country. This /
| utterly deny. The wooden manufacturers
| would be enabled to get much cheaper
| and better supply OF wool by admitting q
| largely increased foreign Importation, to
| be assorted and mixed with our own prod
| uct, and even the home production. would
become more Important and more valuable
| from the necessity Of having to mix with
the foreign article. as it is well under
stood fact that it requires variety of
f1eeces produced under different circum-
| stances to make the proper combination
| for the manufacture of wooden goods
stAgain the demagogue cry is put up that
| 1t would affect injuriously the wages of
laborers engaged in that branch Of the
business. This charge, too, is utterly
groundless. AS you cheaper the fabrics
manufactured from wool you would in
crease the demand for them at home, be
cause the amount purchased very often de-
ponds upon the price, and as the
American manufacturer would be put
nearly upon a footing with the for
| eign manufacturer in the, cost of his ma
| terial he would be able, to enter the for
| eign market and thus, compete with the
foreign producer in. his own market, and
| this would necessitate the increase. of the
manufacturing interests in this coantry
| and result in an increased demand for la
| Dor. There is no greater fallacy than to
| suppose that the price OF the article man
| ufactured in any manner controls the price
| of the labor used in it's, manufacture In
commerce labor is but. an article Oh COM
MERGE, and it's value as sch depends upon
the law of supply and demand as any other
article that is to be found in the market;
| but, unfortunately for the American Ia
borer, while he has to supply himself with
the necessaries of life, the, actual prices of
which are enhanced to avery great extent
by the protective tariff, his labor and the
price of it are settled and determined up
on the principles, of free. trade. Any for
eigner without restriction may come into
our country sit DOWN by his side and take
from him the labor upon which depends
g support of himself or b s, family, or
compete with him. in determining the
wages he should receive for that labor.
This condition Of things is as open as the
day and going oneonstantly, and yet in the
face of these facts the Republican lead
ers do not scruple to- charge that the only
thing that makes the difference between
wages in this country and In Europe is the
tariff which protects the manufacturer.
Our country is, null of examples of men
| who have grown enormously rich by sell
ing ut the enhanced prices which the tariff
enables them to do. but it does not furnish
q single example Of an enploye of any OF
these millionaires, ever having received
an additional cent wages ON account OF