Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-08-30

hands are here in Michigan. In my own
state they are about 81 a day for farm
hands, and you see that in the state of Mass
achusetts, according to the return Of our
own board, they are sI.04 in these manufac,
turing industries So that there Is practic.
ally no difference whatever worth talking
about between the wages that one receives
and the wages that the other receives-they
are both substantially the same. II you take
comforts and cost of living and all that into
account, the agricultural hand in the STATE
Of Ohio receives quite as good wages as the
laborers in the protected industries of the
country
A historical review Of the tariff was taken,
showing that under low tariff the value of
farm lands from 1855 to 1860, increased 1903
per cent. +; from 1s60 TO 1870, under high pro-
tective policy, the value of the farm lands
in the country increased but 40 per cent;
and from 1870 to 1880, under the highest
tariff we ever had, the increase was but
per cent. In Michigan for the periods
named the increase had been sli, l48 and
| l25 l-3 per cent, respectively. A similar
showing was made in regard to agricultural
implements.
"But,my friends, i must draw my remarks
to close. 1t is time that was giving way
to other gentlemen who are to follow me, in
order to give them a fair opportunity to
present theis opinions. l want to call your
attention, though, to one thing. / have
| spoken about this surplus revenue that lies
uselessly in the vaults of the treasury. Now
l want to read to you what Senator John
Sherman says upon that subject, only go late
| as the 9th day Of last month, in a speech
before the chamber of commerce in Cincip.
natl As you remember, he was for four
years, during Hayes administration, secre-
tary of the treasury. Now, nobody will
charge John Sherman with being Demo-
crat, l am quite sure. Laughter and ap-
plausel
"Nobody will charge him with wanting to
destroy American industry, but here is
what John says: Il would like to talk to
you men of business to-day on the matter of
tho great surplus of money in the United
States treasury. That affects you materi-
ally. We would rather prefer to have it
than deficiency. The government Of the
United States has this surplus now, and il
seems as though some people were trying to
get rid of it. l do not intend to allude to
politics. Every man Of sense knows that
the government should not collect any more
money than is absolutely necessary to carry
on the business with close economy. Con.
gress ought this year to devise some mode
| to dispose of this surplus; yet, as / said be-
| fore, it is better to have this surplus than
| deficiency
Nov, agree with that entirely, that the
| government should not collect more money
! from the people than is necessary to carry
on the government economically admins
tered, and everybody does know that this
great surplus, which is now lying uselessly
in the treasury, and is increasing from year
| to year, is great injury to the country and
does nobody any good. 1t has the effect
among other things, besides its pecuniary
effect, Of damaging the prosperity of tho
country. 1t has a very corrupting effect
Governor Allen, of Ohio, once said In bis
forcible way, speaking when he was ex.
cited: THAT you might as well try to keep
powder house in hell as to have an honest
government with a surplus in the treasury
-[Great applause and laughter
"Well that was pretty strong statement
of the case, but it was not extravagant, after
all. Why, gentlemen, if you would just look
over the schemes for plundering the govern,
ment, owing to this great surplus that Is
there, you would be amazed There is
scarcely anything that somebody won't ask
for, for they say, why, the government
has money which is lying idle in the treas
ury, and you might as well give it to us for
our little scheme as to have it lying there,"
and SO every scheme Of extravaganza, every-
thing in the world by which the people can
be bled and high taxes kept up is advocated
by these men and grows in a great degree
out of this fact Of a surplus in the treasury"
The judge gave up and had Congressman
Outwaite read an abstract from q speech
made by him, Thurman, in 1870 when bis
voice was raised against the importation OF
Chinese labor, condemning it in language
that would strike responsive chord In the
Pacific slope.
"If know myself there is no man on top
of this earth who has more sympathy for the
laboring man or the man of humble condi-
tion than l have prolonged cheersl, and
whatever l could do to better his condition
would do. More applause,l And it is be-
cause do not believe for one moment that
this high protective tariff, which is so much
lauded, and which is insisted upon by our
political opponents is for the benefit Of the
laboring man. That is one of the reasons
why am opposed to such onerous duties.
CONTINUED applause.1
II have shown you that under this high
protective tariff the agricultural interests of
the country have fallen off enormously;
that the value of farms have increased dur
ing the decade from 1870 to 1880 at the rate
of only 9 per cent. as compared with 100 per
cent. during period when there was low
tariff.
"Gentlemen, il you will look at the rom
merce Of she country, you will find some.
thing even more striking than that. The
day was, and not very long ago, whom there
we're two countries that substantially did
the commerce Of the world; that is, carried
the trade of the world. They were Great
Britain and the United States, and we were
gaining so fast upon Great Britain that we
carried between 10 and so per cent. if my
memory--[a voice, "s3 per cent"l
Judge Eighty three per cent,
my friend says behind me-of the carrying
freight of tho world, whereas now we carry,
if my memory is not at fault, only about II
per cent. Now, why is that9 Why, gentle
men, had occasion few years ago to visit
Europe, and felt humiliated. found that
in crossing the Atlantic and recrossing it,
and in the ports Of Europe, never but once
saw the American flag on the mast of a ship
never but once, and that was ship that
was engaged in carrying passengers, and
the flag of Great Britain was on the end Of
her and the American flag on the other.
[Laughterl
"Now, the friends Of high protective tariff