The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-19
FISHBACK ON THE TARIFF.
HOT SHOT FOR MONOPOLY TAKERS.
The Republican Party Siding With the
Strong Against the Weak and Trying
to Make the Conditions OF Life
Harder For the Poor.


about in that way. When a party stands
for justice and national integrity and
honor as the republican party stood on
the slavery question in the war and after
the war for honest money-the apostle
for harmony has no calling. Enthusiasm
for great cause fuses popular sentiment
and gives it direction and momentum.
The wise party allies itself with the right
side in such junctures and is carried into
power, and is kept there while it is true
to the people. So the republican party
obtained power, so it may keep it, if it
will. A wise woman George Eliot said:
Politicians are astonished at an insur-
rection against the established order of
things which plain people, after the event,
can perceive TO have been prepared under
their very noses" Wise leaders will
study the indications OF such uprisings,
and instead of preaching harmony, betake
themselves to the work of removing
the causes of discomfort. Harmony in a
party for the mere sake of harmony, isn't
worth striving for. Nay, harmony even
for the sake of the poStofiices, may be a
questionable good. This may shock you,
but unless we have something other than
this to fight for in 1881 YOU will not then see
thousands of your fellow-citizens march
ing through the mud carrying torches and
shouting ''Peelle and victory" What is to
be the issue? Everybody OF any lntell-
gence says the tariff question will be the
big question. Existing laws are unjust
and unsatisfactory. Thousands OF repub=
licans are of the opinion that you and your
associates IN congress are putting our party
in false and dangerous position. Labor
is FESTIVE. Its strife with capital wages
hotter every day. 1t is not the duty of q
party TO take sides with one against the
other 1t should stand between and see
fair play and justice. Our national statute
book is rich with the fruits of republican
legislation in the interest of iustlCe-lus
tice TO the slave, the freedman, the public
creditor, the manned soldier and the
widows AMI orphans OF the war.
Why not now be just to the poor?
They ask no favors. They ask
simply that we shall not make the cOndi-
tons of their life harder for the sake of
making the rich neighbors and employers
richer 1t alarms and grieves me to see
disposition in our party councils and leg
iSlatiOn to side with the strong against the
weak. We may carry a few elections with
the money contributed to the campaign
fund by men who are enriched by unjust
laws, but a majority composed OF cheap
democrats, bought at SO a head on cleo
ton day to vote for principles they de-
spise, is not so reliable as a majority OF
voters whose ballots express the intelli-
gent judgment OF thinking men.
Parties and public men are getting into
a corner on this tariff question. 1t must
be met fairly. You see how it worries
prominent politician to be asked for views
about it. | sometimes think that even
YOU are a trihed worried by these friendly
letters. An esteemed democratic friendisin
favor of such an infusion of free trade into
the policy of the democratic party as will
not wound the susceptibilities OF dem
ocrats who favor high protective
tariff, and my friend Gov. Porter, when
recently asked for his views, responded by
expressing fear that the tariff question
would disrupt the democratic party, and
an opinion that in a few years the strong
est advocates for a protective tariff would
he found in the southern states. II have
done these distinguished gentlemen lnlus-
tice have been misled by the reported
interviews which have recently appeared
in print When Mr.. Douglas said in one
of his great speeches that he didn't care
whether slavery went up or down in the
ing such a leader would fall into the
ditch. No more will non-commitalism or
indifference avail now on this paramount
question. The party that fails TO put it.
self right upon it will meet certain defeat.
When recently in control of congress the
democrats played the coward for fear OF
| offending protection democrats and did
nothing. Forced by public opinion to do
something the last congress, in enacting
the law to which | have been call
ing your attention, took step
in the wrong direction. Do not
misunderstood me. There are some good
features in the law. Bold men, like Mr..
Kelley in in the house, and Mr.. Sherman
in the senate, were shrewd enough TO
throw few morsels to the public, and
the lions share went TO the insolent tim
Der and salt and iron mOn0polists, whose
| orders you and those who voted for you
meekly obeyed.
Begging pardon for so long prelude, l
now call your attention to another odious
feature in the law under examination. |
allude TO the sugar schedule. The sugar
! interest is enormous The annual receipts
! from duties on imported sugars amounts
to about fifty million dollars. The sugar
tax then is about one dollar a year on
every man, woman and child. This tax
can be so adjusted that the common peO-
| pie may purchase the sugars they use at
| the foreign cost OF production, with the
tariff only added. This was not salts
| factory To the sugar-refining interest"
| This Interest" demanded that the sugar
| tax should be so adjusted that every con-
sumner of sugar should pay tribute to the
refners, and congress yielded to the de-
mand, and did it in a way that ex-
cites the suspicion that foul means
were used to bring it about. Our i'm
ported sugars are OF two kinds; one kind
is not fit for use without refining; the
others are lighter and brighter sugars, fit
| for domestic use as they come to our
shores 1t was to the interest of the peof
pie 10 have the tax on this latter class of
sugars as low as possible. 1t was to the
interest of sugar refiners to have the tax
so high as to practically prohibit their i'm
portation. Ii these can be shut out the
refiners have an absolute monopoly. And
you voted to give 1t to them. The tariff
| thinkers got YOU into state of bewilder-
ment on the "polariscope test" and the
dutch standard" as they are called.
suppose the ''polariscope test is a method
by which the richness of the article is
ascertained, while the Clutch standard"
has special reference to cleanliness and
color. Sugars from Is to 10 Dutch STAN
dard are fit for common use without re-
filming. After protracted debate in the
senate % cents per pound as the duty was
| fixed on such sugars. The retiners
asked higher duty, but the
highest they asked was 65-l00 cents
per pound. Your conference committee
! inoraosad ~ 10 - cents nor pOuOS and eO