The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-10-20

/ Keep uut tNe loFhSu COulpeikloii, hhu
the combination supprssses the domestic,
and the whole people are al thsir mercy
| and must pay whatever is demanded
Language is inadequate to dssci1bs the
iniquity OF thsss corporations against the
rights of the people or TO depict thyir dis
astUus effects upon the general welfare
As the tariffs. which render trusts posi-
bic. are established and maintained at tho
special instance OF those who form them
it would sSem but simple justios a. we'll
as good policy TO tear down as much as
possible of their covert and refuse To
longer aid ,hem in wrong doing They
are not private affairs, as has been as.
serted. but public evils Of the gravest
character, affecting the prize Of every
article which contributes to the comfort
and support Of she people"
The provisions Of the substitute favor
thom greatly and viii serve 10 encourage
their formation In still other branches Of
manufacture. Many Of those belonging
to trusts appeared before the finance com
mittee. claniorous for such legislation ~
would promote their interests. They are
all opposed to the house bill. which
should commend Is to all who condemn
their methods. It 70 bad enough to per-
NIT those who are most interested-man-
ufscturers-to appear before our commit-
tees and suggest the Legislation they
wish. but surely We should not listen 70
tho trusts and aid them 70 rob with both
hands"
How the Cow Of surplus money into
the treasury can Be stopped without re-
ducing the taxes which produce 1t no
man can devise how these taxes can be
reduced without taking of from til, top
toward the bottom no Imagination oan
conceive. Therefore 1t would seem no
man can propose to cut Of excessive taxa
ton without subjecting himself 70 the
charge Of free trade" because any re-
duction whatever looks towards free
trade" True. government revenues
might be reduced by making duties 50
high as to prohibit importations alto
gether; but that Is the other end of the
road. which increases the taxes paid to
private persons. II the first method Of
reduction leads TO free trade the other
leads to free plumber, which is worse.
Republican presidents and secretaries
of the treasury for years past have
warned congress of the accommodating
surplus and advised the reduction Of
taxes. Were they oil free traders, ad-
vising the destruction of industry and the
degradation of laborf''
"The tariff commission of 1892 com
posed of nine men, eight OF whom, ut
least, were protectionists, after persmbu
lating all the country east Of the Rocky
mountains, admitted the urgent necessity
Of reduction, and reported q bill which
they said would lower taxes 25 per cent.
They said: Any amelioration of the I'M
necessarily burdensome restrictions bear
ing upon the importations, provided the
duties required for the equalization of the
difforont conditions of capital and labor
here and abroad are preserved, is boon
not only to commerce considered as q
! separate national interest, but TO produc
ton That which, with that, was "A boon
to production when offered by the house
bill becomes free trade ulI the ruin Of
production.
Cotton was long ago placed upon the
free list. Did that make fr,e traders of
those who voted for that measured Did
it reduce the wages of operatives in cot
ton or close the cotton mills, or did 1t
destroy the cotton plantations2 On the
contrary, we have grown more cotton
than ever since that legislation; we have
exported more cotton than ever. Our
cotton mills are more profitable today
than any other, and our cotton operatives
have steadier work and better wages than
those who work in other mills.
more than . decade and q half ago
hides were placed upon the free list Did
that destroy the leather industry In this
country On the contrary, we lead the
world in it's manufacture, save in few
minor branches, and with n largely in
creased population, our importations Of
leather have decreased and our eXporta.
tions Of finished products have increased.
What has happened with cotton and
with hides it is confidently believed and
promised will happen with free wool.
Our production of wool will increase, our
manufactorteswi will revive, our wooden oper-
atives will have steadier work and there
fore better wages. Our products of wooden
goods will increase and as well our eX-
portations of woolen goods To foreign
countries"
Take the agrieulturist, for example,
and note the fearful decline in his returns
in II half dozen years. In 1856 nearly
1880 900 acres more land WAS cultivated
and planted in cereal crops than in 1891,
and more than three -fourths of billion
more bushels of grain were raised and
sold; yet instead Of receiving nearly $500,
100000 more for the extra outlay of labor
and capital on lands poorer on the aver
are than those already occupied, the
farmers Of the country suffered a loss in
values on those grain crops alone of over
$500 900 GOO on that years harvest as
compared with the values of 1881"
Everything declines save the taxes, and
these samo farmers, who must send their
surplus abroad to find n market, found, on
bringing the reduced returns Of their crops
home, that Notwithstanding they were
enabled 10 buy foreign products slightly
cheaper than before, that their taxes had
been increased in that period, and that
they were compelled In 1886 10 pay more
than $3.50 customs dues on each 800
worth imported more than they did for
like importatons in 1891; and today those
taxes are nearly 81 more per 500 worth
than in 1881. And when. in view of the
above cited facts of decline Of about
80 1-8 per cent. in the value of his crops
in 1886 below the values Of 1881, he asks
that for to morrow his taxes be made So
less per 500 than in that same year 1881,
he is met with the cry of free trader, and
that is considered argument enough,
The minority are firmly convinced
that besides the incalculable advantage
+o ba hnl tab WOULD