The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-07-26
TIMELY rARIFe Talk .


through the columns of the good old
PRESS, did not intend to quit that
subject until this late date, but now
hat it has come to be the national
ssue between the two great political
parties. hope it may be treated with
fairness and greater ability than your
servant would claim. / will
at present try to consider the effect of
said subject upon the minds and ac-
tions of our people.
In my first article on this subject /
said / was not free trader. l am not |
and never was, and reiterate what |
then said, e., our people are not pre- |
pared to raise our revenue by direct
tax they will better stand a tax of two
cents on pound of sugar, and in fine,
As cents on every true dollars worth
of goods they purchase. This is sub
stantislly what we do pay, or about
one.third the sum of our annual pur-
chases, whether for machinery, dry
goods, groceries, clothing, everything
1T is indirect tax, or tariff. How
many of onr people understand this.
Many of them are unwilling to inves-
tigate and learn the facts. The false
application of the word protection"
to tariff, sugar-coats the pill, and with
the Notwithstanding class, down it
fiercely than those who have carefully
Investigated the question from facts,
statistics and reasonings therefrom.
There is another element among our
people who will shout and fly into
fever heat in defense of protective tariff
which was begotten and come forth
only as war measure, when our
country was compelled to tax our peo
pie through every avenue discoverable
to ingenuity, to build up and support
a powerful army and carry on des-
perate and bloody war. And this pro
tective tariff Qndirect taxi that gath
ers from our people about one hundr ed
million dollars year more than our
legitimate expenses, to gorge a more
than replete treasury, to be consumed
by cunning jobbers and unscrupulous
politicians. And we have some of tl Ii
class of high tariff howlers even in the
democratic ranks. For instance, take
la man who through the favors of this
$50 called protective tariff. has, by get
ting into some of these great monopo
lies, accumulated, or gathered in from
the hard earnings of the laboring mil
lions of our people, his millions of dol
lars, sums that he can never enjoy
gathered from the depleted wallets o
the labOrers, gathered at the expenst
of hungry, aching stomachs of the Ia
boring mans children gathered il
less time and upon less capital thar
was ever. in any age, in any land
gathered before and democrat though
he has been. he will flop; he will go t.
the republicans. His interests ar,
there, those of his kind are feasted an,
fatted by the aid of their campfires
his kind are there, the hope to satisf.
his greed Is there, the high protective
tariff (war tax Is proclaimed and de
Tended there, his millions of dollar
direct him there. How did he becom
: possessed of this vast sum of money
Did he inherit 1t? No. By some freal
of fortune did it come to him by som
valuable mines of the earth? No. Di,
be earn it? No. No man ever. lived O
ever will live. to earn dollars by tn
million, il his life's years were multi
piled by the years of the sge of Methu
.elah of old, he could never live t
earn it. Was it earned? Yes. VIII
by? Why, our laboring people. Ho,
did Mr.. Millionaire get it :? Why, b
j got it by the aid of a government ia
to exclude competitors from his bus
: ness, 30 that he could get extravagar
! and uncomfortable prices for the wage
of his monopoly, manufactured not b
o him. but by his laborers; and wher
y in the midst of his prosperity, he cut
down the already low price of wage
e he pays, and causes strikes for whic
l. he curses the laborer; and when
J. flops, and goes over to the republican,
u how he will try to cover his track
He says he does not care for none,
y Oh. no 1t is out Of his sympath,
y his love for the laboring classes, frol
u whom he has gathered part of the al
cumnlated wealth, and from whom b
{ the aid of continuation of this hig
e tariff (war taxi he hopes to gath,
millions more. Dear reader, can't yo
see reason why he should at tn
time nest with the republicans. II
q interests are there, and birds of
feather" &c. His pretense seems
miserable fiimsy fraud to me. An
q while have written this in the singl
+ lar, it is In no wise individual, but
to illustrate the workings of the pr,
4 tective' tariff fraud as it is, and b,
been since the close of the war, fo
q tered, defended and extended by r,
o publican administrations, republica
u rule and republican platforms, and ul
on which Grover Cleveland and th
e democratic party ask some prop,
the only free trade resolution 1 kno
of is from republicans; /; they clamore
for free whisky and free tobacco, i
q Congress and in national convention
% II the picture exceeds the facts, plea:
e eliminate that much thereof. If
, does not show one hundredth part ,
/. the curse of the tortured word "pr,
e lection" when coupled with tarif
vi (war taxi indirect tax, taking yor
Is money in sums not needed by the go,
It ernment. unconstitutionally, unjust
d fiably. behind your back. to the tuu
: of q hundred millions a year, for u
20 purpose but to support and build u
b monopolies. then think, study and d.
q termine your interests, and act O
10 your cool and better judgment.
,r More anon, 8. d N.
|. Washington Letter.