Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-28

/ made tins land grow anu prosper peyon
all others. Protection had built u
varied industries, and had enabled tn
United States 10 retain the balance o
her trade in her favor.
MIR. Ford, of Michigan. said that tn
question presented now was one Of TART
reduction, not abolition.
1t was true that the hill reported b,
the majority of the Committee on Way
and Means proposed to enlarge the FREE
list but the main object OF the measur,
was to reduce, not abolish, the tariff. Ii
considering this question Congress
should not seek to build up industries o
any one State at the expense of otheI
parts of the country. In all its legisla
ton il should consider the general vel
fare OF the entire nation; not wha
might benefit a few, but what policy
would most add to the happiness and
prosperity OF all the people OF the
United States That the present tariff
law did not in its application add to the
prosperity of tho great mass of the peo'
Pile must he evident to every fairminded,
unprejudiced man. The tariff which
gave comparatively small num-
Der Of men the right and opportunity
to tax millions of our citizens AZ
per cent. more than their goods
would sell for in open market could not
fail 10 have the result OF the building up
and maintaining of vast monopoIies and
trusts, whose enormous profits were
sweled and increased by tribute which
the tariff authorized them to levy from
the pockets Of the people. Congress had
no right to take the part of few manu-
facturers against the great body of con
sumers. But that was just what has been
done. Our war tariff declared for high
prices for the producer OF iron, low
prices for the producer of corn, high
prices for the producer OF glass, low
prices for the producer Of wheat.
The present tariff tax aimed to Sc
cure to a few manufacturers the dis
posal of their goods at large profits
To do that their prices must be raised.
To raise their prices the supply OF their
foreign competitors must be diminished.
To diminish the supply was to create
scarcity. The fact of the matter was
that the tendency of the prices was to
cheaper cOnstantly-not on account of
taxes imposed by our war tariff, but
owing TO the improved means OF trans
portation and production. Prices had
declined everywhere and the prices of
agricultural productions, which our war
tariff did not benefit TO any sppreclable
extent, had declined out Of all proper
ton to those OF manufactured commodi-
ties, and, as usual, the farmer had got
the worst of it. Prices had declined the
world over they had declined in free
trade England aud in China, as well
as in the United States The price
in this country Of nearly every article
on which our war tariff was imposed
would be good deal cheaper to-day if
the tariff were reduced. He ridiCuled
the position taken by the Protectionists
that high tariff increased the wages of
American workmen. No industries, he
said. showed more poverty, more desti-
tuition, and more strikes among their
workmen than those so-called protected
ones. There Was not a hod-csrrier in
the United States but who earned more
wages than the average person employed
in Industries benefited by the war tariff.
He attributed the existence OF pools to
the continuance Of high tariff, and IN
conclusion said TRUSTS and combines
have got the monopoly of the market
They have got such grip on the pockets
of the people, under the guise Of pro-
lection to American labor, that it is
difficult task to force them to relax it.
Heretofore all attempts to shake them
off by substantial reduction of the
tariff have failed because they
have been powerful enough to defeat
every effort in that direction. They
have vihfed and abused the advocates
of reduction of the tariff taxation
they have accused them of being enc
mics of the country's welfare aud of be-
ing 10 league with the British-in fact,
they have appealed to every instinct Of
the American people, selfish and pstrl-
otto, to vote to sustain this system OF
war-tariff taxation but l believe the
time has now come when the people,
and particularly the farmers OF the West,
are awake to the true meaning OF this
issue, and that they will soon speak in
tones not to be misunderstood, and de-
mand that Congress pay some heed to
the great body of the consumers OF tins
nation and pass a measure relieving
them of portion of the taxes which
the war tariff now compels them to pay
for the benefit Of few manufacturers. "
Applause.
Mr.. Golf, of West Virginia, spoke in
opposition to the bill. The reduction Of
the tariff, he said, should be made by the
friends of the protective system and not
by its avowed enemies. The Mills bill,
he said, was conceived by minds impreg-
mated with economic viciousness. It's
would be the death-knell of pro-
lection. 1t was not all that its friends
hoped for; it YVES the line of legislation
they had long sought and mourned be-
cause they found it not. He declared
himself Protectionist.
Mr. Landes, of Illinois, submitted an
in support of the bill and in
to protective theory.
While heartily advocating the bill, he
that it touched the whiskey
md tobacco taxes, which instead of be-
ng reduced should be, he thought, in
,reased He hoped that the bill would
pass, and that every member who voted
against it, for the purpose of continuing
he granting of enormous bounties to
would meet with political
leath and would be buried under the
,alot in November next below the
esurection line. The committee then
ose and the House at o'clock took |
recess till 8 P. NJ, the evening session
0 be for the consideration of private |