Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-02

times better, anu Detler wages, anu
brought more prosperity. If, however.
the Mills bill should prove disastrous in
its general tendency. it could be very
readily repealed. The people, who. by |
their ballots had made the bill a law,
could by their ballots repeal it; and they |
most certainly would, if the results proved |
uisast Gus to the welfare Of the country.
As long as the republicans refuse 10
prove that the effects of the bill would be |
ruinous and declined to sustain their |
claims upon the public platform to dis.
cuss both sides Of the proposition justly, |
but preferred to leave the question an
open one, let US try little reduction and
see how it works. And if 1t don't suit
US, at the end of two years we can very
readily and easily re-adopt the old sys-
TEN. But if this reduction does prove
beneficial to the masses of the people and
to the government, he did not know but
that he would be in favor of having more
of it. Why net2 Does the protected
baron or the successful business man in
any walk of life want to discontinue q
method that is proving in every way BEN
eficial to him1 Does he not want to
carry these methods that have brought
him gain and profit still further and get
all there is in them? All, said the
speaker, that is the secret of the great
reason the protected barons are so violent.
ly opposed to this tax reduction idea.
They know that when the American peo>
pie get a taste of good thing they will
want more of it, they will want all they
can get of it. There the danger 10 these
protected millionslres lies; for if the peo>
pie find that the slight reduction pro-
vided for in this Mills bill becomes popu-
lar, further reduction may be proposed
and approved.
Mr.. PreAtiss was not in favor of free
trade unless he became satisfied that
such a policy was for the good of the
people and the good of the government.
But il it was shown by gradual tariff re-
duction that free trade would be for the
best interests of the government and the
masses of the people who make the gov
eminent, he would favor it; for what We
I've for is our government which belongs
t. the people for whom it was made and
by whom it is sustained
He traced the evils and impostions Of
the tariff, from the time it was attached
to the imported article, through the cus>
tom house. the wholesale dealer. the re-
| tail dealer and to the consumer who paws
the tax in the end. A protective tariff
cannot possibly benefit anybody but a
| monopolist or few barons who bind
themselves together and place corner
on an article and control the market for
| it. He cited in illustration and proof OF
| this fact, the recent wheat deals of "Old
| Hutch" in Chicago, who having practi'
| cally got control of the wheat of the
| country, the prices were run up. Did
anybody ever hear of the price being run
| up in this waV while the wheat remained
| in the hands of the farmer2 The repnb'
licans had made great brags about the
| great benefit that came TO the farmer
from the protective system. The speaker
| had been q farmer himself. He wa
brought up on farm and if the time ha(
ever come when he could have made hi
proportionate profits out of all his grain
that this one now living in protected
country did in Chicago, he would nevel
have left the farm. Thus it is with al
protected industries. Prices are increased
the moment few men get control of {
thing of necessary consumption. Thel
the prices go up. after it has left the hand
| of those who have spent the labor upol
it, and the people who need it must pa.
for it and the few protected men get tn
bonus Mr.. Prentiss showed how
these rich protected manipuls'
tors worked for the benefit o
each other The wool men help keep W
the tax on the steel, not because it bene'
fits them, but because they don't wan
the steel men to do anything looking t
reduction of the tax on wool. s.
it is with all these high protected indus
tries. The men who run them and max
the profits form trusts to keep up price
among themselves and see that the peopl
are compelled to pay the tariff whic
brings them their additional bonus, AM
then these trusts pitch in and help eacl
other out A kindred feeling makes then
wondrous k,nd-to each other. The
keep tariff up so that no foreign materia
can come in to the people, aud then the
t get bonus by raising the price Of the
products TO within a few dollars of wht
the tariff makes the foreign materis
i bnng on the market, and thus comes Ii
: benefits of this protective system.
Referring to the difference in part
issues in the present campaign, Mr.. PREF
D tiss said the democratic party stood tods
e where both parties stood four years age
. II was upon the platform of these sam
1 demands for tariff reduction that Mr. &c
r was elected two years ago. Mr.. Gest III
: derstood this exactly then, too, and M
n Prentiss called attention to an intervie
: with Mr.. Gest appearing in the Monmou
y Gazette, made one year ago next Frid'
Z night, who. when questioned as to the
L sues most likely to come before the TIL
d approaching session of congress, said OIL
: would be the proper disposition OF 4
II surplus in the treasury that the mon
e thus boarded up must be released al
t. circulated among the people. The 81
J. plus would probably not be so great aft
- the approaching session. Mr.. Gest said
lie this interview, because of the reducti
,r in the tariff in some things, while otht
)f should and would be admitted fire
e. After reading this interview to his aut
N ence, Mr.. Prentiss said that Mr.. Gest b
D. voiced pretty good democratic doctri
1t in this in of T. uao ra,,uhlicop df