The Forrest City times., 1888-06-30
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iorm that is not either cohtemptihle md cowardly evasion or mere cam paign clap trap is the section butlin- ng the party's policy of taxation. On his point H advances it's lines and ,akes more advanced ground than it las ever taken before. It demands he maintenance of the present sys- ,em of tariff taxation and pledging the party to resist all efforts at reducing. In case of the few articles which no amount of hot-house forcing can pro luce in this country, 1t is willing for | the taxes to be taken om. Beyond this | t proposes tie abolition of the taxes | on wuiSkey and tobacco and the pro l hibitiOn of imports as the remedy for l the evils of the excessive taxation which now produces constantly in- | creasng surplus to which President | Cleveland has so fore bly, called pub i lie attention. In connection with this declaration of policy, trusts aud monopolies are condemned with the usual platform GourisheS. These it is not necessary to consider, except as i they stand out as confessions that the i evils resulting from this policy are too | patent to 1e ignored even by the auth | ors and advocates Cf it.
 The effect is thus acknowledged as an evil, demanding remedy, and the remedy proposed is-more of the cause "The hair of the dog is tO be applied to cure the bite; the dog is 10 be patted and petted for furnishing the hair. and the bite is to be consid cred as trivial incident. This is the programme the convention of the Thurstons and Haymonds, the De- pews and Algers, the Stanfords, Sher- mans and Blaines, of the trusts and syndicates, the rings and the tools of rings, have prepared and now offer to the country.
 If taxation produces evils" they say, more taxation will remedy them. If a 45 per cent ad valorem tax pro i duces more money than the govern ! ment can use, increase it to 100 per cent. 10 l50, to POO; to point that i will shut out imports altogether, and SO decrease consumpt on that the tar iff taxes on consumption will be de- creased approximately Make whiskey cheap to keep flannel dear. Abolish all taxes on lnxuries that the govern ment may be forced to continue to tax necessaries thus enabling the class benehciaries of government 10 collect the & they collect now for every dollar that goes into the public treasury.
 But for the hypocrisy of condemning 1 trusts, this would have had the merit 1 of openness and boldness. 1t ought to be eas' 'ly ineligible alike to the homesteader on the trackless plains of i the Northwest who pays for ''proiec- i tion" tax of & a thousand on lum- CT, 100 per cent on glass, 0 on nails, i 2s on shingles, and from 70 to IFS on l paints and colorS for his FOOT cottage. and the farmers of the West who pay i ll2 per cent. on rice, 50 per cent on 1 thread, 63 on calicoes, G5 on salt, l42 on spices, 1l5 on starch, 67 on woolens, 1 60 on sugar. s4 on vinegar, so on fan nels, so on hoisery and from 50 to 90 on all other woolen goods.
 To these, if they complain that the hand of monoI oly has been heavy on them. the Republican party says it shall he heavier still. They may have 1 free whiskey and tobacco in unlimited quantities, but in order to decrease the surplus and preserve the protect 1 ive' system their consumption of the necessaries of life must be decreased by prohibitory taxes.
 The proposed prohibition of imports by increased import taxes would pat i the American consumer absolutely at the mercy of the American mon poiist. The design of the prohib tive tax at the cltstom-house is to give the control of Americans who buy to Americans who sell manufactured articles. For ] the buyer, no mercy is shown. He is, maybe, a Samson when he has his eyes and his hair, but the attempt heie is to hand him over, blind and bound, to the Philist nes who form syndicates shut down mills, throw workmcn out of employment, corner the home mar ketn and raise prices ito the tarlii line."
 The higher the tariff line, the higher the price In the trust-controlled and syndicate-corneredm market. Ire party that produced the trusts now proposes to put the tarili line so high that the American buyer cannot get over it to escape the robber hands who demand his money The Republican oonven- tion, organized by the agents of the land rings, and carried on hy the tools of monop ly, coolly proposes higher taxation as remedy for high taXation; and boldly offers to hold the Ame an consumer against the syndicate corner" of the High Tariff wall, while his pocket is being picked.
 The issre is thus squarely joined when the Thurston-lIaymond conven- tion demands 'such revision Cf tie tariff laws as will tend to cseck im- ports of such articles as are produced by our people, and declares in favor of ''ihe entire repeal of internal taxes rather than the surrender of any part of or protective system.
 The Democratic party is ready for the question. Call the ayes and noes.