Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-10-23

could point you to his wife. Whel
we were sick and in prison, she cloth
ed and visited us, and if had III,
way, she would be on the ticket will
Cleveland instead of her husband
How many people of Christian coun
ty ever had 1lag-raising when tn
tax-colector came down to get you
taxes. And yet, my friends, this il
plain question of taxation. A tarif
is simple tax levied upon articles o
consumption. Right here the two par
ties divide as distinctly as Abraham
and Lot did on tho rocky hills of Ju'
dea, one party going to the west anC
the other to the east. Both parties
agree that the country has been tax
ed beyond that which was necessary
but they divide on the method of re-
ducing that tax. The Republicans
say that 1t must be reduced by tsN
upon tobacco. That's true. The
Democrats propose to reduce it by
making everything, except cigars and
cigarettes, free. The democrats say
that the people of this country had
better not have cheap cigars and Gig
arettes, and make salt free. The next
point upon which these parties divide
is upon the whisky traffic. Upon
that the government annually col
lects tax of 100000, which is
enough to pay the salary of our pres
ident, all other officials of the coun-
try, and our ministers to foreign
courts. The Republicans say retain
this tax. Do you want cheap whisky,
or do you want cheap blankets? Do
you want cheap agricultural imple-
ments, do you want cheap labor and
cheap harness, or do you want cheap
whisky? These two political parties
divide distinctly and directly upon
that very point. The Democrats
want cheap blankets. never saw a
Democrat who would agree to take a
drink of whisky. Idon't say he won't
take drink. But he won't agree to
take a drink. When a Democrat
starts to take drink of whisky, he
would drink the tax, whisky and all
down. The Republicans tell us that
the issue Is an issue of protection and
free trade. The Republicans want
to come before you, and denounce the
Democrats as free trade party,
Thomas Jefferson, who was the father
and founder of Democracy, made the
law of protection. That Federal Con-
gress done what the Democrats now
want to do, put wool on the free list.
They thought, as we now Thick, that
the necessaries should be free. The
cheaper the necessaries are, the more
of them the consumer can buy. The
more they buy, the more they can
pay their employees. What was the
condition in 1912? For the second
time the young men were in war
with Great Britain. We then needed
tax on the necessaries to defray the
expenses of levying this war. An
act was passed in 1872, to the effect
that when the war was over, the tax |
was to 90 back to where it was in the
be ginning. At the end of the war il |
did not go back to where it was in
the beginning. a surplus soon be- |
gan to grow in the Federal Treasury
How much is that amount that has
been:locked up in it2 If a m when |
Christ was born had started TO count
ing it at the rate of 5000 per day ever
since he came into the world, and
was counting it now, there would
still be surplus in the Treasury
Republican friends tell us that Henry
Clay was the father and founder of
protective tariff. They refer to the
fact that Henry Clay formulated and
put into practice the high protective
doctrines of this country. In 1899,
Mr.. Clay introduced a bill recon-
mending the repeal of the tariff, and
putting it down to 20 per cent. He
took it into the lower house of con,
gress, and advised and urged them
10 pass 1t. 1t was passed under the
leadership of Mr.. Clay, and was APP
proved by the president. So that
Mr.. Clay, seeing that the people was
being taxed beyond the necessities of
the government, was for a reduction
of the tariff. If we can rely on tho
silent pages of history, then l am
prepared TO say, in remembrance of
Mr.. Clay, that if he were alive, and
member of the ways and means COM
mittee, he would to-day be in favor
of the Mills Bill. In 1916, the tariff
was about 800. Every one Of the
Senator's were against the Mills bill.
The refuse to vote for that bill, be-
cause they say that a reduction of
the tariff is to impoverish the coun-
try. When that tariff was reduced
to 1879, the people rapidly grew in
wealth. You always had a surplus
in your pocket at the end of the year.
After 1916 the num0er of hands in
this country increased 37H%, and
wages were increased 1873. Every
Senator voted for reduction of the
tariff. They said that it was for the
interest of the country at large, and
the tariff was reduced to ll% In
1861, what was the condition Of the
country? There were moving squad
rons and battallions from one end of
the country to the other. They were
engaged in war. The young men
donned the Blue and the Gray. These
young men who have built up our
country had gone to war. For the
purpose of running this war a high
tariff was levied again. Everybody
agreed that this tariff was to go out
when the war closed. When the war
closed, we sank back into private
life, but the high tariff remained
in force, and will continue to
remain in force. unless you help the
Democrats TO reform it. For quar-
ter of century the Republicans have
governed this tariff. This they have
levied on the necesaries of life. The
sooner the workingmen of this coun-
try learn that he is not paid for what
he does, for the sweat of his face,
the better it will be for him. Itisjust
a days ride from London to Paris.
90 to Heidelberg, go to
Cologne, and you will find that
the German is working for less wages
Than anybody else. Why is that ?
Go away from Germany. Go across
the length aud breadth of Europe,
from the dark waters of the Cas-
plan Sea 10 the turbid waters of the
Atlantic, from the summitless peaks
of the Alps to the tideless
waters of the Mediterranean from
r