The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-08-08
Senator Coke on High Protection.

Among the distinguished men of the
democratic party we know of no one more
entitled to the confidence and respect OF
the whole country than Senator COKE of
Texas. His faithful but unobtrusive
service in the L. S. senate has shown
him to be a strong man of sterling
ability. In the discussion which the sub
ject of revenue reform has called out we
have not seen the question better pre-
scented flsost "a democratic standpoint than
in the speech delivered by Senator COKE
in the senate in April last. The effect OF
the high protective $50 calied) polly upon
the agricultural and labor interests of the
country is thus tersely but clearly stated
and should be read by every farmer and
every American laborer in the land:
The farmers of this country live harder wear
palmer clothing, practice more rigid economy,
have fewer of the luXuries of life, work harder
and more constantly, and are more troubled to
make both ends meet at the end OF the year
and realize less on their labor and capital than
any other class of our people, and are the class
upon which the protective tariff falls with the
most crushing weight. The policy of exclusion
maintained by our high protective tariff to-
ward foreign nations is a declaration and
q
and is so regarded by them and yet these
same foreign nations are the sole dependence
of the American farmers for market for their
surplus products, and absolutely fix and estab-
lish the prices OF American wheat and cotton
both at home and abroad.
The Western wheat-growers and the Southern
cotton-producers are to-day and for number
of years past have been reaping in the extreme
low prices of their products, the bitter fruits of
our tariff policy. and have learned to their
great cost that excessive protection to Al III
can manufacturers against European COMPETE
ton means a premium for European competi-
ton with American farmers, for a destruction
Of the foreign market for American agricul-
tural products.
Mr. President, with the ports of the United
States wide open to the influx of foreign labor,
which is pouring in daily in immense volume,
and mingling in the fierce contention for living
wages now going on, with our domestic manu-
features walled in and foreign goods shut out
by a high tariff, as is virtually the case now,
manufacturing capital is the veritable master of
labor and with each days accession 10 our Ia
boring population from abroad becomes more
and more absolute. Unlimited competition in
labor and the competition of foreign manufact-
uring capital excluded by the tariff creating
monopoly for American capital, as thoroughly
and completely enslaves American labor as
it is impossible for it to be done. Free trade
in labor and a tariff tor protection of American
capital against European competition is the
result and legal effect of our protective legisa-
ton. The tariff invites labor to our shores
with the delusive and deceptive promise of
high wages, but takes care to admit no compe-
tition with capital. If the time has not al
ready arrived it is not far off when the contin-
ued influx of foreign labor and the continued
exclusion of the competition of foreign capital
will utterly PROSTATE American labor under
the feet of monopolistic American capital.