Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-10-13
AFARMER's VIEWS.
A Fayette County, Pa, Democrat Tells
Why He Refuses TO Vote for Cleveland
How Protection Benefits the Farmer.

-nOW FFotectioH pcHcHto uio aEHUE.
SIR: Ny friend, r. w. Higinbot-
ham, at your meeting last Tuesday
evening, stated the truth when he
said 1 was sick and not able to at
tend. But some of the Cleveland
bummers have been busy spreading
the report that / had weakened and
only played sick. Well. this is not
strange, or surprising to any one who
is familiar with the stock-in-trade OF
the Free Trade howlers in this cam
paign. They misrepresent, hedge
and twist in every shape in order to
bolster up the falling Grover and his
policy.
/ cannot support Cleveland, be.
cause of his grand mistake in forcing
the Democratic party to fight the sys-
tenn of protection as party. Believ-
ing as do, with the Hon. Samuel j.
Randall, that the American system Of
protection is benefit, directly or in
directly, to every man, woman and
child in this, our great country, ! was
forced either to abandon my honest
convictions to vote for Cleveland or
vote for Harrison and Morton. lam
for Harrison and Morton. / voted
for Cleveland in 1884, but did not
vote for Free Trade, or at least did
not think l was doing so at the time.
When S. j. Randall was sent into the
manufacturing States to tell the peo-
pie that Grover was as good Pro-
tectionist as James g. Blaine, we be-
lievsd it. Grover had not caught it
then, or at least it had not developed
sufficiently on the surface so as to be
seen. But he has it now, and he has
| it bad and fine does not make another
as big a flop as he did on the fisher
| les matter, it will prove fatal beyond
a doubt.
The influence which caused Grover
to adopt such a policy came from the
same class of men, from the same Sec
ton of the country that held the Dem
ocratic party on the wrong side OF
the slavery question for many years.
When these gentlemen, born and
bred in an atmosphere of Free Trade
emanating from and originating in
| the old system of human slavery,
say when these gentlemen had suffi'
GENTLY innoculated the President
with their Free Trade notions SO as
to cause him to issue his celebrated
cheap-woolen message, they straight
way fixed up their pet idea in the
shape of the Mills bill, sugar-coated
| it, labeled it protection and gave il
out for credulous Democrats to swal
low. Well, they are not all swallow
ing it just now, in this A. d. 1883.
/ / am a farmer, and will give my
support to the policy that will in
crease the number of consumers O.
my products rather than to that pol
icy which will diminish the same.
The stuff that is scattered to thu
people now by the Democratic press
is enough to disgust any one who
will crack the crust of party preju
dice and pull the wool out of hi
eyes, and look at the question will
good, sound common sense.
First, they will deny that it is Free
Trade, and then argue Free TRADE
pure and simple. They will hug ont
class Of trusts to their virtuous Dos
oms and howl themselves hoarse a
another class. They tell us free WOO
will make higher price for wool ant
cheaper flannel shirts They tell us
to increase the profits Of wooden man
ufacturers by giving them free WOO
they will divide with the laborer, but
when the profits of other manufac
turers are made greater by being pro
tected, the workingman doesn't gel
any of it.
/ Just now they are hard after the
farmer, and the poor granger is al
most forced to believe that the hi
BILE history of the origin of man which
says, "He was made of the dust O
, the earth" is mistake, and that b,
! is entirely made out Of war tariff tax
Yes, tax, tax, tax-that's the howl
Well, what is the benefit to him tx
take money out of his own pocket t.
| lessen his tax?
, They tell us the farmer is not pro
, tected and the consumer always pays
. the duty. But when we say, ''lool
here, my friend, you say the farmel
is not protected?n "Certainly not.
sand that the customer always pay
the duty?n "Of course he does.
, swell, there is 20 cents bushel du
ty on wheat; now does the custome
Of my wheat pay me 20 cents If so