Wichita eagle., 1888-06-06
RHETORIC AND REASON.
A Few Pearls From Congressman Reeds
Great Tariff Speech.


eff it be true that by having their
goods manufactured abroad the people Of
the United States as whole would be-
have their houses better furnished, their
tables spread with finer linen and covered
with more healthful food; if their bodies
would be protected by warmer woolens
from the cold of Maine, and by finer
clothing from the burning sun of Texas;
if they would on the whole, and from
generation to generation. enjoy more Of
the comforts and Injuries of life, and
would themselves be more intelligent,
more independent and better fitted to be
the citizens of republic already great
and destined to be mighty beyond all for
mer dreams of empire, then by all means
let US sink national prejudice, burst the
barriers of provincial narrowness, and
with one accord adopt not merely the
present bill, but such legislation as will
surely treble the spindles Of Europe and
destroy our own-such measures as will
put out our furnaces and ulumine those
beyond the sea.
eff of every So in our pockets, the one
alone is sufficient, if spent in England, to
give US all we have now, and we are sure
of having in our pockets the same So
which we now have, surely the problem
is too easy for dispute. too simple for dis
cussion- IT.
Napoleon was right when he said
Europe must be Cossack OF republican;
Lincoln was right when he said the United
States must be either free or slave The
house divided against itself has to unite
or fall The revenue reform argument is
either false pretense or covers the whole
ground. Protection is either in its essence
benefit or curse. You cannot dilute
curse and make it blessing Ratsbane
and water are no more food than ratsbane
pure Incidental protection is a sham.
Tariff for revenue oaly goes down before
the same arguments which are used
against protection
"If you gentlemen on the other side be-
lieve what you say you ought to be as fu-
rious against the rapine and plumber of
the Mills bill as you profess to be against
those of the present law"
'1f the president be right, and you
don't dare to doubt hiu9 an annual trib-
ute is paid protected manufacturers out
of the pockets of the people more impov-
erishing than ever was exacted by an
Oriental despot. In the face of your plain
duty to free the people from this iron
yoke you stand higgling about the amount
of the tribute. Instead of S4T for every
500 you purpose to give $40 Of the peo-
pies money and throw into the trade the
markets Of the world!
"Why do you hesitate9 Is it because
you dare not be caught lowering the
wages of the laboring men who have
votes? Have the courage Of your leaders
convictions-for has not the gentleman
from Texas. godfather of this bill, who
has promised to bring it up in the nur-
ture and admonition of the Lord, loudly
proclaimed to the open day that tariffs
have nothing to do with wages3 Is it out
of mercy to the capitalist that you falter9
"Why do men with such beliefs so
plain, and so distinct, hesitate to do their
duty? 1t is because every wind that
blows, every sight that strikes their eyes,
every sound that resounds in their ears,
shows the folly of their theories, the
absurdity of their logic. What use is it
to tell the people of this empire that they
have been robbed and plundered 81 ,000,-
600. 900 every year. during the very time
when over $500 miles of distance cities
have been springing up like magic. richer
in decade than the Old World cities have
grown in centuries, when 100, 600 miles of
railroad have been built, which compress
the broad expanse of continent into
week of time When the commerce Of it's
inland lakes has grown to rival the COM
merce between the two worlds; when
from every land under the sun the emf
grants have been focking to it's happy
shores, drawn there by the peace and pros
perity which shine ON all it's borders and
sweep from circumference to center.
There are no eyes so dull that cannot see
the ever rising glories of this republic ex-
cept those which are bandaged by the
prejudices of long ago.
Now, which is the richest, Europe or
American We are all agreed on that. We
say America because our eyes behold it.
You say SO because your eyes behold it,
and you see one thousand millions wasted
besides What do you mean to do? l
will tell you what we mean to do. We
mean to keep this wealth here. We mean
to do it even If we build Chinese wall of
bN1 Ia eeAASo al S9ao lllAo
~
Here is another unsolicited gun called
the markets of the world The markets
words are. They stretch from the frozen
regions of tho northern pole across the
blazing topics to the ice bound shores of
the Antarctic continent. All this we can
have If we will but give up the little
H. Ill
What are these markets of the world2
ITO hear these rhetorieians declaim,
you would imagine the markets of the
world vast vacuum, waiting till now for
American goods to break through, rush
in, and fill the yearning void. VIII your
goods go to Austria, to Italy, Germany,
Russia or France? Around all these be-
nighted countries are the Chinese walls OF
tariff taxes. Britain herself is protected
by vast capital, accumulated through
ages, the spells of her own and other
lands, by trade system as powerful as it
is relentless. All these nations will con-
test with you the other countries which
they already overflow.
~
"Where is The best market In the world?
Where the people have the most money
to spend. Where have the people the
most money to spend? Right here in the
United States of America after twenty
seven years Of protectionist rule. And
you are asked to give up such market
for the markets of the world Why the
history of such transaction was told
9, 400 years ago. It is classic. You viii
find it in the works OF Esop, the fabulist.
'Once there was dog. He was nice
little dog. Nothing the matter with him
except a few foolish free trade ideas in
his head. He was trotting along, happy