Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-04
5. S. cox.
The Gentleman From New York
Treats the Tariff Question With
Humor and Logic.
M sRsWs HOW II AFFECTS ALL IRrEaisTs.

The Hon. s. s. Cox, IN his able snd
elaborate speech put his points against
the tariff in very striking form. The
following extracts will give one 0 fur
idea Of his method.
1t will not be doubted that 10 go1
$500, 100000 in the Treasury 1t costs
q thousand million. Ii this be not &c
cepted as true then go to the custom
hou- and inquire for the bills Of lading.
When you find out the fact Is | did,
you Will not wonder at the dlabollsm OF
the tariff; you will not wonder that the
father of all sin and lies is the father
of the tariff. Laughter.) Members
grow Indignant at the percentages lowed
on our nece> sarles and the Immunity on
the free list of luxuries; but they grow
reconoiled when 1T is known that these
sums go to carry on government. They
are reasonably content with phem, even
though they create surplus and en-
danger values and credits. But this is
not the head deviltry in the business.
Our tariff makes horns and boots"
free, while it taxes the Word of God
The devil is in that, but only little
devil 1t is when our law adds to the
tax that goes to the Treasury the rob
berries out ide that the worst begins.
Do you deny this result? / give you a
touchStone TO test 1t.
We import, say. 100000, 600 . year
Of the protected goods. and pay Oh aver
age of 47.l0 per cent. on them. Along
side In the merchants store are the COM
petlnR American goods. They are 47.l0
per cent higher than they would be sold
outside the United States. And since
they are five times the value of the for
eign goods In dollars, We must pay S.
tax to the protected manufacturer. where
we pay 81 to the Government Any
woman who buys Irish linen in Cork.
or shawl in Paris, when she brings 1t
In will know the unhappy fact IL is
sometimes true, as this debate develops,
that American goods are cheaper over our
own borders. They have to be sold In
have to be underSold.
The devil is never dressed up so nicely
as when he appears as . protectionist
Oh! how is the devil dressedl
He Is dressed In his Sunday best,
Nth VII bis, sis scarlet coat and breechSs Of 6!ne,
through.
Naughter.)
1t is said that when the devil walked
the earth in full dress he took most
delight in seeing q cunning old lawyer
cheating by statute" Uaughter.) II
he had only known the complicated
machinery of the tariff, ad valorem and
specific, mixed in his own dress, BY the
square inch and by the threads he
would have enjoyed far more the legis-
htive cheat. Uaughter.)
FORM or TYRANNY.
And now, ! ask. where, under our
Constitution where. by the laws OF
nature; where, by the laws Of Provi-
dence, Is the warrant thus to violate the
rights Of property? Governments may
seize property, the property Of individ-
ualS nv arhlfrnrv This wv
Dr,, Wayland. is form Of tyranny with
which all the nations Of Europe of old
were too well acquainted
But he says. the sane thing d
done by unjust legislation That
sso, w chosen iessnsor~ u,,n hSwslso
by which the property Of the part or ohf
whole. Is unJustly taken away, or un-
Justly subjected 10 an oppressive tax.
stion.'
Frequently since 1854. Mr.. Chairman.
l have had occasion to pursue the same
methods Of EXPERIMENTATION IN relation to
these peculiar modes Of public oppression.
have learned these prtnciples In oonnec-
uon with economy not from slaveown-
ers. OK Southern statesmen. or members
OF the Golden Club. but from Q teacher
whom l reverence and who BELONGED 10
New England; I need not say to the
reverend gentlemen now in yonder gal.
lery-who represent tho Baotists of this
countrv-what emp hasis belongs to the
teaching OF DR.. Francis Wsyland, our
most distinguished moralist and Chris
tian. tApplausel. He warned US In our
college DAYS TO beware when tho anti
dote to evil became tho source Of evil :
when society itself set the example of
POPULATION; when public injustice became
the prolific parens of private violencp.
lie told us the result as he had CLEANED
It from history. to which he applied
his analytical code of morality. The
result was that capital immigration and
production ceased. and q nation either
sinks down in hopeless dependence. or
else the people. harassed beyond en-
DURANGO. believing that their condition
can not be made worse bv any change.
rush into all the horrors of civil war.
The social elements are dissolved. tho
sword enters into every house. the homo
ties which bind men together are severed.
and no prophet can predict at the begin
ming what will DO the end.
ILLUSTRATIONS FROM BAD TRANSFORMATION.
Let me make . homely Illustration.
I heard it in the class room, from DR..
Wayhn and to 1t Mr.. David A. Wells
has added his own piQuant observation.
1t refers to the Interchange of commoditie
and to transportation. II transporta-
ton be difficult. it adds to the
cost Of tho article to the consumer. lust
10 . tiIln OE HA. w ncQcNtI YOU ul-
m1nish the abundance of things which
minister to our necessities. It is like in
hike q broad. deep. an rapid unridged
stream. or q bad road between producer
and consumer. No road at all; it is q
prOhibitory duty. Twenty per cent duty
Is like bad road: thirty per cent is o
corduroy road tlauehter): forty per cent
like u broad. deep. and rapid underidged
river. and fifty Der cent. like aswamp
thanking the river on both sides. while
eighty or 90 per cent. such as IL levied
upon steel rails. blankets and window
glass. Is band of brigande who strip tho
merchant of nearly all he possesses. He
hould be grateful to God that he escapes
with his life. daughter and applause).
LOCAL INTERESTS.
l do not complain Of gentlemen desir-
ing to help their local interests. Truly
1t requires a little sacrifice to vote for
the general veal when it causes q partic-
ular reduction of profit at home. Local
color In art gives grace to picturesque
ness. Our pollty has as presiding
genius. autonomy. Let us respect it.
but let US not carry it to such excess
as TO make the removal OF great wrongs
impossible. Craftsmanship should study
how best to reconcile the Earring and
diverse Industries of our extensive land.
May l quote with proper modeSty. the
sentiment upon which have acted in
respect to these local interests? can
not do better than quote from q debate
in the Globe page 2,6S3. volume 81.
first session. Thirty eighth Congressl in
which the eminent gentleman from Maine,
Mr.. Blaine. complained of NV remarks
about Maine and lumber:
MIR. COx-I beg ieave " correct tho gen.
tleman. He would not have made these ro-
MARKS II he had listened a; tentively TO my
speech. / referred to the lumber interest
only to show that It was unprotected My
remark, therefore, was in favor of the gem
tleman's State. / said the lumber interest
of the West by the census Of 1850 announced
to over S33 O00, 600, while that OF New En-
gland was only about 312,0O0,00O. Hence
lumber was unprotected.
Mr.. Blaine-The gentleman arraigned the
New England states, and l did not hear hun