The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-08-23
TIMELY raRrFr TALK.
mo. 4.-l8SS.

Dwer that the rebel soldiers would be
that there would be u gen.
ral reimbursement for the property
le rebels lost by reason of the war,
egro slavery would again be reinstat-
d, &C., &c. I will not stop to farther
the wild imaginations of
he terrible doings of the democrats if
hey got hand in the management of
his government. We told them, no.
10, you have got the night mare, you
imagine spooks, you are indulging in
Wild halucinations. Out of the first
eighty years of this government the
run it sixty years, it Yves in
he hands of its friends. No monarch
cal ape dared to obstruct its onward
march to glory and to fame. No aris-
tocratic dudes dared to insult the hon
est, intelligent yeomanry of our coun-
try with their taunts and classification !
Of society. Any attempt at class Leg
islation was instantly throttled and |
driven from our legislative halls. Our
laws were made for the poor and the
rich alike, with watchful eye to care
for the rights of the poor against the
of the powea of wealth,
whether singly or combined. Neigh
bor respected and loved his neighbor,
all turned out and went together to the
loggings, ,raisings. .threshings and quilt
ings. No Goldfish aristocracy then.
Thus we travelled together in the
march of time, always supporting our
little political differences in accordance
with our respective views. And with
the democratic party almost steadily
in power. of course our tariff or impost
tax was laid according to democratic
ideas, and W. kept sufficient only for
revenue for proper govern mental ex-
penses. A collection of q hundred
millions of dollars a year over and
above the needs of the government,
and simply for the benefit of monopo-
ties, would then have been considered
monstrous, and any official who would
have supported such monstrosity,
against any constitutional warrant
therefor, would either have been found
| insane or impeached "a fraud. Our
constitution grants no such high hand
ed class legislation. (Read carefully
sections s and 9 of Article l, Constitu-
ton of U. 81
In lS46 it became necessary, to re.
form our tariff or tax laws, and they
were then reformed according to the
democratic idea. simply tariff for rev.
enue. Well, here comes Richard Car.
negie, one of our modern saints, and
he is just according to his idea) giving
me fits on this tariff business. If
only could know one half as much
about this question as he thinks he
knows. l could write it up for you fal
more intelligently. I know that some
think it is too much of q subject fOl
men of everyday life 10 tackle. 1 an
not one of that class of thinkers.
despise anything American that ia too
complex for the common citizen t.
consider.) If I was as ignorant on th,
subject as he appears to me, I woult
forever hush up on the matter. / low,
to listen to cool, sound argument, anl
conform to the right; but 1 guess
hardly need any republican 'iukerinl
in this matter. Still. / am open t,
correction at all times. Well, he say
you have ed the duty off from
wool, SO far as you could, and you
party never had any tariff on wool, an,
by such course you have alway
crippled the wool growers interests il
this country, excepting only about
years recently pact, when the republi
cans enacted q wool tariff Oh, dear
oh, dear! What fund of wisdom b
pretends. Well, am a little dumb
Iso / must result to figures. The cit,
of Boston is, and always has been, tn
wool price controlling center in the U
8. l will not stop to give the pric
, each year. but will take it in period
of ten years each, until I reach tn
, boasted wool tariff of the republican
party. I have it for each and ever,
year of the time, if necessary. Com
mencIng at 1927, from then to 1886, tn
average price of wool was 824 cents
from 1887 to 1846 it was 52.6 cents; iron
lS47 to 1856 it was 81 cents; from 1856
to 1866 it was 61.7 cents. Horribl
, democrats! for all these forty years
without protection, wool has averages
57.7 cents per pound and no tariff
You tell me that you fixed it solid b.
: your tariff of 1867. You had it entirel
your own way. You had all thre
branches of the government, and |
you did not do that which was for tn
best. the fault was either in your plal
or else in your ignorance, or else you
plan was (as we charge) to benefit tn
manufacturer and monopolist at tn
expense of the grower. You expect i
will be high under your tariff, do you
No, sir, charge that you only wish t
hoOdwink the wool grower, and flatte
the masses by the false use of the wor
protection" for the benefit of tn
monopolist. Let US see; here it is 70
a period of II years under your boaste,
tariff, from 1867 to 1888, the averag
price of wool in Boston was only 81
cents, is follows: 81 cents, 43, 40, 81
46, so, Al, 40. 80, 80, 35, "a, 80. 80, 2s
25, and in 1888 25 cents. Add then
up and divide by IL and you have thl
average. And all of this under you
boasted republican tariff. Do yo,
know what is the trouble i'm this mat
ter, Mr.. Farmer? No, 1 really canno
understand it. Well, sir, if you will
be patient I will try and tell you a.
well as can, about facts and figures
and you can do your own reasoning
During these 40 years. from '27 to '67
we had an open trade with all the
world. American bottoms carried oul
productions upon every sea the Amer
icarsfiag foated at every port Ameri.
can merchants sold our productions,
and bought foreign goods not produced