Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-19
PUCK'S COMMENTS.
TARIFF RBPORM-wHAT IT PROPOSES AND
WHAT 1T is.
Misrepresentation the Only Weapon Against ia
Reduction Of 7 Per Oent-SOme Pertinent
Questions and Answers.

Puck.
The noisy man who is fighting for the
war-tarif has bat one weapon, and that is
Misrepresentation; but one way Of using it
by shouting. Now, to have to talk
reason and common-sense; to have to sp-
peal to the intelligence and common-sense
of your hearers against an opponent whose
only reply Is vociferous abuse, and who
never stops to think whether he ia or is not
telling the truth-this is certainly a task
that tries the temper. 1t is not q difficult
thing to prove 70 an intelligent nation that
ov~er-taxstion is a burden to any people;
aud the man who breaches this simple doc
trine, knowing that he speaks the truth,
need not fear any attempt to confute him
By logical argument. Yet he may well be
annoyed If, while he is talking, another
man, who is interested in keeping the peo-
pie over-taxed, assails him, not with srgu-
ments but with abuse, ~denounciDg him as
the enemy of the workinguaDS the ennis
sary of the Golden Club, a conspirator
sworn to destroy his country, and a sub
sidizsd annihilator of the industries of the
nation. This sort of thing is annoying,
not because il has any justification in
truth or reason; but because it ia an i'm
pertinent and insineere interruption, in
stead of being q frank and honorable re-
ioinder.
This sort of thing, however, the Repub-
lican party has chosen by way OF tactics
for this campaign. 1t ia the choice OF des-
perstion. 1t has no chance of success that
we can see, unless the clanor OF calumny
il strong enough to drown the voice OF rea-
son and common sense. But, all the same,
il is offensive and brutal; it il designed TO
annoy and confuse; aud IN some instances,
no doubt, il accomplished its purpose.
Mud-slinging is contemplate enough; but
| il is not every man at whom mud is slupg
who realizes this truth ut the moment OF
| the mud-sliDging. For the benefit Ofthose
who find fair argument met with foul
abuse, We offer q few memoranda which
a not come amiss. This battle, for fair
taxation and honest government, is ours
and we must not forget that the right is
the side that wins, by right.
Let us not forget, first of all, that
there can not be one honest, sincere, rea-
sonable argument against q fair and equit-
| able reduction Of our present tariff.
U.-All that we prvpose-all that any
body has ever proposed, or thought of
proposing-is a fair and equitable reduc-
tion of the tariff.
II.-The reduction proposed (by the
Mi Is billy is a reduction of abOut Z per
cent. on a tariff which averages AZ per
cent. of duty.
IV.-This is not Free. Trade.
V.-This does not ''mean" Free. Trade.
VIA 7-per-cent. reduction on a Al
percent. tariff is no more like Free-Trade
than washing your face is like drowning
yourself.
Trade" is not q phrase
which should frighten any believers in
tariff reform. If FIee-Trade pays this
country better than Protection, Free
Trade will be the policy of the country.
But this is a question which will probably
interest another generation more than it
can interest us. We are trying to reform
All Anticipated tariff so as to meet the needs
of the citizens of the present day.
VILLA lie is born unhealthy. 1t is
easy to tell the wOrkipgman that over
taxing his food, fuel and clothing puts
money into his pocket; but it is not easy
to bring proof of this assertion. ifhe begins
to ask pertinent questions.
IX-The woTkingman is beginning to
ask questions. You who believe in tariff
reform have only to tell him the truth.
Your opponents have got to conceal the
truth from him. YOu have the advan-
t4ge.
X.-If the workipgmau asks you
whether wages are not lower in England,
where there is 40 prote ctive tariff, than
they are here, tell him they are lower
there. Tell him also that the cost of
living is lower, and that a days work
there is about two-thirds Of q days work
here.
XI.-rTell him also that the wages in
Germany, where there is a protective tariff
are still lower, far lower, than in England.
XII.-Tell him, moreover, that the rate
of wages is influenced very little, practi-
cally not at all, by the tariff or the lack of
n tariff. There is one thing, and n thing
only, that keeps wages down in Great
Britain and G~ermany-the Overplus
of laborers. He can convince himself of
this by observing the number of the emil
grants who come TO this country.
MIL Point out to him that If these
emigrsnts keep on coming the rate of wages
will go down here as 1t has gore down in
Europe.
NIV.-Point ont to him Furthermore
that If q heavy tax is levied on foreign raw
materials and foreign manufactures, while
no tax is levied on foreign labor, the Amer
can workingman stands q poor chance Of
getting employment.
XY.-"Protection" is said to protect
the laborer. But the miner in protected
Pennsylvania gets Is cent? a day, and the
unprotected carpenter gets from So so up
ward. Let the laborsr consider this little
paradox, and compare the case of the pro-
tected woOien-mill hands with the IN
protected house painters, and the protected
iron nOulders with the unprotected rail-
road engineers. He can figure out for
himself which is the better off of either
pair.
NyI.-If, when you tell the truth about
these matters, anybody calls yon an ennis
ssry Of the Golden Club, ask him if he
knows what the Golden Club is, where it
lives and what it does.
XVII.-If any man tells you that be
honestly thinks that England will be ben
Gifted by a reduction of the American tsriff,
ask him "How?" Why? and wherefore?
Eogtand lives on her foreign trade; If we
induce foreigners to trade with US we take
her business away.
NVIII. England has most of the i'm
mense trade of the South American States.
We ought TO have it. We could have it,
il we would let the South Americans sell
their goods in our market.
MIMI the tariff permitted South
America to send her goods here, we could
export u goods in return, and double
the foreign market for American manufsc-
lures. She ships raw materials-rubber,
coffee, hides, etc. And buys manufac-
tures-macbinery, clothing, tools, fnrni-
turs. She deals with England, because
our tariff shuts her out.
M You will not fiud il hard to show
that Observation-Disclosures of mauufac-
turers 10 raise the price of goods to cop-
eumers-are not ''prirdts affairs, tcih ichich
neither President Uereidad nor any prirdte
citizen has any particular right TO interfere"
{ James g. Blaine