Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-21
REPUBLICAN 0RAT0RY
A GREAT SPEECH WHICH SHOULD HAVE
BEEN DELIVERED
By Mr.. Candidate Atkinson at the r. Pleasant
Meeting Ysstsrday-A Brand New Ad-
dress Prepared for the
Occasion.


Marshall county at pole-raising near
Limestone yesterday. The REGISTERS
stsnographer did not arrive from the field
of battle in time to publish his full and
accurate account of the CORY conflict. But
the REGISTER is above all a newspaper.
II would not slight Msssrs. Atkinson and
Campbell by neelecting to publish synop-
ses of their remarks. 1t has made special
effort in expectation Of this occa-
sion, Probably the distinguished
apostles OF war taxes don't know, but the
REaIsTER..does that the people have be-
come very weary of the hoary chestnuts
that they have been trying to palm OF ss
political gospel. Purely out of love for
both speakers and people, the REGISTER
has at great labor and expense secured
brand new address for these two gentle
men. We won't say they delivered it on
the occasion of yesterdays meeting, but If
they had been honest advocates of the
farmers interests and were intent on pro-
claiming the doctrine that would benefit
him, they would have given utterancs to
something very much like it. If Mr.
Atkinson ever wants to get to Congress
he should have talked to his hearers about
as follows:
Does the American farmer understand
the part he must assume in order to secure
tariff reform9 Does be fully comprehend
that the Mills bill and the recommendation
of President Cleveland are more in his in |
terest than in the interest Of any other
class Of producers and consumers? Ger |
tainly he, more than any other laborer, |
has had to pay dearly for his protection
piper. The question is, Does he consider |
the music worth the money he has to pay |
| for il?
Republican authorities, authors and
maintainers cf extreme protective prln- |
ciples, organizers of trusts and combins-
tions. tell the farmer that his salvation |
aud theirs rests upon the same basis. |
| Unless he will consent to continue to
sell under keen free trade competition |
and buy under extreme protection at prices
regulated, not by natural causes, bat by
monopOlistic cliques, he is told universal
ruin will supervene. Well, if il is to be
conceded the tiller Of the soil doesn't know |
good from bad bargain; if he doesn't
know when he is bcing robbed, why, pos
sibly, he will accept the ruin theory. He
has very large interest in the subject, and
rs most men are influenced somewhat, at
least, by the pocket, it ought not to be
difficult to determine which way the
farmer will turn when the critical moment
arrives.
According to the census there are twice
as many farmers and farm leOorers rs there
are mechanical ard industrial lsborers 10
this country. For instance, there are
Engaged in farming. 1910, ,493 |
Professional and personal service iO4 2SS |
Trade and transportation .....:..:...... lSl0,2S6
Mauuiactng, mechanical, mining. 3S7, III
Total earning liveliboods............ 1882, 099
NuWber Of farms..........,........... 4OJS,9JI |
Value of farms......., UOOOOO
While capital invested in manufac-
lures is only about 2S per cent OF
tniS, or =, ,iSOZiZ'VOo
Showing value in farms over value
in manufactures. Ies..................E E,iO9 I2I,S9i
These are large figures and convey an |
idea of the enormous extent of agricul- |
tural Interests. 1t would seem, therefore, |
that whenever national legislation of i'm |
portsnce is contemplated the American |
farmer is necessarily involved in it. Lst |
US see how he wss treated when the tariff |
OF 1888 was framed.
A VERY LOPSIDED ARRANGEMENT.
The farmer builds his house, his barn
and outbuildings generally Of wood. Most
of the implements he uses on the field and |
the apparatus in the dairy, the furniture
and bedstsads in his rooms, &c, are of
wood Well, the tariff barons condemned |
him to pay 81 for every thousand feet of |
timber be used, in addition TO the real
market price, as tax 10 protect somebody |
in Maine or Georgia or Michigan. What |
advantage was he given in return? None. |
The iron and steel in his plows and |
harrows, in his skimmers and reapsrs, in |
his spades, forks, hoes, rakes, his scythes, |
on the harness for bis horses and on his |
wagons is taxed from As to So per cent, |
so that ia $50 worth of implements he re-
ceived only about 800 in goods-the re.
account Of some fellow vino must be pro- |
tected. Did the farmer get anything at all |
for this $50? Not cents worth.
| The leather from which the harness for |
his horse is made was taxed so that he re- |
caived in 500 bargain $40 worth of har-
ness and $50 worth of tax.
! 1.-THE far ner needed saw, hstohet,
| hammer, an adss, nails and spikes, and a |
chisel for his tool box, say to the extent Of
IS, be received So. rs in tools aud So 25 in
taxation. II he bought lock and chain |
and hinges for door or gate to the value !
of 81, forty cents represented the goods, the
other so cents he had to pay to "protect"
some lo;dly manufacturer. What is Of |
fsred in return for this "proiectioD?"
Nothing. The farmer is told he ought to |
be grateful that he is permitted to live |
under the same ornament with bsrons
If be wanted q blanket for his bed for $5. |
he got So 20 Of blanket ana 81. 80 in pro-
lection:
Ifhe bought suit Of clothes for $40, be
got IS in clothes and 81 in protection. |
Aud in the same ratio for everything he !
used or needed or could possibly need, tie
good tariff bsrops condemned him 10 pay |
from 35 to 60 cents on every dollar more
for his goods than be ought to have paid, |
and more than he will have to pay if the
'barons" are routed at the next election. |
| Ins DdIODs nave IAken dOVa1IdRe OF tn6 Il
farmers comparative isolation. They rec
ognizsd there could be but little organized |
resistance from Hodge" that he couldn't
and wouldn't 'jine together" like factory |
bands in a trades union or general sssem-
bly,. They knew he couldn't 60 to Wash |
ing.on and lobby in the halls Of Congress,
'Sl40, ,000, 600 strong" They realized he |
had no cohesion, 40 to speak, and therefore |
they gave him little consideration "srter
lection"
THEY "sALTED" HIM.
They even Disseminated against him.
Now, the farmer and fisherman both use
salt 10 quantities. So the bsrons decided
to let the men Of Glouster have their sslt
for curing fish free of duty, while the
farmer was condemned 20 pay SO per cent
drty on sslt in bnlk and 80 per cent. in
bags Thus, if he bought S. worth Of
salt IS il lay in heap in store he got
IS cents in salt and 81 Is in protection
that is, he paid S4 Is for the privilege of
4 ho frn,,, a rv,nnnnnl,sk N, Gvrac,sa or