The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-10-03
FISIIBACK ON THE TARIFF.
HOT SHOT FOR MONOPOLY TAKERS.
How the Law For Which Harrison Votes
Broke Down the Steel Rail Industry In
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Pennsyl-
vania at the Expense of Indiana.
Hon. Stanton J. Peele.

pears harder upon the steel rail- mlils OF
the West than l thought when ! wrote
you last. have been informed by a railroad
builder that he can buy steel rails OF the
PENNSYLVANIA monopoly for $50 per ton.
The increased tax which you put upon
blooms, simply TO favor that monopoly,
makes the blooms cost in the yard of our
rail mills here in indianapolis S37 per ton.
spent an hour recently in going through
that mill, which has been put in running
order at an expense of several hundred
thousand dollars. The ponderous ma
chinery is in splendid condition, skilled
workmen are ready for service, there is
home market for steel rails, but your law
SAYS not rail shall be rolled in lndianap-
oils. Our republican national platform of
1880 says:
We reafirm the belief avowed IN 1876 that
the duties levied for the purpose of revenue
should so discriminate as 10 favor American
labor
Is the labor employed in Johnstown,
Pa, American labor, and the labor-seek-
ing employment in an indianapolis rail
mill foreign labor? 1t would seem so, for
you have deliberately shut our Indiana
mills, and have told railroad builders 10
90 to Pennsylvania and buy their rails. /
say you did this deliberately, because YOU
never yet confessed, what was probably
true, that you gave an ignorant vote Tor
a measure which inficts such injustice
upon your immediate constituents.
The fact is the republican party must
call a halt and consider whether Mr..
Morrill,, Mr.. Sherman and Mr.. Kelley are
safe leaders in this matter of the tariff.
Whatever happens to Indiana, or other
parts of the country, you will observe that
these gentlemen so manipulate every tariff
enactment that it put more money into
the plethoric pockets of their constituents
at the expense OF the public.
| do not wonder that Mr.. Kelley accom-
plishes so much since | have been told
that he accepts office with the distinct
understanding that the business of ped
ding offices in his district is to be commit
TED to other hands. The roster of depart
ment clerks appointed at his Solicitations
smaller than yours, but you may be sure
that II he We're representing the Indian
apolis district the machinery of our steel
rail mill would not be rusting for want Of
use.
Tho republican party must learn TO re-
sist the pressure OF Mr.. Kelley and his
Pennsylvania lobby. They care nothing
for the party when it can not be used to
make money for Pennsylvania manufact.
urers at the expense of other states. Ii
matters not what issue is before the Coun.
try. Mr.. Kelley never makes a stump,
speech in congress or out which is not
full of his peculiar tariff notions.
When President Johnson was trying to
force his policy" upon us, and republic
ans in the North were fearing that the
fruits of the war would be frittered away
Kelley made a tour through the
southern states and was in the
South when the celebrated riots occurred
in Mobile. He went home by way of In
dianapolis and was prevailed upon to stay
and make a public address here. A brass
band was hired to parade the streets with
the annouI cement that the Hon. William
d. Kelley I puid deliver an sidrees at Molk
rison's oIfsra hOus,E I'le plaC.1~SrS->
packed with throng of anxious PEOPLE
who came to hear from an eyewitness
what was going on in Alabama-and what
did they hear? A harangue of two hours
about beet-root sugar. Hoosiers were told
by this statesman that the soil and climate
OF Indiana were unfit for the cultivation.
of wheat; that Texas, Georgia and Mime
sofa We're better wheat states, and that
the only course left for our farmers was to
raise beets convert them into sugar and
trade the sugar for Pennsylvania window
man who frames the tariff measure for
which you and your colleagues vote. He
it was who directed you TO vote for duty
on steel blooms which closes the steel rail
mills in Indiana and elsewhere-and you
obeyed him.
What is most needed in our party now
is a spirit OF resistance 10 this tyranny.
We are tired of seeing sensible senator's
and congressman led about by the nose to
do the bidding of such men. You know
they care nothing for the party, unless it
serves their selfish purposes.
Senator Conger threatens to oppose the
party if it puts timber on the free list
Senator Sherman threatened to defeat
the whole tariff legislation of last session
unless the senate obeved the commands OF
the iron masters. and the party baselv
knuckled TO such insolence. l say | am
tired OF it, and others are getting tired.
The phrase protection for American
labor" sounds well, but il is very hollow
if our tariff laws are to be looked to as an
indication of its meaning. What I am
trying to chow you is that such legislation
as we are considering is oppressive and
not protective.
Its effects upon the shoemakers of this
country are curious and instructive. The
are the best in the world. Their wares
are exported in large quantities. BY the
tariff law you have shut them out of some
of the best markets of the world, and have
enabled their foreign competitors TO I'M
dersell them. This IS how it came about.
In warm countries, in South America aiI>s
elsewhere, there is a large demand for
shoes made OF light stock. Our native
feathers are too heavy for them and it is
necessary to import the material used BY
our shoemakers in manufacturing
the goods for this trade. What
have you done? You tax serges
and hastings 81 per cent. You tax kid
skins % per cent. The cottons, nails, I
tacks, buttons and thread used in making
the shoes are taxed, and the iron used in /
making the machinery necessary for shoe
making is also heavily taxed. Now, it isl
easy to see that foreign manufacturers of
shoes who get these materials free of duty
are enabled to undersen American shoe |
makers, or compel them 10 sell for such
prices as require them to reduce the daily
wages of American workmen. Mr.. How
ard NJ Newhall, a shoe manufacturer OF
Lynn, Mass, stated 10 a committee OF 1.-The
legislature of that state last winter that
"a removal of duty from all articles used
in the manufacture of a shoe would be an
advantage to the employer and employed;
il is hardly necessary TO say that TO lessen
the cost of shoe-making material will also
benefit home consumers. who would get
shoes at lower prices than they now
pay"
So, little by little, am trying to show
you the hypocrisy OF the pretense of pro.