The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-05-17
Facts About the Tariff that FARM
era Might DO Well to Consider.


ers Might DO Well to consider. i
EDITOR DEMOCRATIC PRESS TO !
,pen the eyes of our farmers to the t
errible system of robbery, by an infer {
nal tariff, kindly allow me space in
your excellent paper. 1t may be laid
Down as an automatic truth, that it is
for any one to oppose free
trade. defend protection, and keep
within the bounds of truth. 1t is
equally true, that no one but rascal
or an ignoramus will ever oppose free
trade, because free trade is only fair
trade, does injustice to none and gives
fair play to all. This is what we re-
quire, what we must have, if we in
tend to suppress crime, and prosper as
a nation. It is lamentable fact that
lawyers do all in their power
to uphold and increase crime. Who
ever disputes this, let them look at the
trial of Guiteau. That trial ought to
have been finished in day, and the
canting villain strung up the next.
Look at the trials of Webster and the
three guilty villains in this town, then
let anyone tell me that our lawyers do
not foster and encourage crime for
their own aggrandizement. While all
this goes on the American government
is too deeply engressed passing tariff
laws to rob the poor farmer for the
benefit of combinations to pay the
slightest attention to crime. The
United States at this moment is held
in derision by all nations because OF
her crime, one half of which crime Is
traceable to our tariff laws. Twill en-.
deavor to examine impartially what
this tariff has done, and Is still doing,
for our farmers. In the first place II
tends to destroy his home market, by
limiting production. to the demands of
one country. In the next place 1t com
pels men to live upon pauper wages by
limiting the demand for labor.
In discussing the question of wages
1t must never be forgotten for single
moment that farming here is the chief
industry, the mainstay and foundation
of all others, and that over half our
population exist by farming. Protec-
tionists tell us that tariff laws are re-
quired in order that they may pay
high wages. A stronger or more deadly
argument against protection than this
can hardly be found. because it is not
only wrong, it is wicked, to enslave
one half of our population in order to
pay high wages to not tenth part OF
the other half. A good government
would say to the scoundrels, when
they apply for tariff laws in order to
pay high wages, we cannot do that,
we cannot give you power to plunder
the many that you may pay high
wages to the few, because you will not
pay high wages after we grant you the
power, but keep all the plunder to
yourselves.
+ But we must be protected by tariff
to keep out Britain with her pauper
labor. You have 1900 miles of ocean
to protect you. responds good gov.
ernment, and you must produce and
sell at price to defy Britain, thus
protecting yourselves. But we are
only lisping infants, whine out the
scoandrels about hundred years old
and we cannot withstand Britain and
her pauper labor. Begone, you brazen
faced scoundrels, replies a good gov.
ernment, how do my poor farmers
pay the cost of transportation across
the ocean, boarding the British lion ir
his own den, underselling the British
farmer at his own door? When ms
poor farmers do all this with soil pot
half SO productive as the British soil
what in the DEVILS name is to preven
you from underselling Britain here
This forever settles the hash abOu
high wages and pauper labor, because
the American farmer is the hardes
wrought, the highest taxed animal OF
, Gods earth.
II will next examine what tariff OF
. sugar has done, and is still doing fo
the American farmer. Lately bough
,, from J, 8. Smith b Son, Ravenna,
!. barrel. 1t cost me q cents per pound
I admit the sugar was of good quality
as everything else is one gets from tina
store. In Scotland could have go
sugar of little better quality, Z lbs
for 25 cents. In proof of which en-
close the following quotation from tn,
market report of Glasgow paper
pure White Sugar, lbs. for Is
lGranulated do. lbs. for Is Id. Nov
L was plundered out of cents per 10
, by this tariff, which amounted to owe
, $l2 on this one transaction. Had
met a highwayman had some chanc'
to defend my $l2, but had no chanc'
with a protective tariff. 1 had to forf
] out $l2 or go without sugar. How
does this tax help our farmers? ? lie
them figure up4 cents per pound OIL
every pound consumed in America
r and Just see what nice little sun
this will amount to in one year, OF
, one item, sugar. II we take anothe
!. article, clothing, we find the farmer
and others taxed to still CREATE
amount. Clothing, find from expe
rience, costs double the price here tina
, it does in Britain, and will only las
/ half as long, making clothing fou
times higher here than in Britain
What tremendous tax this is upoI
our farmers, and not one farmer in ,
t hundred knows that he is taxed upol
: his clothing at all. Don Piatt, who i
a farmer in Logan Co. O., tells u
, that {" every thing the farmer buys
!, from the cradle he is rocked In to tk
coffin he rots in, is augmented to twic
!, it's value by this tariff Mr.. Plat
, was asked by the farmers to give then
his opinion about tariff on wool. FL
q told them, if he had freedom to buy il
the cheapest market and if govern
ment would see to it that he wa