Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-10-12
THERE MUSr BEA CHANGE.


tax make two promises if the people will
permit it to remain To the agricultural
interest, a home market: to the working
men, employment at good wages. In
twenty-six years of that Tariff, its friends
have fulfilled neither promise, nor can
they in any number Of years, if the people
allow 1t to remain. An agricultural cor
respondent writ ing in the Valleu Virgin
ian the other day said the farmers Of this
country now have seventy millions of BUSH
els of wheat to sell, and have to sell it IN
competition With the ryot labor of India,
and the remedy for this is Home Market
created by manufactures. He thought
the present tariff ought to be maintained
in order to build up these manufactures,
and thus create the market. That is a
process that will require yet longer waiting
and end in failure. Every year immigration
comes to this country, goes West, and
goes to raising wheat. With more wheat
raised each year, it is all the harder to
find consumers for the surplus. The
skilled workingmen Of Europe don't come
their wages there, they find their situation
and that of their children comfortable
enough to remain at home. Nor is there
legitimate demand for their labor here.
The United States, great as we think her
to be, is not much OF manufacturer for
the outer world. She makes the goods but
cannot sell them. South America won't
buy from her, because she won't take her
wool in exchange-Australia won't buy
from her because she won't take her wool.
Canada, her next door neighbor, won't
buy from Fer because she won't take her
products. France won't buy from her be-
cause she won't let her people buy from
France. England won't buy from her for
a similar reason-nor Germany. They
will not take Der manufactures and only
take her cotton and tobacco because
they can't get them anywhere else
and her wheat when it is willing to
come down to the price of India wheat.
She has barred out the world and walled
herself in with High Tariff Tax. Along
by that wall sail thousands of vessels over
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans every day
carrying raw material to other countries
to give employment to the workingmen
of those countries in working it up. Along
by that wall every day sail thousands of
vessels homeward bound carrying back
with them manufactures in exchange for
the raw material. And back and forth
on the top of that wall day and night PAGES
the sentinel High Tariff warning off the
whole civilized world.
And so We go, and have gone for twenty
six years; another surplus of wheat every
year; pauper competition abroad to sell
it in; our people learning trades to make
things and nobody to buy them after they
are made! The theory seems to be that
Wheat, Cotton and Tobacco shall pay the
expenses of the country while it is learn
ing trade. They have been doing it for
a long time without knowing it. And now
that they are finding it out, Wheat. Cotton
and Tobacco have commenced asking
questions.
What is the use of learning trade, if
you have nobody to sell your man ufactures
to, no market abroad to send it to?
Why, says the Manufacturer. we expect
ed you to buy it; we thought you would
furnish home market for our manufac-
lures.
Ne, says Wheat, why I want home
market for myself. You don't expect me
to use all you make, take it at your own
prices. and pay your taxes to the govern
ment too
Well says the Manufacturer. that's the
la,D of the country. What do you mean
by this row, do you want to destroy our
American industries
No, I don't, says Wheat; but 1 want
you to 60 to work and sell what your
industries make. Why don't you do like
[ do, send your products to England,
France, Germany-everywher that they
want anything?
Oh, you says the Manufacturer.
that Is different thing, but we are in
fants yet. When we are strong enough
we are going to do that.
Strong enough says Wheat. why have
been hearing that story for nearly a hun
dred years, and it seems to me the older
you get. the weaker you get. and the higher
tariff tax you want. You are strong
enough to cut down your mems wages
when you want to; you are strong enough
to overproduce the market and have your
men lie around idle; you are strong
enough to get laws passed ''protecting"
you and making me pay for it. am tired
Of it. I'll give you just one more chance
and if you don't take that, I'll kick you
High Tariff, Protection and all, into
splinters. You just give your men
chance; give them an equal chance with
the foreign manufacturers; give them free
raw material, plenty of work, good wages
and market abroad, and you'll find the
whole thing different.
But free raw material will hurt the pro-
ducts of the farm, says the Manufacturer.
Oh, never you mind about the farm,
says Wheat, I'm the farm; I'll attend to
that. got more for my wool under low
tariff than 1 do under high one. Much
you care about the farm! You turn in
now and give the workingmen of this
country chance to manufacture for the
worlds market, and get more work and
more money for it, and I'W attend to the
farm part. And see here, before you 60
I've caught on to good deal of your rascal
ity lately. You have been over-charging
me like blazes for things under that Tariff
of yours, for the last twenty six years. I'm
70 box hct ri 10
hear? I'm going to try it in November
and if l catch you meddling, it will be
worse for you. l and Cotton and Tobac-
co mean to change this thing. II you
don't help to take down that wall that