St. Landry democrat., 1888-05-26
81 A YEAR.

brandy and alcohol used in the arts
would efectualy destroy 1.-The in
| ernai revenue system, and were this to De
| done. we preferred to do it or nave it done
| openly, and thus fix the responsibility for IL
| upon those who accomplished it. The Venera-
bic gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelley
may be assured that no criticism he may per
| nit himself to make upon Kentucky will be
held to be any answer to the bill under sonslo-
| Grafton.
| Mr.. Breckenridge. having denied the state
| ments about Kentucky made by Mr. Kelley in
| his speech, said when the gentleman's
| speech is read by the citizens of those coun-
| ties called 'paupers' by him, who have held in
| afectonate remembrance the name of my ven
| cradle friend, they will think, if they do not
| say, kttu Brute, and fear they will not re-
member that the last word is Latin, and word
! OF two sylables
If this bill goes into operation, one of it's
| benetcent results, and not the least will be
the emancipation of American politics from the
domination Of the socalled wool growers. and
the freedom of the representatives Of the peo-
pie from the control of those who profess to
speak in the name Of the million of t1oCk-mas
ters. l am not one of those who ascribe to the
protective tariff all those troublesome problems
which press upon US for solution. But there
are evils which a protective tariff either pro-
duces, or, uniting with other causes, aids in
producing. Thirty years ago the American
flag was seen in every port. All this has
been changed; partly it has been caused
by the substitution of the iron vessel
Tor the wooden vessel: but largely caused by O.
system Of taxation which rendered it impossi-
BILE for an American to carry on trade with
foreign nation The annual freight paid on
our foreign trade to foreigners has been vari-
ously estimated from one hundred and forty to
two hundred million dollars. This enormous
annual tax now paid to foreigners ought to
have been ours and the aggregate sum which
we have thrown away in our selfish folly since
1865 is much larger than our public debt The
advocates OF the present system vehemently
deny that this gradual and fatal decay has been
| caused by it. They not deny that rem
edy this policy has been wholly inef1cacious.
Since 1866 this decay has gone under the
protective system. We can hope for no relief
from it.
Mr.. Breckenridge then went into long phil
osophical argument, showing the advantage
that would accrue from policy of free trade,
and in conclusion said Seventy per cent. of
the cotton which England turns into finished
product and sells all over the habtable globe.
grows upon American soil. Her annual in
crease Of receipts over the price that she pays
US for our cotton is not less than twelve
hundred million dollars. Now, this profit
from the manufacture of this cotton should be
ours Our citizens ought to take this raw mate
rial raised in our fields turn it into the finished
product in factories owned by American capi-
tai, where American operatives should receive
the wages that would be just proportion OF
the profits OF this labor. The legislation of the
country, having for its object the public good,
and freed from the domination OF private
greed, would successfully grapple with the
problems which progress will present, and a
free people be represented by free representa-.
tives, neither owned, seduced nor terrified by
organized interests"
The applause which had been literally inter
spersed throughout Mr.. Breckenridge's speech,
grew into a storm when that gentleman con-
cluded and took his seat. Cheer followed
cheer, the ladies in the galleries waving their
handkerchiefs, and Mr.. Breckenridge's COL
leagues rushed forward enthusiastically to
graSD his hand