Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-07-13
THE POINT AT STAKE,


The point at stake in the campaign is
the reduction of the tariff land the leaving
the money of the people In their pocket,
instead of in the Treasury at Washington.
Is it necessary?
There are now lying idle in the Treas
ury about One Hundred Millions OF dol
lars. On the LIST Of January next there
will be One Hundred and Thirty Millions.
If this was returned to the States of the
Union. say according to their number,
each State would have about Three Mil
lions more money in it.
If it had not been collected from them
under the High Tariff it would be there
without returning tit would never have
been taken out of the State.
Every four years, for sixteen years up to
1884, the Republican party promised in its
platform that these millions should not be
taken out of the peoples pockets and car
Tied to Washington.
For about ten of that sixteen years they
had every department. of the government
and full power to redeem their pledge.
w AOA GaCy WCAV Ouu W. ROWVA AL AOO1 SAAS
revenue of the government was greater
than it had ever been before. and the
money in the vaults more.
Every four years for twenty years up to
1884, the Democratic party have been prom
Using the people that if they ever get into
power they would reduce this surplus.
lessen the internal revenue, and lower the
tariff.
b They got into power 10 1884 and
put before the people pledge that they
meant to keep their word. 1t is before
them now. It is the Mills bill. Under it
the Internal Revenue will be reduced
$24, Ass 900, and the tariff $7S,176, 000-a
total of $1o2, 100000 reduction to begin
with.
To do this they have shaken no indus
try or interests. They take seventeen
millions off tobacco, seven millions off spe-
cial taxes of retail liquor dealers. and re-
duce the present tariff as whole seven
per cent. and on necessaries of life about
twenty per cent.
They have taken short, cautious step
to begin with. If that does not reduce
the surplus in the Treasury, then they
will try further reduction at the next
congress. They have kept their word;
they have not only offered a plan to reduce
taxation, but they have been careful that
this plan should disturb no mans wages.
How has the Republican party answered
this first step towards the reduction of
taxation BY proposition competing in
amount of reduction No; by reversing
their engine, casting to the winds all their
promises of reduction made every four
years from 1868 to 1884, and declaring in
effect that before they will reduce the
tariff on any one article made in this coun-
try, they will give the country free whiskey
and tobacco. Their leaders seem to have
taken sudden. insane tack upon the fOs-
SLICED idea that great political party to
win success must offer the people exactly
the reverse of what the other party offers.
The principle of Protection has been
common to every national party platform
that has been issued In the last twenty
years. Democratic. Prohibition, Green
back, Labor, American, Republican, Wo.
mems Rights-all have provision for the
protection Of the American wage-worker
against foreign competitors. n party that
is organized between now and the extinc-
ton of the public debt will neglect to say
that the tariff must be so adjusted as to
protect the American laborer. One of the
very best and latest utterances on it is
that of the President of the United States
himself. In Lis message to Congress of
December last, Mr. Cleveland said:
4'It tariff taxation] must be extensively con-
tinued as the source of the governments in
come; and in a readjustment of our tariff the
interests of American labor engaged in manu-
facture should be carefully considered, as we'll
as the preservation of our manufacturers. 1t
may be called protection, or by any other
name, but relief from the hardships and dan
gers of our present tariff laws should be de-
vised with especial precaution against imper-
iling the existence of our manufacturing in
terest"
But the Republican party is not fight
ing for the Protection it is masquerading
under; it is fighting for High Tariff.
1t is the margin of gold between Protec-
ton and High Tariff that pours into the
pockets of the employer and makes corpo-
rations of fabulous wealth, millionaires
and-paupers. The paupers are the labor
ing men who are eaten up by it. Is this
statement absolutely true or is it cam
paign assertion. The answer comes from
the iron men this week land isn't four days
old. The Committees of the Iron
Manufacturers West of the Alleghanies,
at their meeting this year agreed on re-
duction of ten per cent. IN wages. The
workmen demonstrated, but got in reply
that "the manufacturers would not agree
to cent more and they were tired of this
dilly-dallying''-the "diily -dallylng" being
the hesitation of those wage earners to
take wages at which they could not clothe
and feed their families. AS the result, one
hundred thousand men employed in pro-
tected trade are now without work. The
casual reader would think this a pitiable
state of affairs. Not SO, however. it is
merely "business affair."" Our author.