Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-04
FINERTY ON THE TARIFF.

At the dedication of the large republi-
can wigwam, at Springfield, H., Hon.
John f. F'inerty, of Chicago, took up the
tariff question, and defied any free trader
or low tariff man to show when, under a
low tariff, the country has been prosper
Gus. He cited the periods from 1920 to
1924 from 1882 to 1887, and Of 1857,
when the country had low tariff and the
people were starving. He showed that
the state money and its attendant evils
were due to low tariff In 1861 the Nor
rill bill passed in Congress, and as a re-
suit the high tariff has paid great part
of the National debt, increased wages
and the value of farm products, and
with the exception of whisky, tobacco,
and broadcloth, has reduced the price of
all the necessaries of life. He thought
that whisky drinkers should pay q high
tariff, but that tobacco has become one
of the necessities He denied that the
Republicans are the successors of the
Know -nothings," and said that the
greatest outrages had been perpetrated
on Roman Catholics in the Democratic
cities of Baltimore. Louisville and New
Orleans, and that the man who has in
suited the Irish flag was Abram S. Hew-
lit, the Democratic Mayor of New York
City, who was elected by Irish votes.
There has been too long a misunder-
standing between the Irish Americans
and the Republican party. The bullets
sent into the hearts of rebel soldiers
were Republican bullets no matter wheth-
er the man who fired the gun was a
Douglas Democrat or n LINCOLN Republi-
can. The present tariff is more IN the
interest of the workingmcn than of the
~, 70 t, Profaotinn docs not fOu-
ter trusts. If it does why does Mr.. Mills
keep the tax on sugar, rice, and anthra-
cite coal? If it does, why does he take
the tax off soft coal and wool? Mr..
Mills is legislating for the South and
against the interests of the North, while
the " ,oc;;;;;ibtiiiiCdn party iegisiat &C. -
whole country. By means Of high tariff
the South has been raised from the pow
ertv stricken condition in which 1t was
left at the close OF the war, until it Is
now filled with prosperous manufactures.
How many Of the Irish-Americans could
go back and live under free trade where
the wages are 80 to 40 cents day? Eng
land made her great glory under a pro-
tective tariff, and not under free trade,
which she has had for only forty-two
years; and even now she is not strictly
free trade. She taxes imports on tea,
coffee, and sugar. on which articles alone
Ireland pays $50, 900, 00A in tariff yearly.
He then touched up the Canadian fisher
les and said that the administration
arrangements are all made to suit Eng
land. He had been asked to support
Cleveland, and been offered an Office if
he would do so, but he refused. he
was proud to say that he was one of the
Irish-American Congressman who helped
to defeat Horizontal Bill Morrson's tar
if bill. Any laborer who votes the
Democratic ticket votes to go back to
low wages, soup houses, and bursted
banks. Cleveland is not the choice of
the Democracy of the country and he is
being ruled by the free trade Southern
ers. He hired a substitute to send to
the war and he is very war-like now,
but he let 400 Canadian vessels fish in
our waters after he had power to stop
them. The speaker paid glowing trib-
ute to the Union soldier and eulogized
Harrison as the next President of the
United States. When he clos ed he was
greeted with deafening cheers. The
speech evidently had a erea ct