Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1888-09-18

average duty levied under the present tariff
WIS Al per cent. and under the Mills bill
the average would be only about 40 per
cent, a REDUCTION of only z per cent. ON all
commodities taken tagether. OF course
there are some things upon which the duty
was reduced more. For instance, the duty
is taken off of a number of articles called
raw material, which are used by manufac-
turers in their work, in the fabrication of
their products, and as they receive this
great benefit of having their raw materials
free. or with a superlatively small duty,
the bill wisely provides that the articles
manufactured by them when brought into
the country. shall pay 9 lower rate Of duty
than they did before. But that is nothing
more than q compensation for taking off
the duty from the raw material
PRESIDENT GARFIELD QUOTED.
President Garfield said in the House of
Representatives on March 10, 1871: 81
wac surprised at a remark of the distin-
guished gentleman from Michi9n-Q do
not know who that distinguished gentle
man was, but he vas a M~iehigander.) He
asserted that there is no item in the whole
tariff that can stand alone on its merits,
but that all must be taken in a lump in
order to stand; that coal must take salt by
the hand and they, too, must take some
thing else by the hand; and thus all inter
ests unite with all forces before they can
make a stand before the country. If this
remark be true 1t strikes a blow at the
whole tariff system; a blow I am not will
ing to strike. I am unwilling to admit
that bad taxes must be tied to good snes
and thus be kept afloat. I think it is un-
wise to continue this duty on coal and L
am therefore in favor Of its repeal"
This Michigander came from a Lumber
zeun%r- axnoct and he vaa in fAyOr of
log-rolling. Laughter. Log-rolling on
the largest kind of a scalei that the man
who wanted protection on one article
should lee-roll with the man who wanted
protection on another, and thus by all
combining together and making one grand
syndicate or pool force their measure
through the Congress of the United States.
But James A. Garfield said Cf this remark
be true): SIT strikes a blow at the whole
tariff system and a blow 1 am not willing
to strike. 1 am unwilling to ADMIT that
bad taxes must be tied to good ones n
thus be kept afloat."
Now, my friends, there Is another thing
TO which l wish to call your attention.
They say all at once II say all at once. for
it Is O very late doctrine), these advocates
of protection are all at once seized with
wonderful solicitude for the 1aboring MAJ
of the country, and they want a high pro-
tective tariff, not to benefit b capitalist,
not to benefit the m~onopolist, not to bene-
fit the manufacturer, according to their
statement, but to benefit the laboring
man. He is the man they seek to protect;
And how are they going to protect him?
| Why, they say a high protective tariff will
better his condition, give him more wages
better wages. I would like to know
how that can be. / would Il to know
how taxing a laboring man on everything
from the crown of his head to the sole Of
his foot is going to enrich him. Laugh
ter and applause.
HOW THE THING WORKS.
Yet this is exactly what the tariff tax
does. It taxes him on the hat that he
wears, on the cap that l put on my head
TO keep 1t warm. Applause and laugh
ter # taxes him on his shirt, on his
necktfe, on his underclothes, on his coat,
on his vest, on his brooches, on his stock
ings, ON his boots, ON everything. IRE
newed cheering.1 1t raises the price and
taxes him until the poor man can hardly
make enough money, even if he gets a few
cents more wages in the day-it taxes
him until he can hardly make enough
money to support himself and his little
family, If he has And yet they say
that this Ia for the benefit Of the labor
ing man. My friends, that La a very bold
IaCeu bbaboEucub, IL thoko W VS."
the world, but there is another thing about
it. How is he to get the high wageae Why,
he is to get them because his employer, the
caeitalist or monopoiist, will make more
money, and therefore can afford to pay his
employees or hired men higher wages than
he paid them before. I agree that he could;
I agree that it increases the profits; i
agree that he might, having these increased
profits, pay his laboring men more than
they were paid before. But does he do III
That is the question. Applause and cries
of "No, no." Did you ever know him to
do is? ICries of "No, no."1
The tariff has been raised again and
again and again; it was immensely raised
by the act Of 1851 or 1862, I forget which
Of these years it was. 1t was raised in a
few years again, and again it has been
raised again and again, and yet in all that
time l never nave been able to find the
manufacturer or capitalist who, upon
the raising Of the tariff, hiss increas.
ed the price paid to his laborers. If there
was such a case 1t has escaped the atten-
ton of everybody, even of these diligent