The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-16
The Great Conspiracy.

Bastiat. an early and forcible writ
er on political economy says:
when Spoliation has once become
the recognized means OF existence Of
q body OF men. united and held by
social ties. they soon proceed TO form
O law which sustains it. and to adopt
q system of morals which sanctifies
it."
Expressed in the language Of not
ed republican oflice-holder Of Pen
nsylyania. few years since, this doc
trine of spo!iation il silnply the per-
lection OF his addition, division and
silence
Dir. Blaine. the best living expon.
ent Of the protective theory, Oh page
204, Vol. /. of his 20 years in Congress,
shows that the adoption Of the pro-
tective tariff Was in conformity of a
conspiracy to organize certain great
industries Of states which had been
democratic, with pool or combina-
ton to bull prices in the interest OF
a "body of men whose recognized
means of existence had become that
of spoliation.'
He says: The question Of the tar
iff was Of special significance and in
fiuence in Pennsylvania. Important
in that State. il had become import
ant everywhere. Pennsylvania had
been continually and tenaciously held
by the democratic party. In the old
political divisions. she had followed
Jefferson and opposed Adams. In the
new division she had followed Jack
son and opposed Clay. She was
democratic as against Federalism, she
was democratic as against Wings.
From the election of jackson in 1928.
to the year 1860, a period that meas
ured the lifetime Of a generation, she
had, with very few exceptions, sus-
tanned the democratic party.
Disassociated from the question of
protection, opposition TO the exten-
sion OF slavery was a weak issue in
Pennsylvania.
1t was this condition of public opin-
ion in Pennsylvania which made rec
ognition Of the protective system SO
essential in the Chicago platform Of
1860. 1t was to that recognition that
Mr.. Lincoln, in the END, owed his
republicans failed to carry the State
election there can be no doubt that
Mr.. Lincoln would have been defeat
ed. An adverse result III Pennsvlva-
mia in October would certainly have
involved the loss of Indiana in No.
vember. beside California and Ore
gon and the four votes in New Jersey.
H., tpn 81
fore, which precipitated the political
must be given to the influence of the
movement for protection"
The war with all its untold horrors
for the people and its splendid oppor-
tunities for the heartless jobber and
the political adyenturer was the i'm
mediate consequence. The next step
in the great conspiracy, when the
eyes of the people were turned to.
ward an endangered flag, was to fill
the congressional Hobbies with the
agents of special interests to procure
legislation that under the forms oil
law would sanction the plumber OF
the people, and to adopt system OF
morals which would sancitify their
robbery.
But it was not sufficient for the
purposes of the conspirators that one
interest should be taxed to give in
creased profit to another, but to make
the subjugation of the masses com
plete TO a ruling class, II monied aris-
tocracy must be established. 4 cir
cular issued by English capitalists, was
sent to the men who had engineered
the tariff scheme Of plumber 70 sue.
cessfully This circular went into
the hands of such men Us Blaine and
John Sherman and Of the republican
leaders who accepted and acted upon
it in establishing q system of finance
full of peril to every principle OF right
pssd justice and Of danger to our 10.