The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-30

OPENING THE CAMPAIGN.
The First Gun Fired by the Old
Roman at Port Huron, Mich.

EtL 1OIt XAlCu.
rhe Sophistrics Of Protected Manufactue.
ers and Their Republican ALLIES
Swept Away - Why Laboring
Men should lie Democrats.
The first campaign gun Of the Nation,
cchoing the policies Of the tickets from an
source, was sounded at Port
Huron, Mich, on August %, by the Demo
cratic candidate for the Vice Presidency,
Ex- Senator Allen g. Thurman. The "Old
Roman said:
defy any man who has any regard for the
truth to say that Grover Cleveland has not
made a good President OF the United
States. [Cheers.I A brave, intelligent,
level-hcaded, noble man. he has had
a clean, an upright and successful
Loud cheers.l Four
years ago he was elected. In the canvass
that preceded his election his opponents
predicted all manner of evils in case he
should succeed. He did succeed, and pray
what has become of their predictions.
Laughter and applause Where is the ruin
that was to follow the election of Grover
Cleveland. Where is the disgrace that
was to follow his clections On the con-
trary, the country has been more quiet.
more peaceablc, more prosperous than it
has been for many years that have gone by.
Now, know the man. know him well, and
tell you, my fellow-citizens, that a more
upright and wise man l do not believe
dwclls within the limits of the United
States-[loud chcersl-and he has noble
hand of councillors around him, and not
tho least among them is the distinguished
citizen of your own State, Mr.. Dickinson.
TApplausc. Cleveland knows not only
how to govern himself in the limits OF the
constitution, but he knows full well how to
choose good constitutional advisors.
TCheers.l Having said this much about the
Administration, let me proceed to that
question to which / alluded in opening,
which is commonly called the tariff ques-
tion
We have, according to the last advices
have seen, about 115,0O0,0 600 in the
NationalTreasury, called surplus revenue
that is, taxes collected from the people be-
yond the necessities of the Government
Those Sl15.O 900 are lying partly idle in
the vaults of the Treasury of the United
States, of no service TO any human being.
drawing no interest, earning no profit, but
taken from the pockets of the people,
where they properly belong, and where, if
they were now found, thousands and ten
of thousands and hundreds of thousands Of
the people of the United States would
put them to good use and improve their
condition and prosperity Applause, The
Democratic party says that this Is q
wrong condition of affairs-that that money
ought not to be, like the talent Of the men we
are told Of in the Scripture, buried in the
ground; that that is very poor use to
make of the money of the people: and,
therefore, the Democratic party say that
this surplus revenue, which is produced i'm
the main by this tariff tax, ought to be re-
duced; that the tax should be reduced sc
that the surplus will not continue to accu
mulate. Our opponents. on the other
hand, say it is better to let the surplus ac.
cunulate; it is better to take the money
from the pockets of our people; it is better
to pile it up in the vaults of the
Treasury Department, although it does
no good whatever, but rather does
great harm: it is better to dc
that than to touch the tariff laws OF the
country. We say, Oh the contrary, that the
way to relieve the overtaxed people is te
reduce the tax; that the way to treat 9
people honestly, fairly and wisely is Il
than the Government actually needs fol
expenditure. Cries OF Good That's
right" and applause The issue. then
is clearly made up between us. 1t is be
tween high taxation on the one hand and
reasonable taxation on the other. 1t is be
tween taking the money of the people o.
their own control, out Of their own pock
cts, and burying it in the cellars of tn,
Treasury Department. or leaving it wher.
it beionGs--in the pockets OF the people, Il
be used as their wants, their require
mcnts, their intelligence and interest di
rect.
1t is curious fact, and one of tn,
worst things about this tariff tax, tha
while the Government gets 81 resultin,
from the tax, domestic manufacturers ge
50. as it is best estimated, that never goe
into the Treasury at all. How does thi
happen! 4 man called an importer bring
goods into the United States to be sold
He can not sell a yard or a pound until h
pays this tariff tax. He pays it, therefore
and then sells it to the merchant. o
course he must get this tax back in tn
price for which he sells or he would los
money. His business would break up a
once. Therefore, he puts the tax on tn
original cost of goods, and with that prie
added with the cost of transportation an,
his reasonable commercial profit he sell
the goods to the merchant The merchan
sells to the retail merchant, and, of course
this tax which entered into the price cor
tinues in the price and to it is added tn
profits Of the merchant. Then the retai
merchant sells to you and of course h
must get in this price, for otherwis
he would sell for less than he CAV
for the goods, and no man would cor
sent to do that. Therefore, the tax is o
when the cloth, for instance, is sold to yo
and in the price you pay this retail mel
chant you also pay the whole Of the tari
tax, the importers profits, the wholesal
merchants profits, and the retail mel
chants profits, besides the interest O
their money. 1t is as plain as that tw
and two make four. II ! was a schoo
master and boy of ten years could ne
understand that after ten minutes teacf
ing l would give him up as hopeles
idiot. Laughter That is the fact in r,
spect to this branch of subject. Now, ho'
much do you pay. The amount of dut
able goods imported into the United State
in 1887 was in value $780, 600, 900 in roun
numbers The duties collected on thes
goods-the tariff tax-was FL, ,OOO, 900 an
tax was levied on the people of til
United States BY the operation Of this tari
law Of s2la,OoO,O 600 and fraction, whie
went into the Federal Treasury But tina
as l have told you, was the least Of III
burden. The domestic manufactures
the same kind of commodities amounte
that year to 81, 36O. 00O, 900, and as the pri,
of those goods was raised by the tariff
nearly or equal proportions to the price {
| goods that We're imported, the amour
| which the people paid by reason Of thcs
high prices of what they had to buy or ha
| to use amounted to Sl,OOO,OOO, OON Tn;
| l. about five times as much as the tax re
| reivcd bv the Government for tho uses I
the Government. In other words, th
whole community was taxed about 81 ,0OJ
coo 900 for the benefit of comparatively
small portion of the community. And tn;
is said to be j,st; that Is said to bc fa
play; that is said to be for the benefit
the American people. Why don't the
carry it out further. When they find
Port Huron a lawyer--I speak kindly of
lawyer because am a lawyer myself-ti
proceeds of whose profession do not affoi
him and his family comfortable suppor
why don't they tax you all for his benei
So as to protect him. When they find
| l,x.t ~. ,,hoSa incoma not Snfficicnf ff