Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-07-25
THE FREE TRACE CRY.
A Misleading Howl Raised by the Repub
licans to Confuse the Minds of Voters OF
the Real Issue

Misleading Howl Raised by the Repub-
licans To Confuse the Minds of Voters ON
the Real Issue.
The Republican papers arc making ades-
perate effort to confuse the minds Of voters
as TO the real issue before the country
They charge that President Cleveland and
the Democratic party stand for free trade,
and they arc trying TO make it appear that
q Democratic triumph will involve the de-
struction of the protective tariff In this
they are not dealing honestly or fairly with
their readers. They are willfully misstat-
ing the ISSUE They are trying to put the
Democratic party in false position. In a
word, they are lying.
The question Of free trade is not before
the country. Nobody is proposing the abo-
lltion OF the protective tariff. Neither the
President, nor any Senator or Representa-
tive, nor the Democratic National conven-
tion, nor any democratic State convention
has proposed any thing of the kind. AS
President Cleveland said in his message.
'the question of free trade or protection Is
absolutely irrelevantn
The policy of the Democratic party is de-
fined in the Presidents message, and In the
Mills tariff bill now pending In Congress.
The public revenues are redundant. There
Is an enormous surplus in the treasury, and
unnecessary taxation. Tho existence of
this surplus is recognized by all as a menace
to the prosperity of the Nation. The Dem-
ocrats say that the unnecessary taxation
which leeds this surplus shall cease The
Republican party says that it shall continue,
and that If it becomes necessary to repeal
any part OF it, the tax on whisky shall be
taken on, and the taxes on food, ON cloth
ing, on shelter, on medicines, on fuel and on
tools shall remain as at present, or be in
creased. In word, says tho Indianapolis
Sentp'et, the Republican programme is high
er taxes; the Democratic programme is
lower taxes. The Republican policy means
heavier burdens on the farmers, the wage
workers, on all who earn their bread In the
sweat OF their brows. The Democratic
policy means Tightening of their burdens.
Let US glance at the Mills bill. 1t in
creases the free list by the addition of GER
tain raw materials which are extensively
used IN our manufactures, and which are
now, Tor the most part, controlled by mo-
nopolies. The proposed free list includes
the important articles of wool. salt and
lumber, except logs on which export duties
arc imposed at the place of shipment to the
United States. On the same list are also
max, hemp and sulphates of iron and COP
per, timed plates, potash and soda, coal tar
~~. sANS ANAaSAOuo preparations JlCrctrOm,
which include the aniline dyes, other dye-
stuffs, tannin, sulphur and the important
vegetable and mineral oils, all non-dutiable
crude materials which have been advanced
In value or condition by refining or grind
ing, except some that are specifically emu
merated, all earths and clays, the ores of COP
per and nickel, with quicksilver. brick. veg
etableS, wood pulp, feathers and paintings
IN on and water colors, and all building and
monumental stones, with professional
productions OF statuary or sculptor: also
iron or steel cotton ties and the regulus of
copper and antimony.
In the production of these raw materials
unskilled labor is almost exclusively en-
ployed. 1t is susceptible of demonstration
that this labor has never been benefited to
the extent OF penny by the duty on these
products. The only persons it has "pro-
tected" have been the employers MANY OF
whom have amassed great fortunes. Re-
nltung the taxes on such articles as wool.
lumber, salt, etc, will be great boon To
the manufacturing interests of tho conn
try; Will increase the demand for labor.
and, therefore, its remuneration: will
cheaper the cost Of living to the masses.
and will help every body but few dozen
millionaires, for whose exclusive benefit
these taxes are now maintained. 1t Is
natural that they should object; IL ia
strange that any one else in the land should
do so.
The following table shows the more i'm
portant of the tax reductions proposed bv
the Mills bill: