The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-05-05
An Able Speech.

Mr.. McComas, our gallant represen-
tative from the Sixth Congressional dis
trict, has just made the best speech yet
delivered on the floor of the Lower
House in opposition to the Mills Tariff
Bill. He hits the nail squarely on the
head when he says that this 7ph0le 9ueS-
hon of the tariff is one Of 7oageS. And
he fortifies his argument by facts which
cannot be controverted.
Learn from England, ye farmers OF America,
how tree-trade benefits agriculture. There agri-
culture has reached a state OF collapse. Every
farmer is forty per cent poorer than he was
twelve years ago. The tenant farmer are now
paying their rent out a. their capital. In ten
years the loss of income to owners of land was
thirty per cent, and to tenant farmers sixty per
cent. The farm laborer now works for one, at
most for two, shillings day, loss of twenty per
cent. of his wages The land is rapidly going out
of cultivation, and free trade has made wheat
growing Improbable to the English farmer
Within ten years 100000 acres fourth of the
whole wheat area of Britain, has gone out of cul-
uvation. Dairy farming is extinguished. The
best OF the farm population is crowding into the
great cities; no longer customers but competitors
To the doctrnaires it is pretty pastoral scene
freetrade England, grass country without gates
cropped-tail horses and foxes and hounds running
on forever and ever
Mr. McComas insisted that the problem today
was not cheapness, but employment, and contrasted
home trade and foreign trade, and contended that
for us the market of the world was a delusion
under ireetrade with all Europe protectionists
He proceeded to say: 1T amazes me to hear Mr.
Mills, who halls from Texas, claim that the tariff
has nothing to do with wages because wages are
higher in some states than in others. The tariff
wrought its best fruit in New England, and the
enterprising North and West. Wages are lower
in Arkansas and Louisiana and South Carolina
because slavery condemned the black and poor
white people TO ignorance. and after the war; un-
der the inherited system, it too long disgrace
| full to labor.
THE wages of her men and women are not
much more than half the wages paid in New Eng
land. II is amazing to hear representatives from
the Southern States unite to denounce the tariff
when the South most needs protection New Eng
land and Pennsylvania, rich with the l..lits of ;.
general system OF manufactures, may well smile
at the folly OF these Southern leaders blinded by
prejudice. The war cry of the old South was slave
labor and free-trade SIavarv hos ,,on, b,, ,bas
leaders of the old South hero an thi, aoor fb,
for the English alliance and freetrade once mora
Eree-trade is still the dream nj tho old S,utb
whose cornerstone WAS the rlaptatiop lido, vida
lands AN accomnIisbsd few anrio,sj bv tho "a,
norant many toiIiny for hare suhsis,enoo rha
old Soutb whose old mostar class ,,, tr,,ot ,r,,h
mayna,imi,,, tho hitt.r,oss -, t, go 49,, ,,
not forgive the entranchisement of their s,aves
The old South which ann,lled ,t tho rula or tho
ignorant majority resorts in turn tn violanca mr.
fr,ud. eonvinced that If aver the small ,v,i,o
minority yia,ds 81, rho halle, how . d. ,,.;,,.
black maioritv then will ba tho doom il, tho oot
,o, sto,.s ar ,,h,;o , -, u;,... -. NJ -,
South which bewiIdered NV tho ,,r.ras, ,,ro,,a,,
of civilization. blindIv keens solid the black vo,e
by outside pressure by the denial ot fuu citizon.
ship, which excuses the fraudulent denial nj ,
fair poll or count in communities where there il a
black maiorit, nv reason a, color ;onoronoa o,,,
novert,,. oo,,,inco, ,b.t ,r,,,, a.,
cape from the SUPREMACY of the noor and i,,,or
ant mass The old South which p,ssion.talv
iorbids massed black ignorance to be counted
against its own Intelligent white minority lint
with shameless Inconsistency believes it right to
count this uncounted black vote wherever the
South needs an offset to as many intelligent
wOrkingmen's votes actually cast in the North
and West: believes it right to thus quadruple the
power OF the white minority of the cotton states
at an election for President and Congress This
old South whose old Confederate leaders ON this
floor now seek by iree-trade and the English AL
lance to readiust the old plantation idea to raw
products of mines and fields with cheap peasant
labor.
The vouny man nj tbe Sou,b h.air 70 roo,;u.
,bop.,b sI,uIv tho, nho, Tho It. ,,i..;,.
$500 N ''> 'o'-s'