Wichita eagle., 1888-08-17
EBEY'S PALACES.
Editor EAGLE.

Having been born and bred where
there seems to be but one side to the
protective tariff question, did in good
faith and liberal mood attend ON Mr.
Ebey last Saturday evening to hear the
other side and gather information, and
get at its strong points. Twas pleasure
ably entertained and for the hour en-
listed in sympathy with the speaker.
was not quick enough to mentally antag-
onize anything l heard, but in the morn
ing l awoke and as recalled what Mr..
Ebey said it all seemed like glittering
| generaiities that were not incontrovert-
able facts-the tariff question was dis
posed Of by adeinagogical dissertation on
lumber, a touch on wool and ridicu-
lous comparison to the patent principle
while he strengthened his deductions by
occasional appeals to our self interests as
against those of "that other fellow" i. e..
the protected, and then made his great
est hit by figuring on the 20 per cent
duty on lumber and representing that
the building up of Wichita and Kansas
generally had been handicapped need
lessly, 20 per cent on all lumber used.
In Sunday mornings EAGLE l read
that nails were protected 3 cents per
pound and that we could go to the hard
ware store and buy nails for 3 cents per
pound. So it is very evident that 20
per cent. duty on lumber does not with
any certainty add 20 per cent. to its cost
to US. Then, again, if the duty was re-
moved on lumber, why should it not be
removed on wheat, oats, corn and pota-
toes?
Mr.. Ebey cites our 1910, coo, 900 mort
gage debts, and if we have to pay inter-
est on all that money we cannot produce
those articles at so low a price as
the Canadian, and if the tariff increases
the price of lumber, as Democracy would
have US believe, why, of course it also
does farm products; but that fact is not
admitted; the weight Of evidence is that
it does not increase prices, but only keeps
the outside trade from crowdihg into our
market-the best in the world. What
godsend free trade would be to our Can
adian neighbor, the opening up to them
of Chicago and all the border cities of the
United States for their lumber, wheat
corn and vegetables. 1t might and it
might not cheaper those articles to the
consumer in the states. but it is safe to
say it would be a disadvantage to our
producers, and a disadvantage to them
the farmer, is felt in every branch of
trade throughout the United States.
BY the way, my son has carried q
Waterbury watch the past two years
that cost him $50 only, repairs 90 cents.
When | was a boy my first watch, a
miserable cylendar escapement, cost me
$12, and 81 every few weeks for repairs.
Since then the protective tariff has en-
abled the United States to beat the world
in watch manufacture, while it has not
added 20 per cent to the cost of watch
to the retail buyer but decreased it many
fold, while it has added thousands to the
population Of consumers that our popu-
lation Of producers must feed.
Now word about that other fellow
that Mr.. Ebey would not have as trouble
about, but let him look out for himself,
he is the consumer, the wage worker
the more they number and the more
they have work, the more comforts of
life they want and the better they find
their families. Is not, therefore, their
interests the interests of the farmer and
producer:
We trust that before Mr.. Ebey be-
comes a congressman that his scope of
vision may become natioalnized and that
he may realize that in this great land of
ours 1.-The interests Of one are the con-
Germ of all. ONLY A VOTER.