The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-05-04
MR.. WILSON'S SPEECH.
Sn. Tor ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
His Constituency.

yri. for I'rOteCtIOnists-nllsre
Ills Constituency.
W,,uyorox, D. G., May 3.-The
,Iouse went into Committee Of the
Whole, Mr.. Springer, Of Illinois, in the
chair, on the tariff bill.
Mr.. Wilson, of West Virginia, mem
her of the Ways and Means Committee,
said that the opponents OF the bill rep
resented the issue to be between free
trade and protection It was rather an
effort OF the people to recover the right
10 tax themselves.
The time was when the test OF loyalty
IN the country was devotion to the
Union inthcstrugglC for its preservation.
LATELY, however, the country had
hern told that even n Mcclellan and a
Hancock must be ranked as allies OF the
conicderlcy, because OF their disloyalty
to a particiIar party; but in this debate
n new test had been set up, and we have
hoard thc name OF citizen who stands
Lcforc the world us the foremost living
representative of American literature,
wilma long and honorable record OF pub
lie service behind him, poet whose
words in ,Iays past, like Luther's words,
Lad been "battlcs" for freedom, connect
cd with that OF Benedict Arnold, be:
cause he would not bow to the fetch OF
protection. He repealed Mr.. Burrows
criticism Of the manner in which this
Bill was prepared, saying that such criti-
cisms could not Justly be made by those
who stood for the defence OF the existing
law which he said was prepared in secret
conference and hurried through Con-
gress without being sifted or read.
SCHOLARLY nut ILLOGICAL.
Mr.. Kelly had called his Democratic
colleagues "Bourbons," and then al
most Immediately said he would deal
with the surplus after the principles OF
Colbert, aud his great pupil, the Empe-
nr Napoleon. But Colbert was the
minister OF the Bourbons, and neither
Colbert nor Napoleon were teachers to
whom the citizen OF free republic
would turn for instruction as to laying
or expending the taxes. 1t was Colbert
who built up his masters navy by
claiming to the galleys thousands OF in,
noccnt citizens, just as protection had
built up monopoly by claiming millions
Of farmers and labOring men to its ser
vice. 1t was Colbert who defined the
art Of taxation to consist in "plucking
the goose, so as to get the greatest poss'
iblc amount of feathers with the least
possible amount Of squalling." There
never Ind been n more apt or complete
definition OF protective tariff. =.
In discussing the question OF rates OF
wages, Mr.. Wilson referred to the re-
marks OF Mr.. Allen, of Massachusetts, rs
tOthc prosperity OF the wage earners OF
Lowell, lie wanted to compare, he said,
the condition OF the Lowell operators
nndcr the Walker tariff and their condi.
lion under the present tariff. To show
their condition under the revenue taritF,
he quoted from Dickens american
Notes an abstract highly compliment.
ary OF the prosperity and intelligence OF
the wOrkingmGn and women OF Lowell,
and to show the reverse of the picture
he quoted an extract from Pigeons "Old
World QUESTION:, and New Worlds An.
swers," " in which the condition OF Lowell
operatives is drawn in dark ColOrs.
Mr. Allen, OF Massachusetts, said he
would like few moments TO give the
gentleman some information in regard
to the city where he spent his whole
life, to rciutc the statements OF an Eng
lish free trader.
Mr.. Lodge, Of Massachusctts-"Did ]
IN dcrstand the gentleman to say that
the passage he referred to in Dickens
"Amrircm Notes" referred to Lowell
under the Walker tariff"
OFF IN MS lEIsTORY.N
Mr.. WilsGn-"About that time"
Mr. Lodge-"The Notes were pub
lished in '42-i0ur years before the
Walker tariff came into existence" Ap-
plausc aud laughter.
MIR. Wilson-"l have not the exact
date OF publications; but the tariff in AZ
was not half OF the rates Of tariff in S.
lApplausc.l
Mr.. Wilson, continuing, said that the
gentleman from Massachusetts QLOdge)
had written the life OF Alexander Ham
ilton and he wanted to bring to the gem
temans recollection the following ex-
tract, written before politics had taken
possession OF him:
"ln the year 1901, Hamilton was q
protectOnist. At the present day he
would probably be foremost in urging n
revision Of the tariff" Applause and
laughter.
Mr., Lodge was glad that the gentleman
had read the passage, for he had not
changed his views.
Mr.. Wilson (rcading)-"He (Hamil-
tom would now be amOdcrn protection
lst but not one OF those who supports
heavy duty in order to furnish to indus
tries already firmly established, n protec'
ton which accrued solely to the benefit
OF the manufacturer and no one else.
llaughterand Npplauscl That, commented
Mr. Wilson, was written since AZ
Laughter.
MIR. lodge-What is the date OF that
book?
Mr.. Wilson-lSS3.
Mr.. Lodge-The copyright date?
Mr. WilsOn-lSS2.
Mr.. lodge-That was before the revi
SION OF 50. Renewed laughter.
iIr WilsOn-Whcn that was writer
the average tariff in this country wa
1856 PEI cent, and now it is AIS pc
In argling thSt the tariff did notreG
ulatc the price VI labor, he contraste'
the prices paid in the same line OF en-
ployment, and stated thai as a result {
that contrast man in Maine %Ss onl
worth two-thirds OF man in Connect
cut
Mr.. BOutelle, of Maine, inquired ho'