The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-07-26
THE TARIFF.
views of a Sensible Business Man
Of Canton.
He Discussesth the Subject Practically From
An independent Standpoint.

indicate, but of that Simon pure poilt-
ical question, our tariff. Every man
has some wisdom upon that subject
which he is anxious to impart to his
neighbor, and l among the rest.
Ny views point, as an independent
voter gives me, l think, freedom from
those mists that just now blur the sight
of the strong partisan. What the
country sadly needs just now is non
partisan tariff legislation; tariff legisla.
ton in the interest of the country and
not in the interest of "the party" Both
parties are agreed that the tariff laws
should be modified, and both parties are
irving to manufacture party capital
out Of the tariff question, rather ina
at once pass such measures aslwlll give
greatly needed relief to the people. The
tariff that as laid in the days OF the
war, when a great national eXlgency
was upon us, calling for immense reVe'
nues, is still in force, and as a result a
surplus of S125, 0O0 1000 beyond the needs
of a somewhat extravaganza outlay tor
the maintenance of good government
is plling up in the national treasury.
There are two great evils in this sur
plus. 1t is a constant temptation to.
corruption in the disposal OF it, and 1t
is a useless burden laid upon the indus
try of the, country. This surplus, taken
out of the pockets of the people, Is not
needed Tor the expense of the govern
ment I'D.
Il IL is raised from two sources-dutles
- 49,. .., n,,l intnY1, N | TaUnn1n min
cipally the government tax on whisky
and tobacco.
Whisky and tobacco pay SllS,OOO,OOO.
of revenue, and one party proposes as
an easy way Of getting rid of the sur.
plus, and maintaining the high tariff OF
The war times, to abolish the tax Oh
WHISKY and tobacco, and give us cheap
whisky instead of cheap cloth and
sugar, etc. This on the principle that
cheap whisky would be less perilous to
the interests of the nation than a low
tariff. g,
Granting that infant industries need
government protection, it does not fol
low that they must continue TO nave
this protection forever. While 1t IS
true that II protective tariff will foster
an industry in its infancy, 1T IS
also true that 1t will foster a great
and giant monopoly after tile
industry has put off its short clothes.
Dust is thrown in the eye, of the labor
lug man to convince him that high
tariffs are wanted for his sake, but
any man who has not dust in his eyes
can see that the manufacturers are
speaking a half dozen words for them
selves and one for its labOring men.
Our laboring men are better OIL than
laboring men in Europe, not because OF
a high tariff, as men would persuade
them, but because God has given us re-
sources in such lavish abundance, and
because ours is a free country, where
every man has a fair chance to do for
himself the best he can.
To hear some politicians talk of the
sources of our national prosperity, n
of reasons why America is such a good
country for the laOoring man, one would
be led to believe that a high protective
tariff had more to do with it than any
thing else, and that our vast resources,
our free institutions, and the high in
~telligence and wonderful industry and
inventive skill of our people, and the
favor of God in giving us n of the
richest and best countries in the world,
wefe scarcely worth mentioning. They
skilfully compare TIE present times
with the times OF, fifty years ago, and
say 10! what hath a high protective
tariff wrought? And will you go back
to the time of fifty years ago by lower
ing the tariff is the sophistical appeal.
| Nonsense! And yet it is such nonsense
as this that politicians are trying to
| fool the people with, and succeeding to
a wonderful degree, where the people
do not think enough to see through the
thinness of the argument. The pres
ent average duty is AZ per cent. The
| Mills bill now before congress proposes
what? One would think, 10 hear the
ranting about it, and to cries of free
trade" lifted up against it, that it pro
posed to strike off the import duties
entirely, as it is proposed to strike
the tax off of whisky to save
a war tariff. But what is
the fact? 1t proposes to reduce the
tariff ON imports to an average OF Az
| per cent, an average reduction of Z
per cent! After twenty-five years can
not our industries, which in that
time have grown from infants to giants,
stand a reduction of an average OF Z
per cent? Or must the people go on
forever paying this bounty to monop-
ollie that are growing rich and power
full and dangerous to the interests OF
the people?
That is the question that not a few
of the people are beginning to ask with
an emphasis that will be heard at the
ballot box the coming November. Then
besides, the party that proposes to take
the tax off whisky as an alternative to
a low tariff is the party that poses be.
fore the country as the only party from
which temperance legislation is to be
expected, and which proposes by high
license to tax whisky out of existence
That is, it proposes by high license to
diminish the evils of intemperance, and
by one stroke, on the other hand, in
its high tariff frenzy it proposes to cut
off the equivalent Of S485 high license
fee in every soloonin the United States
James G.. Blaine had the insight to see
and the courage to say that such
measure would at once destroy higf
license in all the States" and that IL
the event Of the taking off of that tai
there "would be no sense in urging higf
license"
The writer is not a free trader, an(
does not wish our tariff reduced below
the point of enabling our American in
dustries to endure and flourish; but hi
shares the universal conviction O.
thinking Americans, that the time hai
fully come when we can safely give TIN
people a show by giving them tn
n-ecessaries of life with much less tax
without injury to the wages of the la
boring man, and without danger to on
industrial interests, though perhap
with less of the peoples money goinI
intn the nlathnric nocketS of mnnnnc