Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-09-14

W..
10TH R. B. POORE. of Appomattox.
HON. JACOB YOST'S CURIOUS
EXPLANATION.
The Hon. Jacob Y ost is about to com.
mence canvass in the 10th Congressional
District of Virginia, in behalf of high
taxes, as inflicted upon the people by the
present Republican High Tariff. He will
make no bones about it; he will, as he
has already done in congress, advocate not
only the present high tax. but higher
one. His errand is a peculiar one. To
ask the people to bear high tax for the
support of the government is no pleasant
task for candidate, but to have to tell
them that the government already has a
plenty and to spare; that the tax you
want to inf1ict is not for the government,
but for the benefit of a portion of the
American people who already haYe more
money than they have, and could, in fact,
bay all they have and hardly miss the
money, is something that even Mr.. Yost
will find it hard to do. But do it he m ust;
for it appears that he undertook an en-
gagement at Chicago last June by which
he has bound himself to keep up these
high taxes even if he has to take off the
tax and let whiskey run free. A most
trying position to be placed in before
thinking and sober people. We have been
curious to know how MIR. Yost would ex-
plain his demand for higher taxes when
lower ones would do. For, of course, he
must have an explanation. None but
bandits demand one mans money to give
to another man without giving some rea-
son for it. He gave reason at Lexington
last Thursday, aud it was as peculiar and
astounding as his errand. lie said, in his
speech accepting the nomination, that
these high taxes were to preserve Ameri-
can labor-that the Mills bill which gave
free wool. free lumber, and free salt, was
free trade measure, and was an inspi-
ration of England to kill out the Ameri-
can workingmen To one who knows the
record of the Republican party and its
leaders on free raw material, such an ex-
cuse is simply astounding.
The Republican party itself has given
the country free raw hides which
can come in from South America or
anywhere else to-day to compete with
American hides, without paying a
cent of duty. Was that free trade and an
inspiration from England? Will Mr..
Yost kindly read the following extract
from the Annual Message of President
Grant in 1874:
ssThose articles which enter into our manu-
features, and are not produced at home, it
seems to me, should be entered FREE. Those
articles of aaauf acture a0hcb zoe produce con-
s5itueaat part Of, but do not produce tile aoho1e
That part aoltich aCe do not produce should be
entered free also. I a0iA instance fine aoo925s
dyes, &C."
Is that free trade inspired by England
Was Gen. Grant q "free trader"? Is free
salt, "free trade"3 If so. then the Repub-
lican party is free trade party. In 1871
Eugene Hale, Republican. from Maine.
Blaine, introduced a bill in the House of
Representatives repeating the duty on salt,
and it was passed by that Republican
House by vote of 147 to Al, and among
the Ayes were Hiscock of n. Y, Da ives
and Hoar of Massachusetts,, Garfield of
Ohio, Frye of Maine, and Tom Reed, the
present leader of the House. And
that bill was passed under the "inspira-
tion" of James G.. Blaine, then the Speak
or of the House. The Republicans of that
House voted for and passed that bill max.
ing salt free, after hearing these words
from Mr.. Hale, it's patron:
I have been asked to amend the bill intro
duced by me SO as to cut down the duty SO
per cent. do not consent to that. believe
Ehis article should go upon the free list; that
the monopoly aotich has obtained Aeretofore for
the O1ondaga salt ao0rks-as great and complete
as any monopoly eve, granted By the Iudors in
Eng1aaad's most despotic unaes-0ugdt to cease
And since their votes cast for free salt,
the Republicans of New York have made
Hiscock U. s. Senator; those of Massachu-
sets have made both Hoar and Dawes u.
S. Senators; those of Maine have made
both Hale .and Frye U. S. Senators, and
those of the United States have made
> James A. Garfield President. Does that
look like free salt in the Mills bill is free
trade inspiration from England.
The free lumber in the Mills bill; is
that another inspiration from England? If
30, it is an inspiration early gotten by Mr..
Yost's favorite leader, James G. Blaine.
In the House of Representatives on June
10, 1868, Mr.. Blaine made strong effort
for free lumber and against putting on it
the tariff tax that is now gotten out Of the
people on taxed lamber. He said:
During the most pressing exlgencies of the
serrible contest in which we were engaged.
neither breadstuffs nor lumber ever became
the subject of one penny of taxation.
Now, as to the article of lumber, I again
remind the House that there has never been a
tax upon this article. The gentleman from
Ohio may talk on this question as he pleases:
but say that wherever the Western frontiers