The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-08-07
THE TARIFF AND OUR HOMES.
Some More enlightenment For "old Pi

Some More Enlightenment For ssOld Pic
neer'' on the Tarifr Question.
/ To THE EDIToR-Sir: VIII you kindly civ
me place in your truly square lair and hones
democratic paper 10 print these few lines tor Il
benefit of the 'Old Pioneer" who confessess
naiyely that he does not understand the tar
and its effects? Though / read with intere
4 your editorial answer, / think that 20
! Pioneer" may yet be not entirely enhghtent
! about this all important question. All that
wish to show is the connection between Il
tariff and our homes-ihat is, with the homl
I OF as all. And as a Russian proverb say;
1 Nothing strikes the man so forcibly as whe
J itstrlkes him on his nose" IEish to ilustrai
\ the tariff question for the benefit Of ~Ol
I Pioneer IN way which he must understsns
/ II but gifted with the smallest particle OF thi
mental power. without which everything Ella
Let now, old Pioneer" suppose that 2
would be possible for the authorizes Of Indian
apoiis 10 pass an ordinance or a law, who
would make II obligatory ali ths male A.
haoi ianIs OF the city 20 bny no other articles {
clothing except those that are made ID the cir.
Let rs suppose that an ordinances had beo
framed and enacted in the following seazes-
lie itor5aneJ, fron this dale on M ota, shsu
be sold With indianapolis eScelt - g->'eisf-
tured and scured there and that r. Iif-n -c-,-is
brought into The city shan taxed ~ l3loi-izE
manner:
Suits worth Sl0. 81: snits worth SIS. 81 suits vora
s.. - aocording 10 their value.
What would be the consequences OF such az
ordnance
/. All dealers in clothing seeing at once az
competition with outside goods removed. viii
al once increase the prices Of their goods, and
some OF them, who were formerly sc ling goods
worth SO for $40 viii now sell the same goods
Tor eli, Tor so aud some Tor sl2-5o
:. Alter some time OF these various prices
L1ey will meet, and as trusts are private al.
ian rs and ''for the good OF the people" they
viii hold a secret conclaye, the e ect OF which
VIII be, that for all future times the goods ion
merry sold for $40 will be sold for $3.50 etc
Thus the first trust will be formed and the
people in general benefited by the tariff ordL
nance.
Nov, that such an ordinance or such a law must
have great influence upon domestic economy,
upon the t'avings OF every one and all | think
"Old Pioneer" viii easily feel if heaven blessed
him by a IA pily of whom three four are Of
the male sex.
But this is rot enough. The blessings OF the
tariff extend still farther The Indianapolis
Journal told It's readers many times during tha
last campaign mat the tariff imposed upon the
goods is rot patd 10y those who use end buy
them but by the importers; that is by the men
who bring the goods for sale TO tins counFy-
Let US see, now, nov the matter stands N re-
ality.
Let odd Pioneer imagine nlmSelr oe3hf
in clothes, bringing 10 Indianapolis load OF
goods, some Of whnh require $, some . pay
meut before they can he admitted into the town
for sale. hat will Ae do? What will he call
such an imposition upon his business? VIII he
consider the sum imposed upon him and co..
iected from him as a tax or not?
Surely he viii call IL tax. and viii pay il
a tax, having been forced 70 it as he is morally
and sometimes physically forced TO pay all his
taxes. Having done 50, the next step he viii
Il fl.
wishes 10 sell, the tax imposed upon II paid By
him Already then his expenses, aad finally the
profit, ana thus after having performed this
long addition, he will find that the goods which
he formerly brought to indianapolis aud sold
there with profit and which were sold again to
the people at large for SO. vii nov cost
F-'.--S's -
Expenses and Teight on each paroel,--...- Is
Z u
Total ...........-............s l5 Is
This is the money he wishes to secure fer his
goods and this is the money which the dealer
in imported goods must pay tor them.
Now. the local dealer wishes 10 make ahso
profit in order 10 live; he cannot pay the Aax
on his goods. the pTOnt OF the manufacturer
and importer and the costs from his own
racket hence he must add 70 the proc he
already paid, the profit he expects 20 make ana
thns the article formerly sold FOR SO viii now
iurnp I'D TO SIS AMI perhaps $50 nd who
pavs all this2 OF course The customer, the
man who BUYS, the head Of famiiY-Jhe iather
of several children. And IS such a man nat
taxed upon every one of his male children bs-
the UNIQUE, low tariff? Does X not influence
his expenses his home management, IN tacts
every step OF his life?
From all that said. think,
that "Old Pioneer" can easily under,
stand how the tariff NAV have something
TO do with the building mp Of our homes; our
houses both Of the manufacturer and the work.
ingman and the customer. How Il benefits tbs
consumer or customer we saw above; let US sec
how il works upon the manufacturer, how upoa
the laborer.
Thee ect upon these two glasses Of people IL
entirely contradictory. The one must necessa-
rily grow richer from day 70 day by the Tres
gilt of the money which the law gives 10 him
every hour Of his business time, and by tina
screwed up price which his trust combination
puts upon every taxed article In his store, am
finally By the increased profit which he derives
from screwing down the wages OF his working
men to the lowest point OF mere
possibility OF not dying. and yet not living
Let us see how this thrice and 50 much prayed
for tarif works in regard 70 the workingman
in respect to the one class OF goods OF which We
speak What does the tariff law saw in regard
to the workingman? What privilege does e
give to him? Not word-nOne at all.
The law takes care of the goods and of The
factory boss Of the dealer, but the workincma1
is ignored. The boss increases his price IRON
SO TO $3.50 but he does not increase tbs
WAGES OF his hired man. ia fact, having sui.
fered once from the Ni3as thirst after gold, he
lowers them as much he can. and as he i
permitted TO do by public opinion. Ano Why
not? The law. though it fOrblds the iInpoytas
ton OF foreign goods except the tax IS paid.
does not interfere with the impoEts-
tiou OF the workingman. What u
the tailors Of indianapolis rsfuss
TO work for a miserable pttance? Are there
not enough men OF the same trade all over
the world from the far-away confines OF Europe
TO those OF China-men enough, and ready %
work Just 10 keep the life IN their bodies-who
can easily be brought over BY contract, which
may or may not be kept by the EN-
blowers, but is rigidly enforced m respect -
the employees? And, again, when We ceasider
all the power of the trust combinations which,
having spread all over the city, can thus de-
prive the workiurman Of bis breua and by
one word shut in rs face eyer( shop or iartory
door can We wonder - 4...S@ work nearly
for anythingf
partially understand The cohesion stsseeu
tour homes and the tariff and nov II Isl that
its SEacf is blighung on our homes.
frorS year TO year. month 10 month.
daT 70 day. till we have arrived
at he point where hundreds Of workingmen
and their families positively starving and
thlt IN a country with hardly nineteen inhabl-
ianls TO the square mile. What would be our
condition with $50 inhabitants to the square
mile as 10 some Of the countries OF EuropeP
Would We. in such a time not resemhe-yee.
more than resembe-that awful time Of the