The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-12-04


Editor UN1oN:-Now that the demo-
Gratis are in the majority for the next
congress, it might be nothing out oforder
to ask what we have gained? We have
had a democratic majority in the lower
house of congress for fourteen years, up
to our last congress and four years OF
the time we had the Executive; now can
you call to mind one single act OF legls-
lation recommended or enacted for our
benefit? They have excused themselves
on the grounds that the republicans
held the senate all the time; but we fail
to find any legislation recommended by
our president and enacted by our house
OF representatives for the benefit OF la
borers that lodged in the senate. | can
think OF nothing but the Mills bill, by
which it was proposed to reduce a forty-
seven per cent tariff about five per cent.
I believe that during the whole time
that they owned the speaker OF the
house they have talked about placing
silver on equal footing with gold, but
there never was d bill reported to the
house to that effect.
Although I have always been q
straight republican it commences to
look little like as if the Vanderbilts,
the Goulds, the Carnas!es, the Briccs,
the Huntingtons, the Rockelellers, to-
gether with other chartered pillagers,
own the machinery OF both old parties.
| This fight over the tariff would seem to
be sham, played with the jumping
Jack see-saw, now you see it and now
you don't see it. 1t would seem that
the game is to keep all eyes fastened on
the tariff, while the railways continue
to tax the traffic more than it will bear.
| While foreign and domestic loan and in
yestment sharks keep on desolating the
fairest portion OF our country, making
| vast estates for English and American
lords out OF thousands OF farms, whose
heroic owners have been foreclosed out
on the country roads into tenan try
into misery. into serfdom, into tramp
| dom.
1t would seem that both the ole
parties have continued to drug the
people with poppy and mandragora o
I a bogus and utterly delusive tariff ISSUE
until their senses have become STEPPED
in slumber, from which they are awaken
ing to find themselves slaves.
l here give you a few items from {
pamphlet entitled the "Grand Ole
Party" which to my mind is not in &C
cordance with the fitness OF things:
Il It is especially to be noted that in thi'
opening OF our ports to the sugar OF tht
world we have freed the people from al
danger of having to pay tribute to {
trust. The people are therefore beyon
the reach OF any combination ofreiiners
l, 1t will be seen from the above that i
is admitted that protection on suga
opened the door for the purchaser to b
/. robbed by combinations.
}, From Blaine's reply to Gladstone:
In no event can the growth OF larg
fortunes be laid to the charge OF the pro
tective policy. Protection has proved ;
distributor OF great sums OF money; no
an agency for amassing it in the hand
OF a few. The benefit OF protection goe
: first and last to the men who earn thel
+ bread by the sweat OF their brow.
It will be seen from the above state
Q ment that Blaine does not believe tina
: the people ever suffered from any CON
bination and that the men who ear
= their bread by the sweat OF their bro,
o must be injured by having to buy chea
sugar.
!. The protective theory maintain
that the cheapest way to raise revenu
is to collect it from foreigners.
The above statement would make G
. rather is intended to make one beliey
y that the foreigners pay the duty, bu
i the fourth item, which / give beloy
: knocks. the bottah. out OF the ide
i (which tLey 3ce,n To convey. 1t reads 8
: follows:
y Luxuries, whether their like is pr
le duced here or not, champagne, brandy
re and cigars are Illustrations OF this clas
The theory upon which these articl
,e are made to pay heavy duty is co
d cluded to be correct even by the adv
vel dates Of q revenue tariff. 1t insists thi
le.l people who ean afford such indulgenc
N can afford to contribute through the
is to the support OF the governmer
III Here we might infer that it was the co
is sumer who paid the duty on the lu
Of uries from, the above statement, but
en- seems to be good republicanism
lie make believe that the foreigners pay t
re duty on all other articles. This loo
nd very much like the jumping iack, see-sa
Cd now you see it and now you don't {