Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-05-23

tell me that these droppings OF the MIN
of Europe were to be shipped to Amer
lea to make clothes for the American
workingman, who was too poor to Duy
goods of new wool. Ny friends, you
have all read of the heroic rescue oil
ships crew and passengers in mid-ocean.
You know how the gallant Captain
Morrel, of the Missouri, was compelled
to throw overheard his cargo in order to
accommodate the passengers OF the sink
ing ship. That cargo, my friends, was
rags-rags gathered from the Sums OF
Europe and brought here to make
clothes for the American wOrkingman,
who cannot pay the tax on wooden
clothing.
But farmers of Barbour county, there
is another side to this picture. 1t is not
more cheerful to you. The tax which
keeps out foreign wool from this coun-
try tends to make wool growing in other
countries improbable. To-day the
wool growers on the great plains or the
Argentine Republic are going out OF
business. They are breaking up their
rich lands and planting them IN corn
and wheat and other agricultural pro-
duets. and the American wheat grower
will find that Argentine wheatif not Ar
gentine wool willmeet him in an open
market. 1t is to the distress Of the
American farmer in the end. that the
wool tax is operating.
Now Won have heard a great deal
about trusts. Much has been SAID
in defense of them. Now what en-
cuse have these makers of trusts given
us? 1t is that they produce more than
they can sell. 1t is glut OF the mar
ket. Competition they say would de-
stroy prices and ruin the trade. And so
they get together and fix the price at
which Won and | must buy their goods.
WHY is it that our manufacturers pro-
duce more than they can sell? 1t is be-
cause we shnt them into the home mar
l,et. War on trade and commerce keeps
them ont of the markets of the world.
The Democratic party says
MORE TRADE AND BETTER MARKETS.
The Republican party says no trade
glutted markets and trusts. You farm
ers OF Barbour county can't form trusts
Cattle, men can't make combines.
Wheat growers can't form trusts. You
must keep your own surplus here and
sell il at loss TO yourself or at INSULT
cient profits. Now in the bill which
passed the House of Representatives
Yesterday dozen great industries de-
mand increased profits, although they
already make gains far beyond what
YOU can ever hope for. But this bill
proposes to throw sop TO the farmer.
| 1t laws few increased duties on So
called farm products. 1t proposes to
lay an increased duty on wheat, ana
vet. fellow citizens, we sent out OF this
country last year one-third OF all the
wheat raised in 1t. 1t lays
an increased duty on corn and meal, and
vet we sent annually millions of bushels
OF corn and meal out of the country.
All the tariff that the Mckinley bill or
any other bill could lay on would not
increase the price Of American farm
products. The surplus of our corn and
wheat is sold in a foreign market. and
the price of the product at home is fixed
by the price in that market. The Me-
Kinley bill offers great relief to the
farmer indeed. 1t puts tax of cents
A head on cabbageS. Great laugh
ter. My friend, Mr.. Mills, has fifty
termed the bill cabbage head bill. |
do not know what he meant by that,
but he is certainly right if he meant that
anv farmer who is deceived by its hol-
low pretenses has not regular think
ing machine, but cabbage head on
his shoulders. Laughter and applause.
ENGLAND AND PROTECTION.
Fellow citizens, the protective policy
lis no experiment. This system OF
taxing ourselves rich is not a new thing.
1t has has had two fair trials and has
twice failed. From 1916 to 1876 Eng
land passed law after law prohibiting
importation of agricultural products.
Lords and land owners had control of
the English Government. and they kept
busy trying to make themselves rich by
law. Yet five times during that thirty
years, England was compelled to APP
point commissioners to enquire into the
cause of agricultural depression. Each
time they solemny investigated and
wisely determined that a little more
prohibitiVe protection was nee
essary. Finally with disastrous
famine almost at the door of the En-
glish people. with famine at the door Of
the Irish people, and the Irish race
under the lead of the great OConnel
clamoring for free trade in the neccs-
saries of life, England opened her
doors and said bring in your products,
feed my people, and | will sell You my
products in return. From that day to
this the great Gladstone said England's
prosperity went forward by leaps and
bounds. remember at the close of the
war of seeing displayed in window at
Washington cartoon of one OF the
famous political generals. The general
who graduated out of the political
arena to the head of regiment, had
lust sent his men to the
charge, and they had returned
beaten and cut to pieces.
He was represented as jerking out his
book Oh tactics and turning through it
frantically in order to learn why his
movement had failed. That was just
Englands experience. After long years
of protective taxation her agricultural
commissions were gravely whipping out
their books on tactics to learn why they
] were not prosperous. To-day England
supports enormous expenses. Her stand
ing army and navy cost pr0digious sums.
She lays out great enterprises: her
Iexpenses are vast, but the laboring man
pays small share of them. Nearly
every shilling he makes may stay in
his pockets. Yet you and | cannot buy
a single necessary of life without pay
ing part of its cost in taxation.
| DECEPTIVE NATIONAL PROSPERITY.