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

taxes. The essence OF freedom
IS that every man should contrib
ute his proper part to the expenses
of his own government. and should be
protected by law from contributing an
other penny 10 the support of any other
government or any other nan. That
IS the principle upon which the great
Democratic party placed itself nearly
eight years ago, and on it it has fought
with almost answering fidelity up to
the present time. In every free coun-
try, all men are equal before the law,
and no man by law can be allowed TO
participate in or be a Sharcr in the prop
erty or earnings of another.
We have i'm this country two great po-
litical parties. The one contends that
taxes should be put rs low as possible
and that the government should be con-
Quoted on the most economical princi-
Piles: the other contends that taxes
should be as high as possible, and laid
SO as 10 enrich certain class at the eX-
penSe of the whole people. For the last
TWO weeks bill framed on the latter
principle has been before the House Of
Representatives. We have gotten up in
the House and told the advocates OF this
principle that they have tried it for
these thirty years; they have framed
law on law In accordance with ii, and
to-day the great farming industry, the
greatest of all industries. is languiShing
as il has never before i'm this fair land. |
heard man after man in the House of
Representatives get up and tell us that
this was mistake. | haye heard a
protected manufacturer from MaSSachu-
SettS declare that the agriculturaliStS
were more prosperous than any time in
twenty years. have heard a protected
manufacturer from 81. Louis declare
that to-day, as result of the benefcent
protective tariff. the farmers of the land
were selling their products at double
any previous prices. and buying articles
of consumption at half prices, and in
his own particular line at One-fOurth.
Now have come up into Barbour cOun-
" 10 learn if my farmer friends in Bar
bour are rolling in the prosperity which
our friends i'm the House tell Us exists
would be glad TO learn if West Vir-
ginianS have found that this system OF
taxation has given them half prices on
what they buy and double prices on
what they sell.
M'KINLEY'S PLATFORM AND BILL.
Now. when / can pay a tribute to the
Republican party. l aim 10 do so. The
Republican party has carried out the
promises il made in the last campaign
as far aS the tariff is concerned. Major
Mckinley wrote the tariff plank in the
platform Of the Republican party in
lSSS. and Major Mckinley carried
through the House yesterday a bill in
strict accordance with that platform.
Now. l want 20 talk 10 you, my friends,
about that bill. You have been told
that the four great sources OF national
prosperity are agriculture, commerce,
manufacture and transportation. Dan
iel Webster said that all flourish TO-
gether and all die together. But now
the Republican party say that com
mcrce Is great danger to our people.
Manufactures must first of all be fOs-
tered. and from the building up of manu-
features will come agricultural and gen
eral prosperity. 80 with the bill which
comes into the House of Representatives,
they 90 around from point TO point and
wherever stream of commerce Is found
trickling i'm il is damned out. Nher-
ever i'm this broad land the clear,
bracing sunshine of foreign trade and
competitive markets comes streaming
i'm. they hurry with their bill 10 stop up
the chink and keep it out, The bill IS
not 20 bring money into the National
treasury, but 10 keep il out. and divert
it into the pOckctS of favored manufac-
turerS.
l well remember when | went 10
Washington and examined the first tax
bin. l found among other things that
10 proposed "a tax of eight cents gallon
on molaSSeS. Republican representa-
tiveS from Massachusetts opposed II,
and gave three reasons for their OppO-
Siton. Some of them said that their con-
StituentS use molaSSeS aS an article OF
common food. II was not a luxury. 1t
was necessity. Ii was not fair TO
make this necessary of life, which was
used by thousands of working families
pav such a large share of the govern
mcnt tax. Another said. We have
i'm our district a large industry.
Thousands Of men secure en-
ployment from il. Thousands of fam
lilies were dependent on il, and molaSSeS
was its raw material. Put this tax on
molaSSeS, and YOU destroy the industry
of our people and throw our wOrkmen
out of employment. Still another class
said our constituents engage in the fish
erv business The men of Gloucester
fish on the high seas, and they exchange
the fish they catch for mOlaSSeS. Shut
ont the mOlaSSeS and YOU shut In the
fish. Put tax of eight cents
a gallon ON the mOlaSSes and
YOU break up or seriously cripple the
New England fisheries. ItSeems to me,
fellow citizens. that those three object
ions embrace all that can be said on the
tariff question. Build up your tariff
walls as high as you please; put pro-
hibitOrv tariff on every article OF manu-
facture. shut your gates against forelgn
DroductS. and in the end you tax the
consumer uniuStly, destroy your own
manufactures. and cut off the market
for your own products. Applause
THE TIN PLATE ROBBERY.
Now fellow citizens could give you
Illustration after illustration of that
Kind from the bill which has Just
passed the House Take the tin plate
tariff. We have never discovered any
Tin ore in this county. There may be
valuable tin ore beds out in Montana,
hut il has not been proven. The conSe-
ouence is that although they import tin
block free Americans have not been
able 10 make tin plate as cheap as in
Wales. The manufacturers of Wales
have all materials AT hand and make the
plate cheaper. They can sell 1t in this
country without tariff tax at three
cents per pound. Tin ought to be on
the free list. and the Mills bill placed 1t
there. We have no tin IN thlS
country and we are obliged TO have
twenty million dollars worth OF tin
every year. We pay tax of one cent