St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-19
A SENATORS sopHIsrR les.
Davis Minneapolis speech Di

Davis Minneapolis Speech Dis
sected by Il. j. Hodgson.
To the Editor of the GLOBE.
1t seems to me the most contradictory
and self-destractiye speech it has ever
been my fortune to read is that of Sen
ator Davis. delivered at MINNEAPOLIS.
and printed in the Minneapolis Tribune
OF yesterday morniig.
The senator, Like all protectionists,
egregIously exaggerates the prosperity
OF this country. and then credits up
all tie real, as we'll as the inflated
and Wind-lnade prosperity, to high pro-
tecaave tariffs. 1t is supposed this conn-
try to-day numbers nearly 65.oee,9OO
people, and yet less than IOO,OOO men
own One-half of the entire real wealth
OF the country. Perhaps this is the kind
OF prosperity Senator Davis dotes on
land 1t is most certainly the kind OF
prosperity protective tariffs always have
and always viii prodnce), but for nv
part l regard this state of affairs
as infinitely worse than poverty itself.
At the rate we are and have been going
since high protective tariffs have been
IN operation, the next generation will
cons.s OF about five hundred masters
and two Or three hundred million slaves.
HullQTCQ
VIII tower to the very heavens, and
then 0ne of their senatorial preteges
will point to it and say: "BehOld what
enormous wealth anu Unreasonable
prosperity protective tariffs have
brought to this land;" and five hundred
VIII respond with one voice and say:
Yes, and what brains, too.''
Now, after creditihg all the real and
alleged wealth and prosperity of this
country to protective tariffs, allowing
nothing for the unparalleled resources
OF mines and forests, soils and climates.
rivers and lakes, prepared and given to
this people 10y God himself. and allow
ing nothing for the intelligence and en-
ferprise of the people, then what does
the senator tell us next? He tells US.
and boasts of it as one of the great
merits of the Mckinley bill, that it cuts
down the tariff on binding Irvine from
twenty-five mills to nine mills. 1heSe
men, Knowing perfectly we'll that all
our wealth and prosperity are the
direct result of protective tariffs, never
theleSS cut down the tariff on binding
Irvine from twenty-five mills to nine
mills per pound. What right had they
to take this fatal and suicidal step
toward free trade, much less to boast of
1t afterwards. Ii protective tariffs are
Oi'O SiSuO II HOI Oiily IcSOuIC6 Ol QUIZ
wea. tn and prosperity why did they not
increase the tariff on binding Irvine?
What right had they to strike down this
wealth creating tax? Why shouldn't
the farmers he taxed to build up Irvine
manufactures. as well as wooden and
linen factories? Can anybody but a
senator see the difference. If a
tariff on every piece OF machinery
that a farmer uses, from a noe to
threshing machine, on his fannels,
shawls. blankets, furniture and shanty,
on the railroads that carry his products,
and on the mills that grind his wheat,
is good thing and brings to him wealth
and prosperity. then SO will tariff on
his binding Irvine. and Senator Davis
had no right to work for the reduction
of that tariff. If he believes that high
it riffs make wealth and prosperity for
the people, and the whele people, why
sdidn't he work to increase the tariffs on
SO many other things, for instance, cot
ton corduroy from 35 per cent to rs per
icent, land cheap a1pacaS. from 90 per cent
Sto about 100 per cent. Am | not right
IN saying this a strangely self-contra-
dietary speech? nave given but one
, Instance. but it is a sample of the whole
six columns of contradictions. fallacies
and sophistries.
/ Senator Davis assures his audience
lthat he is telling them things (which
no Alliance OF Democratic speaker, and
who cackles on the streets, will
ever inform them" This is charitable
to magnanimity. A Democrat is eapa-
bic OF doing some mighty queer cack-
Hug, but hardly anything as bad as
that. EDWARD j. HoDGsoN.