St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-30

tariff taxation that compels the laborlng
men to pay an artifcially high price for
the necessaries of life, thereby compel
ling them and their families to con-
stantly tread the path of want and pov
erty: while the recipients of this unnat-
ural protection glOat over the long list
of Americas milliOnaires. The war
tariff not only produced millions of
money with which to prosecute the war,
pay interest OIL the public debt, pay pen
SionS and government expenses and ac-
cumulate a surplus of s125.000,000 in the
public treasury; but it placed the cor
porationS and manufacturers in posi-
ton to control prices, form trusts and
drive out foreign competition. Mr.. john
son, in his speech at Wahpeton, gives
us the origin of the word tariff" He
says:
THE ancients knew no such thing as tariff;
it's modern institution. They knew no
such thing as equal rights, except under
some of the smaller re publics until our own
great nation stepped upon the scene of ac
ton. Protective tariff was not known until the
MooIs took possession of both sides of the
Straits of Gibraltar. where they could fire
from both SIDES They were robbers; they
were freebooters; they were pirates and cut
throats. They commanded these straits.
When ship would come along they would
point cannon at the ship and send out
pilot to it. If you will come down now.
divey UP, give US half the value of the goods,
you may go on; if you don't agree to that we
will shoot you DOWN The next ship they
treated in the same way. From Cape Tariff
that became known as the tariff of getting
money. of course it was robbery
We in the United States are the men
who stand behind these gunS-not in
front of them. If we in the United
States stand behind these guns, do we
stand where the robbers. pirates. free
hooters and cutthroatS stood, and are
we not guilty of what they then called
robbery" And as the men who
owned these ships were robbed and
the farmers, the laborerS and consumers
stand in front Of these cannons as SUBJ
jects of the tariff? Again, in the same
speech, he says, referring to his father:
In 1860 my father was a poor man, but
he was about as well Off as any of the Scandi-
navians in America; but the war came on,
the high tariff was levied. prices came up.
enough for what they had TO buy, but they
got more for what they sold. They got so
for wheat and 1S cents for pork, and every
thing else in comparison"
This is fair statement; but what we
complain of is, that to-day there is no
such demand for our products as there
was during the war, consequently the
price of wheat has gone from 50 down
to so and 60 cents per bushel; pork from
Is to 5, 4 and cents per pound: and
everything in proportion. while the
tariff upon many things that the con-
Sumer has to buy as matter of neces-
sity keeps the price as high, and in
many instances higher than it was dur
ing the war. Could the farmer realize
the same price for what he has to sell
that he did then. he could better afford
Z n Inh fnr fhora DIT fI,A
price is beyond our control. 1t
must accept that, as we have
no power to change it. All we can do
is TO reduce the price of wheat we buy.
That the people of America can do, and
l believe it to be their duty. under
stand thatl Mr.. Johnton's committee
says that it will be impossible for him
to carry out the arrangement made
with me. While the members of the
committee indorse his action as to the
proposed joint discussion, still they
strike out ten of the places agreed upon
between US and change the dates OF all
others. Mr.. johnson was perfectly
satisfied with the entire arrangements,
and at Wheaton, in his speech,
expressed himself as follows: 81 think
the circumstances chosen by Mr.. Benton
were in many respects fortunate and in
every respect fair" while in his letter
accepting the challenge he says: per
nit me to say that [ accept with pleas
ure and fully agree with you as to the
properness of the method of meetings
to discuss the public issues which now
divide the parties" These were his
statements, while now some of his
friends can say that he was "inveigled
by bunco steerer into an Office and
forced to sign an agreement that he
didn't want to-" | earnestly hope that
Mr.. johnson will reconsider his action
and be governed by his agreement and
discuss the question agreed upon fairly
before the people. 1t is the peoples
request, and believe that it is candi-
dates duty to do whatever the people
demand,