Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-08-06
Speech of Senator Vest, of Missouri, on the
Tariff.

Tariff.
In the Senate on Monday, July 2Stb, the
Tariff Bill was taken up, and MIR. Vest ad-
dressed the Senate in opposition to it in his
usual able and eloquent style as follows
The advocates of high-taxation, he said,
were confronted by great peril. For years
the farmers had been told that the home
market was all they needed, and that the
foreign market was bagatelle-almose
worthless. Now great change had come;
The depression in agricultural interests ana
the emphatic demands of the farmers Tor
something besides lying statistics and frothy
defamation had caused President Harrison
and Mr.. Blaine to urge in Congress legisla-
ton for subsidies to steamships and for rec
iprocity treaties with the South American
states in order to obtain foreign market
for American products Very little was
heard now of the home market, but great
deal of the South American market and OF
the rascally devices by which England had
robbed the United States of that valuable
trade. Mr. Blaine now deprecated the put
ting of raw sugar on the free list or OF H.
creasing the duties on wool, and sug-
gested that the duties on sugar and wool
should be utilized to secure free trade with
the South American States, so that at last
the protectlonists have been driven from
their pretentious humbug about the home
market and were forced to adopt the prin-
ciple of free commercial intercourse, which
they had SO long opposed and derided. The
high priests Of protection were now burn
ing incense on the affairs of free trade, and
were yelling for reciprocity treaties, sub
sides to steam and sailing vessels, Pan
t0 hTInO
about free trade with the Sonth American
states, so as to enlarge the foreign market
for American products.
PORTER TOUCHED UP.
Mr.. Vest referred to an article written by
Robert P. Porter and published in the
American Economist to Salty the farmer
that he was being plundered for his own
benefit, and he expressed the hope that the
census now being taken by Mr.. Porter would
be more accurate than his statement as q
protectionist. He also quoted from another
article in the same line contributed by an
other government official, Mr.. j. R. Dodge,
the statistician of the Agricultural Depart
ment, and to one still more unique and in
terestipg from the Secretary of Agriculture.
The Secretary speaks of the ruinous COM
petition to the American farmer that comes
from the peasant of Europe, the fellah Of
Egypt and the halfstarved ryot of India.
NOT COMPETITORS.
Mr.. Vest said that he was sorry to be
compelled to spoil that magniloquent pro
duction, but the fact was that the peasants
of Europe, the fellahs of Egypt and the
ryots of India did not compete in this mark.
ct with any agricultural staple of the United
States. Not bushel of corn, rye, oats or
fonr was brought to this country from H.
dia or any other pauper country. Canadian
barley was, indeed, imported into the Uni
ted States because it was absolutely neces-
sary to the brewers. 1t was quoted at from
60 to TIL cents a bushel, while the United
States barley was quoted at from So to IS.
No tariff duty could possibly raise the price
of barley grown in this country.
NO TIME FOR SOOTHING sYRUPs.
Mr.. Vest went on to criticise the provi.
sions of the pending bill that are supposed
to be for the benefit of the farmers, and said
that what the farmers wanted was the open
ing and enlargement of foreign markets for
their surplus wheat, corn, cattle and pork,
and the decrease of tariff duty on clothing,
hardware. tin and other necessary articles
of daily and incessant use by the farmer and
his family. Tha time for soothing syrups
and emollient applications was past, and the
full-grown men who had been for years
plundered under the pretext of home
market would be no longer satisfied with
CARRIED statistics or with the purrlng official
assurance that the farmer would be relieved
by higher taxation.
PYRAMID OF FRAUD AND HUMBUG.
Mr.. Vest spoke of the proposed increase
of duties on wheat, oats, barley, rye and
other farm products, and asked how it was
possible to protect American farmers against
q competition which did not exist. The
whole thing he said. was nothing but a
pyramid Of fraud and humbug. AS to the
proposed reduction of the duty on rice and
rice flour, he referred to it as an evidence of
not only the unjust and wicked but section
al character of both the House and Senate
bills. Why, he asked, was that brutal dis
elimination made against the rice planters
of the South? There could be but one an.
swer-they voted the democratic ticket
TO REPAY "FAT" CONTRIBUTORS.
The pending bill, he declared, was to re-
pay the mill owners their contributions to
the campaign fund of the republican party
during the last presidential canvass, and, as
the planters of the South were democrats
and the negroes were regarded by the re-
publican managers as mere political chattels
who would contribute nothing, the duties
on Northern manufacturers we're increased.
while the duty on rice was diminished. The
proposed increase of the duty on cattle,
while no cattle were imported except for
breeding purposes, Mr.. Vest characterized
az the baldest and most disgusting piece of
humbug ever exhibited, even in politics.
The same pretense, he said, was seen in the
increased duties on hogs, sheep. horses and
mules.
THE INTEREcT OF GATvANJZEn TRnN
Referring to the proposed increase of duty
on tin-plate, of which $21, 900, 900 worth
was imported from England last year, Mr.
Vest said that it was for the purpose of
forcing the people of the United States to
use Pittsburg galvanized iron, and we then,
he said, asked Great Britain to remove her
quarantine restrictions on American cattle.
We stand with sword in hand to prevent the
importation Of British goods, while we ex-
pect her people to take our products with
cut word of objection. The farmer who
could not see that he was the victim under
the high tariff system was hopeless par
tisan. The farmer furnished nearly three
fiftbs of the exports of the country. and if
the foreign market was unfriendly or was
absolutely closed against him he would have
to keep his surplus products at home and
help to lower prices by Cutting the market.
THE TAXPAYERS DEFIED.
The pending bill threw off all disguise
and defed the taxpayers of the United
States to 'esist its unjust and wicked exac
lions. Ia this connection Mr.. Vest discuss
ed the proposed increase of duties of crock
cry, cotton ties, cutlery, guns, collars and
cuffs, and cotton and wooden goods. 1t was