, 1890-05-17
SLEDGE MANNER BLOWS.

reached US aud proves mighty interesting
reading. A life long protectionist him
self and a leader upon the Republican
side OF the house he rebelled against all
caucus drctation and delivered himself Of
a speech which created the biggest sensa
ton Of the session.
After treating the subject generally he
said that he was aware that it was
said that this is thrashing old
straw but on the manner in which the
thrashing was finished depended whether
or not the Republican party would ever
again have an opportunity to bring an
other thrashing to the congressional
floor. He held that a protective tariff
dealt with conditions and not with ma
tional boundary lines. except that the
presence OF these national boundary
lines indicate the presence Of those con
dititions, against influences which, in the
interest Of our countrymen, we find il
necessary to interpose the barrier Of pro-
tective policy or the barrier that policy
provides. If he was not right then a
tariff is good IN the abstract and the
founders of the government erred when
they provided that between states no com
mercial barrier should be interposed.
Il am perfectly aware, - continued Mr.
Butterworth, that my konorcd friends
upon the committee have tried to meet
every phase Of the situation | am equally
aware that it is unsafe to rely always upon
the testimony of the beneficiary or to take
his figures. | say to my friends on this
side OF the house that the Republican
party is charged with no higher mission
than the preservation Of the equality Of
opportunity in this country. No industry.
whether it BE- manufacturing %sulphuric
acid or manufacturing plOws or harrows
or manufacturing anything else, has a
right to any advantage over any other IN
dustry ia the republic, because We know
that it /, the tendency of such an advan-
tage aud not merely the tendency, but the
fact. to draw blood from other industries
to make fat and pussy that which has
the advantage. And the giving OF such
an advantage to any industry or class of
industries is not sufficiently described by
merely stying that it is unjust. Ii goes
far beyond hat Ii is only not indictable
because it is not within the terms Of the
statute, not because it lacks the quality
which ought to make it indictable.
'Of course | would not set up my
judgment against that of the honorable
gentlemen around me, but at the same
time | desire praycrfully and earnestly TO
have it understood that the people are
beginning to understand, or at least are
beginning to inquire, as to the reason why
Paul is favored and Peter is turned
down Why, in an industry where We
hold the coign of vantage against all
competitors, whether in Canada or in
England, should the rest OF the commu-
nifty be made to add to the profits of that
particular class of industrics2 Ne are
told that we need not worry about that
because competition will make it all right.
But will it? Is it rot enough that every
industry in this country stands IN al
equality with YOUR? And. when we have
lifted them all up by a protective tariff
and thrown around them the shield Of
full and adequate protection, tell me why
it is that we should draw from all the
consumers Of the country in order that
the profits Of a favored few may be in
creased2
I'VE all know perfectly well that there
are industries il this country in which
the dividends have been enormous |
can name upon my ten fingers men whose
combined profits in the last decade have
exceeded those OF all the agriculturists of
any state in this Union
The concluding portion of this speech
was peculiarly forciOlc and is well worthy
of reproduction. 1t is as follows:
There are some items in this bill
Which to the average mind are peculiar
and there are rome features Of the bill
which | hold not only to be not d%efensi-
be but not even possessing tue require
ments Of a very high morality Applause
and laughter Here is au item which is
designed to establish the tin plate indus
try in this country. Now | have made a
careful chculation and inquiry into this
matter and / find that it will cost the
American people today to do just what is
proposed-that is to establish a plan, to
supply the nation with the plate-from
thirty millions to fifty millions OF dollars,
which, If it can live at all under the cir
cumstances, ought 10 live with the present
tariff. In other words, take that TEN
alone, and there is not a home IN Ameri-
ca that will not contribute to the plant OF
this tin plate establishment they propose
10 locate at Piutsburg There is not a
family in the land, there is not a person
in the Unised : ate, that will not contrib
ute to it, and to whom it will not be n
burden, although my friend from Mich
gan (Mr. Burrows here says it does not
amount to anything, for 1t is only ! / cents
on each small piece OF tin, a very small
piece Of tin, /! cents each. | suppose he
could be reconciled to heas because each
one is so small. Great laughter and ap-
plause.
There is another to which | wish to
call your attention, the copper industry.
Why, sir, there has not been a time in
two decades when my countrymen have
not produced copper as cheap as any other