Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-05-20
BASSETT & co.

eu lnrOuBn all the manulacturlng IN
dustries of the country, and it would
be found in each case that the labor
ers and operatives were as rule in nc
better condition than those who mine
coal and iron and operate the iroL
furnaces of Pennsylvania and othe
States.
The laborers employed in tho man
ufacture of wool and woolen COOL
including the establishments Win
manufacture clothing, if examined
would have mach the same stoy /,
tell. They could show how the Po.p
and HungarianS, who swarm at Cast
Garden and who live in fifth d nis
cry, have succeeded in reducing .r
wages TO point whore they can ~
ly exc ont an existence, It m.f
truly said of these laborers ia
protected industries of the co ut.
that they
Work, work, work!
Their labor never llags;
And what are Its wagesY A bed of straw.
A crust Of bread, and rags.
Sharing no part of the bounties,
which protection lavishes upon their
task-makers, receiving no fair share
of the wealth which they annually
produce, it is certain these working
people will no longer sustain at the
polls political party that advocates
a system which proposes to wed them
for all future time to poverty and
want, and which deprives them of a
fair chance to earn food and ra;ment
for themselves and families.
The advocates of this system, rec
ognizing as they must recognize that
the workingmen of the country can
no longer be induced to support
system which has proved SO disas-
trous to them, turn their attention to
the American farmer and seek to de-
lude him into the belief that he can
be made the beneficiary of protection
by giving him
AN INCREASED DUTY ON WOOL.
The farmers will hardly be deceived.
This scheme to secure their support
will not succeed. Like the wage
earners of the country they demand
relief. The present depression that
prevails in the prices of all farm
products has convinced them that
they are entitled to speedy relief, and
they will not believe that an increased
rate of taxation on wool or any other
commodity will accomplish that re-
suit. They understand perfectly
well that they are already taxed too
much. What they demand and what
they are entitled to have is areduction
of taxation and larger supply of
money, and that political party which
refuses to grant this relief will not re
ceive their support. This scheme to
increase the duty on wool, and which
is in the nature of bribe to the farm
ers, implies that the system of protec-
ton shall be preserved, but the farm
ers know by the resistless logic of OK
perience that their interests forbid
that they should compromise with
protection on any terms. Represent
ing as they do, in one form and an
other, nearly three-fourths of our en-
tire population, the interests of farm
ers, more than any other class, i'm
peratively demand an utter destruc-
ton of the protective system. For if
the buJiness of the farmer is ever
again to become profitable in this
country, it will be after manufacturers
are deprived Of the power which pro-
lection confers ON them to levy and
collect taxes of him, under the pre-
text thst they cannot flourish without
the aid of his bounty.
1t is no longer denied by anyone
that the price of all articles imported
and upon which duty is levied is in
creased by a sum equal to the duty
imposed. 1t is equally well under
stood that the price Of articles pro-
duced or manufactured in this coun
try is increased if not precisely in a
sum equal to the tax imposed on the
foreign article, in sum substantially
equal to it. The duty levied on the
imported article of course accrues to
the Government. 1t is equally OBJ
vious that the enhanced price which
the consumer pays for the domestic
article, by reason of the tariff, goes to
the manufacturer.
ALI this is perfectly well under
stood and generally admitted.
That the farmers, which we have
already seen constitute the great ma
jority Of our population, and nearly