St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-30
BENT0N'S BLAST
The Democratic Candidate for
Congress in North Dakota
Speaks at Fargo.
"Statesman" Johnson Fails
to Put in an Appearance
as Promised.
Col. Benton Exposes the Fall
laeies of the Policy Of
Protection.
1t Enpiehes the Millionaire
and Keeps Farmers Under
the Drag.
Now Is the Time for Toilers
to Assert Their Natural
Rights.
Johnson Is Requested to
Stand UP and Take His
Medicine.
Special 10 the Globe


enthusiastic audience greeted Col.
Benton as he stepped on the platform
at Armory hall tonight. His address
was mastery effort, and called forth
rounds of applause from the audience.
Following is condensed synopsis of
his remarks: "This meeting is adver-
tised as a joint discussion because of
an agreement between Mr.. Johnson and
myself to hold meetings at fourteen of
the principal cities of North Dakota,
which cities were agreed upon the 10th
inst, and the dates for holding such
meetings agreed upon on the 22d inst.
This evening was the date fixed upon
by us for Fargo. Why is he not here?
do not know. In his letter accepting
the challenge he says:
Your favor of the 18th inst challenging
me to joint discussion of the issues in the
present campaign just received. In reply
permit me to say accept with pleasure, and
fully agree with you as to the propriety of
that method Of meeting the public issues
Which now divide the parties. / shall be at
Wahpeton tomorrow evening, as suggested
In your letter, and will speak first or other
wise. at your option. The meetings at the
other thirteen cities named by you can be
arranged, as you suggest. by our representa-
tive committees, or you may name the date
and conditions as you prefer.
NJ n. JOHNSON.
If this was written without previous
consultation with his committee, he and
he alone is at fault. We were, by our
agreement, to discuss the tariff and how
to remedy it. Mr.. johnson stands
squarely upon the platform, which
means the Republican platform OF 1888,
and the Republican platform adopted at
Grand Forks. His favorable comments
upon the Mckinley bill at Wahpeton
on the 18th would indicate that his
remedy would be to make the tariff still
higher. Ny remedy would be to make
it lower. Mr.. Johnson says tariff is not
tax. / contend that it is. He claims
1t to be tribute tax upon foreigners
for the use of our markets. | claim that
the consumer and laborer of our coun-
try has to pay it. If one of our mer-
chants should go abroad and buy SlO,-
600 worth of goods, upon arrival at
New York he would have to pay the
tariff. Suppose that tariff to be so per
cent. He would have to pay 5000 as
duty, after which he brings his goods
to Fargo, and now how will he
Fix the Selling Price
of these first, the cost of goods, $4,000
duty, $1,000; freight to New York, $3.50;
freight from New York to Fargo, $3.50;
total cost of goods, S15,500. To that
amount he adds his profit, say 10 per
cent, S1,550, making the selling price of
goods, Sl7,050. When the consumer or
laborer buys these goods does he not
pay the original price in the old coun-
try, the tariff, the freight. and the
merchants profit. If so does he not pay
the tariff? is there any question who
pays the tariff? Is it not the one who
buys the goods, either to wear or to
consume. He not only pays the tariff,
but you will see by these figures
that he pays ten per cent
profit on the tariff, Webster
defines tax as 'any means raised by a
state or government with which to de-
fray its expenses" Is not this 5000
money raised by the government with
which to pay its expenses? If so, is it
not tax? What we complain of is that
this tax in many instances is too high.
The tax on our home manufactures, the
income tax, the internal revenue tax
and the very nigh county and state tax
during the war were all necessary to
meet the demands of the government at
that time. and no one complained. The
necessity for these high taxes no longer
exists. Still CONGRESS has satisfied the
manufacturers by removing the tax
upon their outputs, as they claimed the
AOSSSolGJ llO !OuSCl OAlSICOs Dull
The Tariffs With Us.
and higher than at any time during tie
war, and the Mckinley bill. as it left the
conference committee, will make the
general average of the tariff higher
the tax should have remained on manu-
factures and upon incomes, with rev.
enue tax upon luXurieS as the means of
paying the expenses of the government
and the government debts. When the
war tariff was put on it increased the
price the consumer had to pay, but the
prices of his product also increased
but when the war was over and the
prices of his products decreased, the
prices of the necessarieS of life did not
decrease. Statutes to-day are not equal;
and what we ask is the equalization OF
statutes, and until the necessaries OF
the houshold are reduced to price that
will correspond with that which we, as
an agricultural community, are com
PEELED to accept for our products
the agriculturlst. the laborer and
the consumer have an unfinished task tC
perform. This can only be accomplished
by reducing the tariff to an equal basis
l believe all equitable basis would be
such a tariff as would result in pro
tecting our American Industries.
would, therefore, favor such tariff as
would admit our American industries tC
enter into a fair competition with fer
eign countries and result in developing
the national resources of the country
and if such tariff is not sufficient tC
meet the expenses of the government,
would meet the deficiency by levying 6
revenue tax on such articles as neces
sarily entered into the home of tine
laborer the least ana reasonable tax
on incomes. In 1856 100000 persons
had total annual income of S707 200, 600
AT the present time, without doubt, the
same number of people could be found
with an income annually of
Two Billions of Dollars
per cent tax on that income would
bring to the government SS0,000,000 an
nually. am opposed to any system Of