St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-02
Tom D. O'Brien the Recipient
Of Marked Tokens Of
Hearty Support,
While j. N. Castle Delivers an
Excellent Speech on the
Tariff.
A Meeting Which Bodies Well
for the Success Of De-
mocracy,

942 Payne avenue, where Senator j. n.
Castle made a most emphatic attack
upon the Mckinley bill. Over 400 per-
sons were present, and the meeting was
most enthusiastic. Dan Aberle called
the meeting to order. and Gilbert Olson
was elected president, and w. A. Cor
don secretary. The chairman, in a few
words. introduced to the meeting
Thomas d. O'Brien, Democratic candi-
date for county attorney.
Mr.. O'Brien, who was received with
cheers, made spirited speech, in
which he vigorously attacked the tariff
bill. He said it was merely subter-
fuge. The Eastern capitalists were de-
termined to increase their profits at the
expense of the wage-earner. What had
been done in the Ubiquitous measure by
the representatives of this state? Snider
had been false to his trust. A most
serious question would be brought be-
fore the next legislature. 1t was pro-
posed that in trial by jury, after
six hours, if one man held out, YER
dict should be taken of the majority.
Trial by jury was the safeguard of the
monopolist. The proposed law would
threaten the liberty of the citizen.
Loud cheers.] Don't let the jury law
be infringed, said O'Brien, as he re-
sumed his seat amidst loud applause.
Senator j. n. Castle, the next speaker,
was received with loud applause. He
said:
The principal questions of to-day are
the same as those of two years ago. The
main one is the question of taxation.
Thirty years ago the government found
1t necessary to raise money. Taxes
were levied upon tobacco and whisky
and upon income. Large business
houses and corporations were called
upon to pay upon their business a GER
tain percentage. This was the sys-
TEN of internal revenue. The other
was placing tax upon all imports from
abroad. These systems were in vogue
during the war. Three hundred mill
lon dollars year were raised in that
manner. A huge army and navy were
maintained after the war. 1t was found
that too much money was being raised.
What was done? The internal revenue
pressed practically upon the capitalist.
The other tax upon the neces-
clothes and household utensils, pressed
heavily upon the poor man. The luxu-
ries OF the rich were taxed very little,
while the poor man had to pay large
duty upon the things he required.
What would have been fair? The least
that could have been done, the better
principle, would have been to take the
fax off the necessarieS of life. The first
thing congress. however, did was to take
the taxes off incomes. Was this fair?
Then they took the taxes off corpora
tions and banks until the internal taxes
were swept away. except those on to-
the taxes so fast that they found they
had not money enough, SO they in
creased the tariff and burdened the
workingman. You could not find in
history of the last 1000 years such an
Ubiquitous proceeding as that. After
the war, when the men returned home,
the government imposed taxes upon
them heavier than they had been called
upon to pay when they were in the
field. Was this tax necessary? Had
not congress asked two years ago,
"What shall be done with the SurpluS?"
The general answer was, take off the
taxes. The Republicans said no, we
will take the taxes off whisky and to-
baccO. and if it does not reduce the sur
plus we will raise the tariff and keep
out foreign competition. They prom
iSed at the last election to revise the
tariff if reelected. Five men sent from
Minnesota, who pledged their word to
represent the people had voted for the
Mckinley bill. How does it operate?
The tariff, for instance. upon wooden
blankets was rs cents. In England
pair costs 81. In America you must pay
G IN Inv
it for $40. Now blankets are made in
this country and sold perhaps for 1925;
the result is that no blankets are i'm
ported because you can buy the home
made article cheaper than the foreign.
The government did not get
penny of this. and all the
profit went to the rich man.
ufacturer in the East. That is
where the money went. Take steel rails
for another example; for every dol
lar that went into the treasury, fifteen
went into the pockets of the manufact-
urer. The industry was protected in
this country to the extent of SIT per ton
to keep out rails made in England.
Eleven manufacturers controlled the
steel rail trade in the country. Every
time person travelled he paid
certain proportion of profit
to the manufacturers of the
rails. am pressed for time, and can
not give you the particulars | should
like to. have studied this question of
tariff, and find that on thirteen distinct
articles for every dollar the government
received the manufacturers got thir-
teen. At Carnegie's works in Pittsburg
saw young man operating machinery
which did the work it would have taken
1000 men to do had rails been
made by hand. A ton of
rails cost $3.50, and the manufacturer
s,lkes SIC. What does the workman
get? Why, 60 cents. The taxation of
this country OH necessaries of life ben
etits the manufacturer, and not the gov
eminent. 1t presses upon the backs of
the poor, and think that modern civil
1Zation is failure when | think of this
state of affairs. read when a boy the
history of one of the old conquerors.
When he started out on his expeditions
he said: Slaughter all you find. but
spare the dresserS of the vineyard"
He was a barbarian, but was wise
enough to spare those who raised the
necessaries of life. Was he not wiser
than those who burden the man who
raises the neceSsaries of life to-day? Is
it fair that man worth $4,000 should
not pay more taxes than the poor man
earning 50 per day? In my city l know
WI III .C,OCOsOOO WIN Ouly HAS d
wife to support. Near him is friend
of mine who is poor man with large
family; he is not worth $1,000. They
both pay the same amount of taxes on
what they consume. Is that fair thing?
The Republicans two years ago prom.
ised to equalize this matter. have a
few figures here l want to give you.
On wooden goods the taxs are 69H per
cent. The rich mans diamonds are
taxed 10 per cent. Worsted goods are
a necessity to the poor man. The Nc
KinIey bill raised the tariff to 1913 per
cent on worsted goods. On cotton goods
81 per cent has been added. On lin
en- from 80 cents to Is cents. Commonbut-
tons were raised from So per cent to rs.
On rich upholstery for the wealthy man
the increase was so ner cent for the