The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1890-07-11
a LETTER 10 MERCHANTS.


Franklin Mscvengh. One Of Chicago's Prom
inent Wholesale Grocer~. Explains why
Country ~ Well ~ City Merchants should
Labor For Tarir Reform.
The following letter from Franklin
Mac Neagh. for twenty-five years n Of
the leading Wholesale grocers OF Chica-
60. will be read with interest BY mcr-
chants throughout the West. inasmuch
as he has never been in politics, never
held an Office and never was a candidate
for one. but discusses the tariff question
from the standpoint Of q business man:
The time has II last come when the West
ern merchant-whether a Wholesale mer-
chant or a retail merchandise pccuniarily
Involved IN the tariff question. Until nov
he has felt no pecuniary interest in Il; but
henceforth he must reccgn Ize himself as an
important sufferer from the burdens o. the
tarln and AZ one Of the victims Of is oppres-
slons.
He has considered himself an outsider. He
has thought that he could afford 10 take any
view Of t'rin reform that suited his fancy.
and 20 subordinate this view, IL he pleased.
70 any other polite y fancy and especia ~
70 his partisan prejudices. He has felt ut
full liberty 20 prefer political associations
TO the exclusion Of tariff reform notions;
and II he chose 70 20 back and rake up the
/ 49, - 49, Nt*AA a ~ IE< uNH XOI0
upon these. and TO be perfectly Indiderens
to the cruel exactions OF our excessive
tariff. All this he felt thai he could AFFORD
70 do. Notwithstanding many other pockets
were involved. But the inevitable has over
taken him. The hour Il at hand when he
must rank himself with the farmer and the
wofkingman- making a third In q tito OF
trii ute bear rs.
That he has had little suspicion OF this IL
but a part OF that public blindness which
has 50 long delayed the emancipation OF the
people High protection has Itself been
protected by this blindness Of the people
while tariff reform has been handicapped by
Il from The start. II has grown up because
the burdens Of the protective system are In
4 rect and disguised. and. therefore. II the
country - randy developing and univers-
ally prosperous. pass ~unfelt. and consc-
qucnt y presented. only those who study
polif cal questions apart from personal con-
s!deration~. see burdens that are not per-
sonaily felt. Meanwhile the protected
classes receive directly and constantly the
dement's which correspond with these bur
dens. and have accordingly a lively sense of
ptcuniary interests 70 defend These in.
tefc-t- they have defended pcrsisfentiy and
eaergeticaliy. The defense has been or
gsnlzed. powerful and slee pless. as becomes
the defense ~ pefunlary privileges 50 great
and 50 viz diy realized
Tnis until now has made the contest be.
tween high protection and tariff reform IN
unequal one.
The situation Il, however. rapidly chang.
ing. The burdcned classes are beginning 70
realize their burdens. The tribute paye\s
are beginning 20 feel the payment Of their
tributes. They will sooner or later feel also
the personal humiliation Of n butte paying.
The labDring men are gstting their attention
fixed upon the sums they are paying Tor
somebody cisc's protection. and are already
being counted for t.r n reform. The farm
ers. too, At last are being forced 20 see that
their prosperity y diminishing. and conse-
quently are beg ming 20 ask why. When
they shall ask why with the carncstncss
which Il fast growing ont 81 their diminish
ing prosperity. and perceive. a. they surely
viii. that,tut one reply - possible, farewell
70 the privileges Of our protected classes
The protected classes will no longer have
mere quiet reformers 70 deal with then, but
an aroused force. about which they can
probably ask fh- railroads ~ the west.
They viii be sorry then that they did NOS
Listen 10 the mild protests Of the di-intrrest-
ed period. since. instead Of political per.
suasion. they VIII have TO face political
force. and. p rhaps. political fury.
For 20 take the place Of the dIsinterexfed
per Cd when tarsn reform II urged upon
purely scientific grounds there II coming in
an interested period. when oppressed COM
nun lilies will holly contend for their rights.
The battle T. 20 be- between two par les. both
pccuniariiy Interested. The advantage viii
be with the greater number. md the pro.
fected class > are the few.
A. a result Of the new II ght th4s Il break.
ing on the victims Of high and higher pro.
lection. I believe an awakening o. the
Wholesale merchants and retail merchants
ID az hind.
The merchants. have 20 pay the resu a,
bounties on all thy Individually consume
ike the other consumers; and a. they are
not all supcrnuousiy rich. a great many "a
them " III get tired 81 doing this. rs every.
body else Is getting tired. hut this Is no<
where their shoe will really pinch. The sc.
rious trouble at hand for the Western mer.
chant lies In the diminishing ability OF the
farmer 20 buy the merchants wares. The
farmer II the chief customer 81 the mer.
chant and tine prosperity Of the merchant
4 bound up with the prosperity Of the farm
er. when the farmers surplus Is cut dow
his buying power goes with II.
Now. the farmers profits nave been al.
min.s hing for some time. and they have nj
last reached the point where In average
communities he u running behind. He has
but one thing TO do. and that II 20 rcdufc HE
scale Of living. This result has long bean
Inevitable The farmer prices have been
going down because he has 60 meet the CON-
petition Of the world, and ran not possibly
avoid doing 50. while on the other hand h.
must buy 81 our protected classes or Al their
4 dIctaflon. and pay immensely more for All ~
consumes than he would pay Il the Govern.
ment would let him buy ns he sclIs-undes
| the competition 81 the world
A. long ~ the farmers we're MAKING
money freely II aid not matter 20 the mcr.
chants. nor for some time after, because tho
farmers az first took 20 running into tcbt
and morfgaging their farms. or 10 moving
further West. thinking that the bad weather
would pass over, as IL shown by the abnn-
concd IA ms 81 the East and the Increased
farm mortgages Of the West But that could
MOI 70 on forever. and the time Il nov upon
rs when the farmer Is compelled 20 reduce
his expenses and his scale o. living. lie
must cut his coat according 90 his cloth.
This would be very unfortunate for our CIV
~TIxafion and would s-riou ~ tell upon II. II
X should last. Hut II il Immediately nnfor-
tnrate Tor the Western mcrchant-. whole.
sale and retail. all ~ whom depend either
directly or indirectly upon the purchasing
power ~ the farmer.
Therefore I : y fhat the merchant has be-
/ come an interested party In the tariff qnes-
I ton. and must take his part IN the move.
ment Tor ref rm lie must give his time
and money % reform. 10 the prutccled
class 1--WE theirs TO resist reform. Tor he
rae certainly aud somewhat .uddenly be.
come A marty to the fight. Very truly.
fRAxKIxS NAcvEAcn