The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-02-08
MEDILL ON THE "FOOL FARMERS -

Four months before Mr.. Cleveland
wrote his celebrated tariff reform mes
sage Colonel Joseph Medill, of Chicago.
was at the Hotel Kaaterskill, Catskili
Mountains. On the 9Th day of August
in that year he sat down, took his pen
in hand and wrote few lines-three-
quarters of a column nonpareiI-to let
his friend, w. ID. Minshall, know he
was well enough to tell the truth about
the tariff. He told il in a most gratify-
ing way, as may be judged by the
IubJoined extract from his letter as it
now appears in the Chicago Herald:
81 note what yOn say in regard TO the
Ohio republican plank on the tariff, re-
pesling the tax on tobacco and increas-
ing the tariff on wool and woolens, L
read the tariff planks of that platform
with disgust ~ Well they de-
clared in favor of removing the excise
taxes from liquor and tobacco for
the purpose Of retaining the war
tax on imports. They demand
that whisky shall be put Oh the free
list and that 40 to 100 per cent. tariff
on necessaries of lite shall be made
perpetual in order that domestic man
ufac'urers may be entitled 10 levy q
similar bounty on the general consum-
Ing public-for that is the real object
of all "protective" duties.
What, then, is the remedy for the
heavy burden of fifty per cent. tax
on the necessaries OF lite, both i'm
ported and domesticp
There IL only one class able to re.
move II and that Sampson is sleeping
In the lap OF DeIilah and will not
awaken. mean, of course, the farm
ers-the plundered, unprotected, tven-
t,-five millions of geese.like farmers,
who permit themselves TO be plucked
OF almost every feather by hundred
thousand protected monopolists.
so long as the simple minded bucolic
class do not kick off the burdens laid
upon them, congress will not disturb
the war taxes and manufacturers'
corresponding bounties.
While the plougbmen act like Issa.
chars ass and crouch between the two
burdens, both will be kept upon their
backs.
They are captiysted by the specious
cry OF Protection to American indus
tries.' that they get none Of, and of the
value Of the protected home market to
them,' as if protected monopolists eat
apv more than other meh
Not until the verdant, imposed upon
agriculturists wake up to realization
OF the confidence game being played
upon them will the war tariff be re.
duced or reformed; but when will
they get their eyes opened and aot? .
But Sampson (the farmers) is
under the spell OF Delilah (the manu-
nd IA be Oh
he feels no strength to resist.
The conclusion Of the whole matter
is that until the manufacturers them
selves ask congress to reduce their
protective bounties in order to cheaper
the process Of fabrication with view
to finding foreign markets for their
surplus wares there will be no reduc-
ton OF the high tariff and no relief
from the heavy burdens II imposes on
the fool farmers and oppressed con-
snmers, But when will that be?
Yonrs Truly, J. MEDILL.
La less than year after writing this,
Mr.. Medill was supporting q platform
which declared that II, after decreasing
the revenue by increasing tariff taxes
and cutting down internal revenue
taxes Oh whisky and tobacco, "there
snail sun remain larger revenue than
Is requisite tor the wants of the govern.
ment, we favor the entire repeal of the
internal revenue taxes rather than
surrender any part of our protective
system"
This is exactly that Ohio idea which.
as may be seen above, filed Mr..
Medill with "disgust," but he not only
supported II last year. he Is supporting
1t this year with arguments which he
knows to be the false pretences Of the
800 900 protected monopolists' he
had so recently denounced for pluck
ing''the 25 ,000, 900 geese-like farmers"
Mr.. Medill Is indifferent honest for q
republican, no doubt, but there has
not often since Falstafi's time been
more striking instance of leaving truth
and conscience on the left hand and
hiding honor In necessity.