The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-08-13

article and then $50 20 our government for
] the tariff. The article has therefore cost him
$3.50. for which he must sell II 70 ret back fret
cost, and II he sells II 70 > consumer he cAlcu-
lates the cost ~ slS0. adds 70 this the Expense
| OF importing IL and nis per cent Of profit. and
the consumer pays the aggrexate or al these
| sums, and thus he pays In the end tho tar
/ Now. Ivy this Transaction, the government
collects $50, which goes int0 the treasury and
| helps TO defray It's expenses, and no ons class
Is directly benefited BY 1t more than another
and none would be indirectly IL everything OF
the same kind that We use was imported.
But II We have factories IN this country that
msnufacture articles Of the sans kind /
have supposed, ana offer them for sale in the
same markets whore the imported article IL
soid, It Ii pisia that II tbs taff6 was taFen or
that article 1t woul. be sold upon the basis Of
an original cost OF slo0 instead OF $780, and
the home manufacturer would have to sell
his goods for = ike prics, but ipasmuch as the
importer has been compelled to add to the
price OF the goods hs offers for sale 80 per
cent OF their original cost In another country,
which our tariff laws exact. u - easy to SEQ
that the home manufactures Cnn charge for
his goods a sum equal 70 the COST OF the i'm
ported goods aud the tariff combined. or SO
per cont moro than tho foreign manufacturer
is able to get for his: ana THIS difference In
price in favor OF the home manufacturer is
what our republican friends call ..proteetion
of American industries."
II the system had been confined 70 its legit-
| innate purpose Of raising necessary revenue,
to be economically expended, doubt
II any considerable opposition to II
could have been aroused among our
people, and our manufacturefs by common
consent would have enjoyed '.usquestioned,
such Incidental protection - tariff for such
purpose iudicialiy levied 20 NJ to piace the
burden 40 far rs possible on the shoulders OF
those best able TO bear It, would have fur
mis- aed
But the hope Of gain has led interested
parties to insist that the system shall be ex-
tended beyond the purpose for which alone 10
may properly be used and made TO embrace
the distinct purpose of building up special
lines of Industry independent of the neces-
| stiles of the governments.
Inasmuch % this can only be accomplished
by taking from one class that which IL given
to another. 1t 10 plain that By such ~ stem
our people are instantly divided into classes
occupying directly opposite relations 70 the
government: Ono of which IL the recipient
of bounties bestowed by law, the other the
bearer of burdens imposed through the sauna
agency.
TIE evils of such policy ought to be ap.
parent to AL. OF ne ,esslty 1t must produce
! one OF two results. the collection OF revenue
we do not need. and the consequent extrava-
CANT expenditure OF the peoples treasure
tfor the money collected must be as promptly
expended). or II the tariff ID made sufiicis atty
large to prevent importations, the masses
arc instantly placed at the mercy of COM
bines and trusts which. taking advantage of
the fact that foreign competition 10 excluded,
enter into leagues TO stine competition ut
home.
The practical working OF the system In one
| OF these directions has lately been demon
| strAted. Under the economical administra-
tion OF President Cleveland the surplus In
the treasury increased to an alarming extent.
The first congress that followed, a majority
of which favored our system of protection.
completely disslpated that surplus In less
than two years and earned for itself the title
of the ''bllion dollar congress- m epithet
never before in times OF peace, applied TO an
American legislative body.
l cannot. however. onter into anything
like an exhaustive discussion Of this qucs-
ton. have referred to It NJ this time for the
purpose as much ~ any other OF INTRODUCING
a subject in which / may justly feel per-
sonal interest and one upon which am apx-
ious thAtevery citizen OF the state shall be cor
rectly informed.
1t so happened since ] had tho honor or
/ being the governor OF Iowa that I was invit-
ed 10 yisi. the metropolis OF this = ation-the
very center Of Its wealth and power. and at q
banquet given by the Tariff Reform Club OF
that city, responded to > toast assigned to
me which properly, II not necessarily, called
for comparison OF the effects of our pres
ent tariff system upon the Agricultural and
manufacturing industries OF tue country.
Before any one thought or my going to
New York our commissioner OF labor statis-
ties, in the discharge OF his official duties,
had addressed letters to large number OF
the farmers OF Iowa, in every part OF the
state, for the purpose OF ascertalninE the ex-
act condition of the industry Ia which they
were engaged and he had received their an
swers and complied and arranged them: and
prior to 1890 tho market price OF our princi-
pal crop soon after harvest, had been so low
that. reckoning the farmers labor at prices
paid for like help in other lines OF business,
the crop hal not sold sor enough to compen.
safe him for his work.
Tht sc were not answers Of democrats alone,
nor OF republicans alone. In fact, no alton
ton whatever was paid 70 tho politics OF
these men in addressing hcinquiries TO which
their answers were made, and no one at that
lime supposed they would have my bearing
upon political questions Of any kind.
The answers were such, however. that l
thought they furnished data pertinent TO the
subject assigned ms and used them truth
fully as they were siven In these letters,
every one Of which Is still on file In the COM
mis- sioner's office and open 70 the inspection
OF any one that desires 70 real them.
Ny address WAS intended to present as
fairly and as truthfully % knew how one
Iowa. who are majority of our psople. are
intensely interested.
made no statement OF fact upon my own
authority. Every one that used derived
from statistics that have never been Assailed,
or from answers Of the farmers themselves
made IS have stated to our bureau OF labor
statistics. These answers have been assailed
as false by republican editors ana politicians.
but not one OF them has dared to say they
we're no. In fact made. or that / misrepre-
scented them In the least degree In what
said.
From these facts drew certain conclu-
sions. did not expect al men TO sxrea
with me In these. do not complain because
they were criticised 40 incorrect. nor feel
that 1t is my privilege to abuse any one be.
cause no does not reach the same conclusion
that Gid, but did suppose that among hon
cradle IN an there would be 3 disposition TO
discuss my address II 1t was alluded 10 at all
with the same degree OF fairness that others
would expect for opinions OF their own.
prepared that address upon the theory Lh It
all people in Iowa would be able to compre-
bend the distinction between an argument
that placed the farmers income below com.
pensatory sum for bis labor, because OF the
depressed market prices at which he WAS
compelled to sell the products OF his farm,
aud one that assaiied the natural productive-
ness Of the coil he worked.
That speech IL still in existence. II ID my
sincere wish that every farmer in Iowa will
read 1t before he casts his vote this fall.
With full knowledge that II 10 before the pub
lie to convict me if now nisrepresent y sem
tinerJ it contains, here declare that there
is not Ia 1t sentence that can possibly be
construed by . man OF ordinary INTEL gence
Into d disrespectful allnsion to the natural
advanta ages of my state. That instead there
OF every line OF that address in which this
subject was alluded to ct MI was cOuohed in
words OF strongest praise OF these.
With the same knowledge OF tho ease with
which can be convicted Of falsehood IL
m ifa .furfhAe danla