The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1891-12-04
WHAT ARE THE FRUTTS2

WHAT ARE THE FRUITS2
He who spake as never man spake
said: "By their fruitsye shall know
them" What are the fruits of the
protective tariff system of the last
quarter of a century? Answer-3l,-
100 miIlionaires; l 100000 men, will
ing and anxious to toll, out of en-
ployment; 100000 tramPs; less
than one two-thousandth part of the
population owning more .hsn one
half of the accumulated wealth of
the country; agriculture depressed
and the millions of N en- asking for
employment, treated like impudent
medicamts begging for bread. This
is the fruit of the upas tree of pro-
lection to American industries.
Agricultural lands in the last quar-
ter of century have decreased III
value SO per cent. and yet the farm
ers of this country, owning less than
q per cent. of the wealth OF the
country, pay over 80 per cent. Of the
taxes levied and collected. Two
thirds of the wealth of the country is
not assessed one farthing for the pur-
poses of taxation, and yet the govern
ment has the power to force every
taxpayer In the land to offer his life IN
defense of that untaxed W ealth. This
is beautiful CD condition Of things
and justifies the words of Senator
Stewart: eff there is no reason nor
humanity in the possessors of &C
cumulated capital, there is power in
revolution"
Let us compare a period of free
trade with this period of protection.
The assessed value of taxable prop.
erty in the United States in 1850 was
$6,O24,6 66, 9O9. In 1860, after ten
years of low tariff it was, $1,000,
560,005 more than double During
this time we doubled the capital en-
ployed, and the number of laborers,
all under4s low tariff. Now in con-
trast to this take ten years of high
tariff, from 1870 to 1880. In 1870
with an inflated currency the assessed
valuation of taxable. property was
e14,178,886, 1872, while in 1880, ten
years of peace and high tariff, it was
only $16, 9O2, 1898, 543, increasing in
that decade only $2.724,1O6,811 ad-
vancing only Is per cent as against
100 per cent of the low tariff decade
During this high tariff decade we
lost 1875 implement factories, 1897
ready made clothing factories 1920
iron and steel factories twenty-six
worsted goods factorie s. We are
indebted for these figures to Spot
ford's American almanac. He is the
liberian of congress and staunch
republican. The country increased
in taxable wealth from 1850 to 1860
ten years 100 per cent, from 1860 to
1890 thirty years, so per cent. How
is this for the protection system in
comparison with free tariff? But we
will suppose reply, "that this takes
no account of the untaxed and untax-
able wealth" We answer, untaxed
wealth is like poison in the blood,
and better out than in the ''system."
What does the protective tariff
protect? Answer millionaires, mono
polists, the money power. That the
protection benefits or protects the
agriculturist, the small manufacturer,
the mechanic, the skilled laborer, or
the day laborer, Is false as anything
can be. Imported manufacturers pay
q duty, which enables the home man
ufacture to realize the corresponding
advance, in price of comodities, which
the consumer pays, whilst imported
labor pays no tax and the home
laborer is compelled to compete with
the foreigner.