The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1891-05-27

o0me OF the Clever ThtnG1 Said By Con-
gresham Dolliver. Of Iowa, In His speech
et the Tariff League Dinner-value Of the
Dollar Left Over-The Homestead the
Cornerstone Of American Life.
My friends, you could more easily
convert the people of the west to Mo-
hammedanism than to free trade. You
may stampede us for few weeks BY
a concerted alarm about advancing
prices. But only once, for the awkward
liar has hard road to travel in Ameri-
can politics There is something about
a smooth and polished prevarication
that saves it from the fate of the ordi-
nary lie of commerce. But when the
importing merchants based their cam
palgn last year on system of bogus
trade circulars, already everywhere dis
credited. they invited the universal re-
action that has set in in favor of the tariff
legislation of 1890. If Moan had pre-
dicted drought instead of flood and
put in system Of waterworks instead
OF boat, he would have exercised a
larger knowledge of the drainage ques-
ton than the enemies of protection have
OF the tariff question. They have offered
bride to ignorance and put a reward
in the hand of credulity. The good peo-
pie of the west have built schoolhouse
on nearly every square mile of their
territory for the express purpose of dis
couraging that style of politics.
In the long run. with the issue square
" made. they will give the preachers of
ho iSh %
perity permanent vacation. They are
not ready to rescind the Declaration Of
Independence. They have not yet for
gotten the exhortation of jefferson to
prefer nothing foreign when an equiva-
lent American fabric can be obtained,
regardless of the price. They know
that there is at least one thing as inn
portant to community as cheap goods,
and that is money to buy goods with. The
prodigal son is not interested in prices.
Take the daily question of clothes.
There are evidences that this is the best
dressed country in the world. Nor are
we without evidence that the average
grades, such as people generally wear,
cost little if anything more than the
same grades would cost abroad. Be that
as it may. our folks are contented on
the question OF clothes by their personal
knowledge that thousands now prosper
Gus citizens came among them in rags
out of the very countries where clothes
are the cheapest. 1t may suit this
neighborhood to sprinkle English salt
on Irish potatoes and thank God for the
privilege, but the great west prefers the
Michigan article and thanks the pro-
tective tariff that it has been made
nearly as cheap as sar in the streets
of our cities With us it is back num-
Der to parade the household necessities
Of the west in the cheerful masquerade
Of sympathy for the tax-burdened far
mer. We suspect people who exhibit
too much sympathy. We investigate
persons, especially if they claim to be
better than other people. who put their
sympathy into Croton reservoirs, with
delivery pipes in the direction Of every
human misery. To tell you the truth,
we are not candidates for sympathy.
We have seen tie whole list of house
hold goods go down in price through the
gradual development of our national re-
sources, the foreign product yielding
to the American, often not very grace
fully, until to-day the comforts of life
are within reach of larger number of
people than ever enjoyed them before
in the history of the United States.
You cannot excite a man about tax
on carpets who has seen his country
change under a great national policy
from carpet importing to carpet
making country. The free trade ar
gument, whatever its merits in the alb
stract, fails among people who re-
member that the markets of the world
gave us carpets so costly that we could
only afford one in the house, and al
ways kept the parlor door locked for
fear somebody would go in and step on
that carpet. You cannot excite man
about the tax on earthenware whose
wife can recall the days of English
in our markets-days when
dishes were so costly that if hired girl
broke tea cup it was capital punish
ment. One of the horrors of nv boy
hood was the day of wrath when 1 up
set the table. There was lamentation
in the family, like Rachel weeping for
her children and refusing to be COM
forted because they were not To-day
a man can take an Ella borate dinner set
and fire it through the motto, God
Bless Our Home" without rousing any
comment in the family. My father was
a preacher. If you require it, l will
produce affidavits for that. and one of
the cheerful recollectiors of my youth
IS the picture Of my venerable ancestor
with his eyes turned. toward heaven. in
Toking the divine blessing on our hum
bic fare. while the rest of US turned
Dur eyes away from heaven and heav-
emily things to watch the progress of
\ fight between a lion and a unicorn
hat appeared to be in progress on the
bottom of the breakfast plates
never knew how that fight
,ame out, but as / passed through
he city of Trenton an hour ago, could
,ot help thanking God that a man can
Eat his breakfast in the United States |
o-day without having the exercises in
corrupted by that kind of chrome.
Phillips used to saw that the |