Sharp County record., 1891-02-05
He WILL WEAR NO SOCKS.

" @Fit wv SSSNos
IA protection Organs Comments Upon Hon,
Jerry simpsons "Free Trade PREM.
dices."
One of the favorite lines of "argu-
ment" adopted by the defenders of the
Mckinley law in the campaign last fall
was to point out that the free list was
larger IN it than in any tariff since the
war Whenthe opponents of protection
f1dlculed this boasted free list by quot.
ing its provisions for free "acorns, "
"assafetida "ashes," ''beeswax, etc.,
the McKinleyites were wroth and
claimed that this was but another at.
tempt by the British free traders" to
mislead the people by Disgusting from
them "the strong points" of the McKin.
ley law.
No one expected that after the elec-
ton was over a leading protection pa
per would undertake to show what a
narrow and unsatisfying thing McKin-
ley's free list is; but the Manufacturer,
the organ of the Pennsylvania Manu-.
facturers' Club, has just done precisely
that service to the country.
Hon. Jerry Simpson, the Farmers
Alliance Congressman-elect from Kan.
sas, wears no stockings, and jersey
City manufacturer sent him several
pairs, which were sent back with the
following letter:
sir: Our forefathers refused to drink tea
because 1t was taxed per cent, and held a
Yea party in Boston to get rid of the stuff
nave Just finished figuring up the tax upon
those stockings and find that it amounts ia
upper cent Twill wear no socks till the tax
is taken off.
Inc manufacturer proceeds to com.
ment upon this letter to show the diff.
cultles which the Congressman elect
Will encounter if he seeks to be con-
sistent and will use no tariff-taxed arti.
cles; and 1t must be confessed that the
hlgh protection organ does this in a
way which would make the uninformed
reader suppose that the following ex.
tract was taken from ''free trade"
journal:
AS there ia heavy duty upon soap nc
doubt the Kansas statesman finds a pretext
Tor positively declining to use that article
In such matters, however, it is likely that he
mas his natural inclinations fitting in nicely
win MS free trade prejudices. But, if he il
'ndeed going to try to live up to his princl.
pies IL Is difficult to perceive how he is going
10 i've at all. Nearly every article of cloth.
ing ana the great mass of articles Of food are
SUBJECT TO duties; and, therefore ais theory
ought to confine him rig dly to use of materi
ais that are upon the free list The attempt
Oh the honorable Jerry to live within the
boundaries OF the free list would excite uni
Versal interest and curiosity. He would, OF
course, ciothe himself with "hides, raw OF
uncured," with "asbestos" trimmings. ner
haps, and his diet would range from "acorns =,
"aconite" and "assafetida" to "ol. cake, ,,
"caoutchouc," "verdgris" and "yams." Th,
hansas Congressman is going to be par
tlcularly entertaining object of consideration
II he shall try to be consistent
The Manufacturer should he con
graduated for showing up the limited
character OF the Mckinley free list. II
the Hon. Jerry" will follow its sug
gestion that it should be consistent and
will dress himself up in "hides, raw OF
uncured," with "asbestos" trimmings
he will become, in this John the Bap
tlst garb, preacher Of "free trade
such as this country has never seen
The Kansas Congressman-elect, thus
rugged out in the precarious habiliments
OF McKinley's free list, would not need
TO utter one word against our high
tariff laws his very appearance would
have all the eloquence of a ''voice Of
one crying in the wilderness"