The Brookhaven leader., 1891-01-08
REPUBLICAN TEACHINGS.
Effects of the Tariff Lessons Taught b
Republican Organs.

Effects OF the Tartu Lessons TauEht Dy
Republican Organs.
One of the protectionist organs is in q
stew because of the farmers. 1t has
heard of farmer-a Republican farmer
who voted the Democratic ticket at
the recent election because the McKin-
ley bill made him pay a tax of five
cents on every dozen of eggs he sold.
Thereupon the organ bewails the farm
er's lack of intelligence and calls for a
continuance of the educational cam
paign."
The case is indeed a sad one; but what
did the organ expect? The Republican
farmers got their information, presum-
ably, from their party papers; and if
they did not get an intelligent idea of
the Mckinley bill their party papers
have themselves to blame for it. All
through the campaign these papers
were telling the farmers about the Nc
Kinley bill and warning them not to
put any trust in the Democratic papers
because the latter were not publishing
the bill in full, but only pointing out
the main features and showing what a
beneficent reduction had been made in
llt OulN Oh dllLdi anu Va oSOh y
blood. OF course the educational
campaign" must be continued if it had
so little effect as it seems to have had.
But if the organs will allow us a sug-
gestion, it should be continued, if at
all, on more intelligent basis than
rested beneath it in the late campaign.
Where the particular farmer referred to
got his idea as to the effect of the tariff
on the home product of the hen we do
not know. But we do know that, alb
surd as it is, it is no more absurd than
good deal of what the organs of pro-
lection were seriously telling the farm
ers all the time the Mckinley bill was
pending and aftcrward when it was be-
fore the people on trial. The farmers
were assured, for instance, that the i'm
position of a duty in n revenue bill on
a foreign article would not raise the
price of the home product with which
the foreign article came in competition.
They were assured, in addition, that
the foreigner always paid the duty.
Eggs, perhaps. were not mentioned be-
cause the theory advanced did not suit
the egg situation exactly; but the logic
of the teaching was that the Canadian
farmer paid the duty on every egg ex-
ported to this country and that the con-
sumner, in consequence, would not have
to pay a fraction of a penny more for his
eggs because of the duty.
Is it any wonder that the Republican
farmers, who were taught this by the
organs of their own party, should get
some very remarkable ideas as to the
effect of tariff? The notion
of the farmer who believed that
the duty of five cents dozen
on eggs came ont of his pocket and
the pockets of the American farmer
in general, was not bit more
absurd than the organs of his party
were in telling him that the foreigner
paid the duty He might not have
reached the ridiculous conclusion from
the ridiculous premise furnished him by
his party papers: but the man who
would believe what they told him
about the effects of duty might be eX
pected to believe any thing. We sim
cerely trust that no roguish Democrat
deluded this particular innocent of the
Republican fold even for the purpose of
of getting a vote for the right but if he
did he could hardly be blamed. The
organs of the Republican party and of
protection certainly can not blame him;
for it is their fault that the Republican
farmer was so gullible. If they had
conducted a really educational cam
paign their readers could not have been
fooled with any such story.
1t may be that they would have voted
the Democratic ticket anyway, as many
of them did Notwithstanding the teach
ings of their party papers. We still
think, however, that it would be wiser
for the organs, if they undertake an ed
vocational campaign again, to do it hon
cstly. They may lose votes for their
party. They probably will. But they
will not be denounced as they are be-
ing denounced now for deluding and
misleading their readers.-Detroit Free
Press