Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-10-15

Gen. John c. Black Lays Him Out
in Iowa.

q Mammoth Democratic Demon
stration-A Great Day
for Iowa
The opening of the coal palace at OF
tumwa, Ia, ON October L, was the scene
of one of the grandest democratic DEM
onstrations the state has ever known.
Fully three times the number of visit
ors were in attendance as were present
at the Mckinley meeting, when Nc
Kinley spoke, few days since Gov.
Boies made an eloquent address at
Turner hall and at a reception held in
the coal palace in the evening Gen
John C. Black, of Illinois, replied to
Maj. Mckinley in vigorous Grafton,
of which the following is part:
In h,s speech at this place. delivered upon
the e35 IT September. Mai. Mckinley, the fore
most champion OF protection in the United
States, and who understands, il any man living
the central thought OF his address to the citi-
zens of Iowa what he alleged to be 8 fact. that
the tariff was tax upon the foreigner. and
that may not seem to misrepresent or deceive
as to what he did say, VIII quote his own
words: $50 you cannot reach the foreigner
either in war or in peace, and the only way you
can make him contribute to support this gov
eminent is when he brings his products TO the
United States, to just put the tar1n night on
top of him, and before he cab enter them to be
sold in competition to yourselves he must con-
tribute so much per pound, per yard or per
ton, to go into the public treasury to help us
through the burdens of taxation, and we make
him pay in advance as Gov. Gear says. II We
did not we would never get it."
If this proposition can be shown to be false
the whole reasoning Of Maj McKinley's speech
goes with it. For under whatever ingenious
clothing he gave the idea, it was the point OF
appeal to his audience Without it his demon
stration was no demonstration Let us inquire
IL it be the truth In the first place, but rel
atively few foreigners import goods to the
United States. They manufacture abroad and
sell in New York, Chicago and other great
markets to our own merchants, or our own
merchants send their purchasing agents abroad
and purchase at the factories the goods, which
are then shipped to them in the United States
When these goods reach the United States Gus
tom house they are billed to the merchants or
agents who have purchased them These mer-
chants agents receive them from the Gus
tom house, pay the duties upon them and resell
to their own customers. In the instances
where the foreign producer does ship to
the United States he consigns to his own agent
That agent receives them through the custom
house and pays the duties upon them These
goods are thus in the market. They are pur-
chased by our wholesalers and jobbers and fac
cost paid in Europe the whole duty paid to the
government at the custom house, and then
market the goods for this cost and customs duty
and enough additional to pay the expenses OF
transportation. handling interest etc The
goods are then sold to the retail merchants
and by them they sold to the consumers Of
Iowa, Illinois and elsewhere for all of the first
eust for the duty paid at the custom house, for
the charges of the wholesale merchant and the
retail merchant, for transportation, time, Ia
Dor, interest, etc.
1t thus appears too clear for argument that
you repay his investment to the retail mer-
chant. who repays his investment to the
wholesale merchant. who repays himself for
the duties on the goods and the cost which he
first paid to the European merchant Mani
testify, in this transaction, which is universal.
while the duties advanced by the whole
sale dealers they are charged into the price Of
the goods. and are borne in the end by the con-
sumner. The foreigner does not pay one dollar
of the taxes levied by the federal government
1T the custom house in the sense in which Maj
Mckinley argued He simply advances them
and receives them back A number OF Illus
trations might be presented from the law to
which Maj. Mckinley has given his name to
show how baselcss is his claim that the for
eigne- helps to pay these taxes A great whole-
sale house in Chicago during the past month
Imported quantity of tin for the purpose Of
canning meat The duties on one shipment
were $1,000 They gave notice that they would
claim the drawback allowed by the Mckin-
that is that all the duty the government of the
United States Will get on this shipment is $50
OF the duties originally paid this one
consignment Of tin 500 viii be re-
turned by the government to the importers Of
the tin And this is for the that this
morstrous law discriminates against the con-
sumers of Iowa, Illinois and elsewhere in this
way: 1t provides that where tin is shipped into
the country to be worked into cans for meats,
vegetables. etc. and is re-exported from the
country, all the duty paid upon this tin except
per cent shall be repaid to the importer. In
this case the importer was an American house
They are going to manufacture this tin into
meat cans to be shipped abroad, and for this
reason the government releases its tax In the
amount of s., $40. Now If this tin had been inn
ported by this same house to be used in domeS-
tic canning for sale to the farmers and laborers
Of the United States there would have been no
drawback allowed them. The firm would have
charged the $4,000 up part of the cost of their
canned articles and the consumer would have
been obliged to bear this additional expense
So that by striking illustration drawn from
the operations of his own law 1t is anifest that
Mai Mckinley misstated the fact when he said
that the tariff put the tax upon the foreigner
The republican administration is in power
II Maj Mckinley was correct in what he said
to you, why does this administration give back
to the importer 3 go OF tax already collecteds
The same favoring provision in behalf of for
eign consumers is made in regard to other ar
ticles, such as salt for the curing of meat, and
full search of that labyrinthine law. which, as it
came from the hand of Maj. Mckinley and his
party, did not, in the language Of Mr. Blaine.
imply or furnish q market for pound Of pork
or barrel of -four additional to the farmers of
the United States. But mention these items
at this time to show the hollowness OF the
claim that the foreigner pays the tax The
truth is. the foreigner does not pay the tax and
every dollar that is collected by the custom
houses Of the United States from importafions
brought into the United States is paid by the
men who eventually buy and consume the
goods. 1 feel like asking your pardon for en-
tering upon an elaborate demonstration of that
which should be self-evident-which is self
evident to all men who know the course Of bust
ness affairs. and which. il occurs TO me. was
used in argument before you either with great
thoughtlessness with attempt to deceive
In every way in which you view this Ques-
tion It comes to the democratic conclusion
Given free raw material, good machinery, in
teliigent men and the open markets OF the
world the American laborer Will more than
reap his share; but / do not believe that the
American laborer wants more than his share
I think that that vast mass OF toilers who are
to-day among the thinkers and sufferers of the
race believe in fraternity as broad as human
tty- They believe in a fair field for all men and
for all labor and do not desire protection of
governments or exclusive privileges for any,