The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-06-24
TO THE ALLIANCE.
THE TARIFF THE CAUSE OF ALL
THESE EWOES.

THESE WOES.
Pratical Illustrations By an Expsri-
enced Reforner Which Should be Easily
Understood by the uorny-Handed Sons
OF Toll.
am not egotistical enough to elieve
that my name or Signatures is not entirely
unknown to You. For more than twenty,
nve years l have labored to Tree the mill
lions or con sumers OF this great and free
country from a most outrageous tax
robbery that has no PARALLEL either in
the present or past history of a civilized
people. Alas! my friends, l share The
lot of many and greater reformers who
lived before me. I have achieved little
indeed. Of course, truth and reason
will in the end prevail, but in the mean
time the accumulation ofimmense wealth
wrung from the hard working classes is
the main force in rivltin5 the chains OF
dire taxation on the people.
Now, my goood friends of the ALI
ance, you have only one enemy in this
country to deal with. and that ls ex-
cessive taxation. All the rest is SEN
timent and opinion. Your grievance
is that you are in debt, and that your
incessant hard labor is not sufficient to
make two ends meet. The greatest
curse that economy has TO encounter is
the false belief of tn e multitude
that high wages or high prices
for what we produce IS the sole
remedy for all evil. Now, my good
friends only consider it, if, under pres.
ept prices of your products, you could
procure those ARTICLES you do not pro-
duce and must have, say 40 per cent.
cheaper than you are obliged to pay for
them on account Of the yillainous tariff
or protection swindle, would such policy
not be the same as if the commodities
you produce would be 40per cent higher
IN price?
Just let me give you little illustra-
ton. You, my friends, are farmers.
Well, you do not raise silver or paper
dollars. Your money is wheat, corn,
or any other product. You 60 through
the ceremony G. converting these pro-
ducts into money, and you buy the
necessares that you do not produce
and must have. Well, then, the price
of your wheat, corn and ether field
products is made in the great markets
of the world, and chiefly abroad. say in
London, Liverpool, Paris. Hamburg,
and even in Berlin. In other words, if
the p-lcc Of wheat goes up % Or 3s a
quarter, you will find the price in Chica-
60, Duluth, or any other great centre
going up in the same proportion, and If
the prices 90 down abroad, you feel 1t
the same way. In fact, you are not ID
the least beholden to the policy 0: protec-
ton for the price Of your breadstuffs.
The syndicate of protection lions may
assert the contrary until they are black
in their faces, but they cannot alter
this pure and simple fact, which ls
eneyltable law of trade as gravl1atlon
is law of nature.
well. then; do you not think that it is
hardship, in fact swindle: if bushel
Of American wheat should buy in New
York from 40 to so per cent. less nee
essary wooden mixed dress goods than
in LDndon, especially as the same price
Of wheat prevails in both places? Just
let me show YOU. Suppose ten bushels
Of wheat at 81 per bushel in London Will
buv fifty Yards of woolen mixed dress
goods at 20 cents per yard. This same
kind of dress goods that is chiefly used
in eyery farmers family. and is of as
much necessity as anything in the wear
inc apparel can possible be, is subject
under the Mckinley bill to a tax OF ll0t
per cent. in other words what costs IN
London 20 cents yard is enhanced to
the following: Original cost. 90 cents
ward; llOa per cent. duty, 22s cents; TO-
tai, 423 cents.
Now. suppose we leave out expenses
and profits and say that this cheap dress
goods, costing 20 cents in London, is en-
hanced here only by the tariff alone to
forty.two cents a yard; your ten bushels
of wheat would only buy less than tWen-
ty-four yards, Or twenty-slx yards less
than in London. Suppose you are not
sroaning under such an insane outrage
Gus tax, does it occur to you that, II your
family needed only fifty yards OF such
kind of goods, you would need exactly
twelve dollars less meney? And if you
multiply those articles that are subject
to this tax swindle you will lind that
there are hundreds Of dollars every year
most shamefully taken out OF your hard
for the benefit OF sorue mill boss
es, who are anxious to uphold this tax
robbery, ostensibly for the benefit OF
the dear laboring classes, which means
sickly pestilential tepenents tor the
operatives, and palatlal cas-
Ties 10 Scotland or elsewhere and four-in-
hand for the bosses.
If, my good friends, you really mean
relief, and have the real welfare of the
masses at heart. then break this infer.
nal power of the tax oppressors of the
people. Then will you really become
wise, good and a blessing to mankind.
But if you are on some utopian butter
ny ClldSe, Iueu Sou WIZ oAHpiJ Goeoo.S
some adjunct to political schemers and
designing politicians. You seem to have
the power; the future will reveal whether
you have the will and the ability to make
good use OF it. In the meantime, 1 re-
ioice to see that the spirit of true reform
s bestirring itself. For if even nothing
does come of it, there is chance that
;hese old tax sinners may become more
leedful and not 60 still further rough
,hod over the people. Nevertheless, 1t
must be admitted that the new move
nent of the Farmers Alliance has
awakened an interest in the minds Of the
people which is as gratifying as it Is i'm
)ortant.
Personally wish you God speed in
,our laudable undertaking OF reform,
md 5v genuine reform l mean the ame-
ioration of the present tax robbery un-
Ter which the people are groaning.
J. S. MOORE,