Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-08
RBNDrNe THE VEIL OF moKANNA.

the recent occurrences about Homestead
who will not agree that the incidents
there recorded are of exceptional inter
est and significance. The gentlemen
who control the Republican press are a
unit in announcing that the Democrats
will make the most of this lamentable
development.
And why should they not?
For now these many years we have
been told that the acme OF all possible
good in this country was a high protec-
tive tariff. We were asked to contem-
plate the tariff, and the consequent high
wages that flow from it, with all imagin-
able good that thence accrued. The
American workingman, under the bene-
ficent operation, of this tariff, was the
happiest and most contented man in
the world. So said these gentlemen of
the Republican party.
As to the tariff itself, surely no work
ingman could find fault with that? The
war tariff was thought to be pretty
good sort of douceur to the manufac-
turers. It enabled a man to put $780,
600 into rolling mill, and to make sew
eral hundred thousand dollars year on
the employment of this limited capital,
while any man in England. who en-
ployed ten times that amount of capital,
would be content with a return Of four
or FIVE per cent year.
In 1865, when the war had closed, the
tariff already high-high beyond the ut
most demands of man with con-
science-was increased. And then the
merry war of consuming the consumer
went on until Grover Cleveland, patri-
otic Democratic president, came on the
scene. In roaming through his capa-
cious conscience, Mr.. Cleveland came to
the conclusion that it was a crime to
allow the people of the United States to
be further swindled by high tariff,
supplemented by higher post war tar
if. He made demand for free raw ma
terials, and the people really felt. that
the time had come for reduction in
the exactions made by the manufac-
turers.
Dudley, in his blocks of FIVE in Indi-
ana. and Quay, with the $400, 900 cor
ruption fund raised by himself and
Wanamaker, largely employed in New
York, defeated Mr.. Cleveland, and ar
rested the aspirations of the people.
Cleveland was defeated, and the Repub-
lican party came into power.
And then came the Mckinley bill,
which fouted the aspirations of the
people for tariff reform. The war tariff,
which had been increased by the tariff
of 1855, was still further increased by
the Mckinley tariff.
In the language of Christ in Matthew,
the people asked for bread and they
were given stone. 1t was probably
the most infamous transaction ever per-
petrated on free people.
Coincident with this conscienceless
increase of an already high tarif-which
was to the benefit of the workingmen,
God save the mark-in all the lines of
the protected industries, came the an
they must reduce the wages of their op-
eratives. Exacting selfshness could no
further go. In proportion as their scale
of profits were advanced, was the un-
willingness of the manufacturers to per-
NIT their employees to share in the
profits OF proscriptiye and trade ami
hilating programme.
The Homestead riots fittingly empha-
size the policy of allowing the iron and
coal barons to rob the people of the
United States. Carnegie and his part
ners, rioting in wealth directly begot-
ten of absurdly high protective dutiee,
granted under the plea of fostering
American labor, Immediately announced
q reduction in the scale of wages, rang.
ing from Is to 20 per cent. This reduc-
tion really represented the comforts OF
life to the iron worker and to his family.
1t looked like cruel mockery, and, in
truth, that was just what it was.
Carnegie and his partners have them
selves torn the veil from the fraudulent
pretenses with which they have gulled
the American people. Mokanna, in
Moore's iniinitable poem, was great
power as long as he maintained dis
Greet impenetrability. When the mask
was torn off and his true features were
disclosed, his power was ended. The
Republican party has masqueraded as
the friend of the working man. The
late occurrences at Homestead have
shown how much truth there is in this
pretence. It will be very hard for the
grand old party to pull itself together,
between now and November, and to
persuade it's hitherto dupes that it has
been their best friend. The gosHamer
veil of deception has been rent, once for
ell, and the Republican party has been
disclosed as supplying the Pinkertons
and other agencies OF despotism that are
designed to degrade American labor.
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