Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-01-21
hon. LAWRERCE T. NEAL
AT the jackson Club Banquet i'm Re-
sponse to the I'ast, "RepubIi-
can PrOtection-By the Wolves
for the Lambs"

Mr.. PRESIDENT, CENT EMEN OF THE
JACKSON CLUB, AND FELLOW DIM.
oCRATs:
Public necessity alone justifies the
imposition of tax or duty upon the
citizen or his properly, Ivy either the
State, or The Federal Government.
"There can be no lawful tax which
is not laid for public purpose"
Equality is another essential re-
quirement of every just system of tax
alton. 1t may be impossible in all
cases, perhaps in any, to distribute the
burdens of taxation with exact equali-
ty, but still it is obligatory upon the
Government to approximate this
desire end, with the utmost impair
tiality,when taxes are to be levied and
collected.
A protective tariff violates each of
these cardinal principles of the right
TO lay tribute upon the people; for a
tax, to be protective in its character,
must subordinate public interest to
private gain, and, as the protection of
one industry must be at the expense of
another, this must create division of
the people into classes, and make one
portion of them "hewers of wood and
drawers of water" for the other.
The necessity of the Government
ceases to be considered when the pro-
tective method oftaxation is carried
to its logical conclusion, as has been
done by the Republican party, in this
country.
Revenue is, in such ease, no longer
the object, Dut an incident of the use
of the taking power; the protection of
favored enterprises overrides all public
purposes.
Domestic industries, both such as
are yet to be created, under stimulous
of excessive bounties, the product of
the consumption of the people and not
of the wealth of the country, control
| the fiscal Legislation of the Govern
ment; and their individual owners al d
corporate prOpTietOrs, repudiating the
principle which has grown into a
| proverb, that unnecessary taxation
isunjust taxatiou," boldly attempt to
Justify the enactment of laws that will
impose the highest duties, and return
| the lowest revenue.
A maximum of duties with min
| - . lNn
most unequal weight upon those who
are least able to sustain the burden,
paid by men, women, and children
alike, whose battles for bread ofttimes
fail to drive the gaunt monster, starv-
alton, from their homes, is, with these
protected manufacturers and monopo-
lists, the one idea ofa perfect system
of taxation.
But, in reality, such taxation be.
comes question of might instead of
right; and it registers the decree of the
highwayman, not the constitutional
7, act of just and impartial govern
ment. The fact that its insidious pur-
poses are accomplished under the
name of law, and that it is called tax
alton, renders it none the less a rob- cry
of the great majority of the people for
the benefit of the few. The enOrmity
of the offense is aggravated by the in
direct and subtle manner in which the
tax is collected, as is that of the crime
of the assassin, by the stealth and
secrecy with which it is committed.
Such system of taxation is as
hostile to a republican form of gov
ernment as was the principle of tax
alton without representation, for the
overthrow of which our fathers REBEL.
ed, and fought, and achieved indepen-
dence for themselves, and for us.
i Then, too, a protective tariff is the
source of every form of political cor
ruption. 1t corrupts the ballot; de-
stroys the integrity of the right OF
suffrage; and defeats the expression Of
the will of the people in elections state
and national. 1t has, more than once
robbed the American people of tht
God given right to choose their owl
President, by free, honest, and pur'
election.
; Republican protection and patriot
! ism are implacable foes. The growth
of the one marks the decadence of tn,
other. The antagOnism between tw,
:, men cannot be reconciled. And they
v who are lured by the siren song o
: such protection t. its support, consen
, to the degradation of the masses il
the interest of the classes, and to
change in the form aad character q
: our Government itself, by convertin
9 it from democracy, agovernment a @
= the people, to an aristoracy of wealth
a plutOcracy.
q The tendency toward such chang
is disclosed with striking force by tn
concentration of the wealth of tn
country, under the fostering care {
t protection.
j. The ownership of more than on
|! halfof all the property in our entir
g country by seventeen thousand pei
n sons, and the still more astoundin
Q fact that two hundred and fifty of ou
Y sixty three millions of people ow
3 one-twelfth of the sixty thousand mil
/ ion of dollars ofreal and personal prop
i erty of every kind and description Il
). the whole United States, prove wit
v unerring certainty that the danger c
d this threatened change is real, not a
9 imaginary one; that 1t is not mer
d fancy picture, drawn from the imae
Is ination, and intended for an appeal t
e popular passion and prejudice.
d Such colossal fortunes are the legi
+ innate fruits of protection; and th
harvest il still being garnered.
The enormous accumulations {
10 wealth of the protected manufacture
j. still steadily grow,year by year, unds
10 the baneful influence of protection, AN
9 their greed for gain will, as natural
=. Y. as the morning follows the night, I
~ thp niUht tho fiau nray,nnt q nj inert