The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-28
lhe treasury was the author, provided In
frat, that nc more money shonld

DO ColleCecQ = ~ necessary 1OF su0 W6nH
Of the government, economically admins
tered; second. that no duty be imposst
upon any articles above the lowest ratio thai
will yield the greatest amount OF revenue
third, that tho maximum tax should be i'm,
posed upon Injuries; fourth, that the lowes,
tar should b. upon the necssaariea OF lire
NTH, that the duties should be 20 imposed
IN % operate equally throughout the union
discriminating neither for nor against any
class or section. II must not DO torgotten
that 10 great were the benefits TO the people
from She larif lsRislation / have iust men.
TONED THAT. in 1875, representatives OF al
parties concurrinR, the tarif waa again re-
duced until the average rate or duties was
10 per cent, The decade and q hall, extend.
Ing from the passags OF the low farih law Of
1886 to the beginning OF our civil war, has
history. The cost Of tho necessaries OF life
had reached the minimum, and at no time
in our history was it easier for the wage
Garner to support his family. The farmer.
the mechanic, the day laborer alike realized
the benefit OF low taxation. A benefit why !
simply for the reason that it lssasned the
cost OF food, of clothing, OF every article
that couduced to his comfort. Our nlanu-
factories did not %ianguish. The fires did
not 20 out in our furnaces. The wheels and
spindlss we're NOT idle in our great hives Of
industry. The demand FOR labor was not
lessened, nor was ito value deprecated.
The protected classes growing year BY
wear stronger aud more powerful with the
protection afforded them, demanded OF the
Fifty-irst congress- yet higher duties. Al
Infant industries' they had been for the
time content with the moderate protection
given BY Mr.. Clay. Later they had de-
manded the higher duties imposed by the
Morrill, tariff, and that of later congresses.
In 1890 during the frat session of the Fifty
first congress their demand was in sub
stance for . ~prohibitory tariff. The re-
Spouse TO this demand was tne passage ~
The avowed object of this bill was to check
importation. lts purpose so to increase
ths rata OF duties, AZ in many instances to
exclude absolutely foreign goods from our
markets, and thus by cutting on comretl-
tion, enable the home manufactures with
wares. In a word, the Mckinley law. with
its prohibitory features gave is beneti-
diaries a practical monopoly, and enabled
them in fact to levy an additional tax upon
the sonsumer. to the extent that the duty
had been increased. Was this legislation
demanded By the peopleY was ~ IN their
interest? Was it not class legislation OF
the most odious character-such legislation
az enriches the few at the expense of the
many? The American people unmlstak-
ably set their seal of condemnation upon
This bill. Slowly but surely they have be-
come convinced that protection does Lot
protect" them.
It 10 worse than idle to speak Of its bene-
fits to she American farmer. What he de-
mands ia both q foreign and q home market
for the product of his farm. 1t ia mockery
TO tell him he is protected against the corn
and wheat product of the old world. While
he 10 compelled to cell in the marketso of the
ilegs Of buying what his necessities require
without paying high tribute to the pro-
tected classes of his own country. To the
mechanic and laborer no less than to the
farmer protection has proved q dslusion
and q snare. In no instance has it opened
up to the farmer additional market for a
pound Of meat or a bushel of gran" Has
it in a single instance given to the me-
ohanio or laborer increased wages? Thu
present high tariff adds largely to the cost
Of articles necessary to the comfort of the
wage Garner. How has be been benefited?
Has it increased his wages? Has it in any
n benefited his condition! Re
cent events connected with the most
highly protected establishments of this
country sadly attest the fact that q high
tariff affords no protection to those who
earn their bread by daily toll. 1t was never
intended to benefit them. Long enough
has the wsee-s"tneI been deluded by the
Tariffs have no effect upon wages, except
to diminish their purchasing power. The
higher the tariff the less the purchasing
power of the wages. Wages are governed
by the great law of suppland demand.
In his great speech against the high tariff
the matchless orator, Daniel O'Connell.
said: But what ia the meaning of pro-
lection? it means an additional sixpence for
each loaf; that is the Irish of it. II he had
not the protection the loaf would sell for
a shilling; but if he has protection it will
sell for one and sixpence. Protection is the
English for sixpence. and what ia more. it
is the English for an extorted sixpencs.
The real meaning of protection. therefore,
IL robbery--robbery of the poor by the
rich."
/ have shown that instead of a surplus of
little less than one hundred million dollars
left by the Cleveland administration, the
treasury is now confronted by bankruptcy.
This is the result in part of the reckless ex-
~travagance of a republican oangress. 1t is
In a large measure the necessary result of
the Mckinley tariff. By that bill the
treasury was deprived of fifty millions of
revenue BY repeating the sugar tax. The
repeal of the sugar tax was simply intended
to reconcile the consumer to the still
greater taxes laid upon him. Heretofore,
the PERSISTENT claim OF the protectionist has
been that tariff taxes are not paid BY the
consumer. This claim is now abandoned,
The advocates of the Mckinley law concede
Lue YAK upon sugar TO nave D66u paid DY
the consumer. Else, why take SO much
credit to themselves for removing it? IL
there NOT danger that the consumer may
inquire, 'if removinq,the tariff tar UPON
sugar lessons its cost, why would not the
same blessed result follow a reduction of
tariff taxes upon all the other necessaries of
life?"
My feliow-citizens. To you the tariff is
the all-importaut question. The question
ls not how much Of your earnings shall be
given to the support of the government, but
how much shall under the 70; MS of law be
seized bv the favored-the 'protected'
classes. The republican party responded to
the demand of the people for reduced tax
alton by the passage of the Mckinley tariff
bill OF 1892, thus heavily inc easing war
taxes upon the people twenty five years
after the war had closed. The contest
upon which We have now entered ia of deep
significance to the American people. Shall
high tariff. continually increasing with the
demands of the protected classes, be the
settled policy Of our government, or shall
there be relief to the people from the bur
dens CT unjust taxation?
Another Issue of great moment in the
pending contest is the force bill. The mag
nitude of this issue cannot be overstated.
It may mean the control Of the election of
representatives i'll congress by the bayonet,
The republican party, by it's acts in the
fltty-hrst congress-, and by its platform
IN its late national convention. stands
pledged to the passage of the force bill.
That 1t will pass the bill, when it has the
power, no sane man can doubt. To all of
the people-all who desire the peace and
prosperity of our common country-this
question 10 important. 10 the people of