Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-06-29

The Wichita Eagle is making frantic
efforts to prove that tariff lowers the
prices. Without tariff our manufac-
turers must certainly sell as cheaply as
foreigners can. They say this is so
cheap they can not manufacture, 80 the
tariff is put on to protect them, that is.
raise prices. They then claim the pri-
ces are lower after the tariff is put on
to protect infant industries that could
not prosper without it. Now, if it is
lower, 1t must be below foreign prices.
If our manufacturers are able to sell be-
low foreign prices, then what need have
we OF protective ~ tariff q? Admit
that it raises prices, and you prove class
legislation. Admit thatit lowers prices,
and you prove that we have no more
use for it than for a mill dam on top of
the Gypsum hills. The trouble with the
protective idea is that it is so illogical
and unjust that as soon as you set up
one argument you knock down another
on your own side of the question. But
what does it matter anyhow as to a diff
ference Of one or two per cent. IN the
tariff? What we want the Wichita Ea-
gle, and papers OF their ilk, to explain
IS, Why it is. that under long years of
republican protection, we have devel-
oped In Kansas and other states such a
debt burden as the world has never
seen before? Why is it that under the
prosperity Of protection we have an ar
ray OF tenant farmers and tenant hous-
es to which Europe can offer scarcely a
parallel? Why is it that in New York
city alone there are more evictions than
in Ireland? Why is it that the value of
many of the finest farm lands in the
older states has decreased so per cent.
Why IS it that wages have steadily de-
c!lned, and are steadily declining? Why
IS it that England steadily clips her
coupons and saps the wealth of Oul
farms and our mines to her own shores?
Why IS it that in the midst of unparal-
leled production and industry, half of
our people have no homes of their ownP
Why is it that our vast wealth is gath
ering into the hands of few faster
than 1T is created? Why is it that eve
~ time the tariff is revised there is a
desperate effort among manufacturing
lobbyists to get more tariff on their spe-
clic manufactures? Do they want to
lower prices? If so, why do they form
trusts to keep prices up? No, the
tariff does not explain our situation; it
is but sides how-an ally to the great
organized power of monopoly. Monop-
oly Of transportation, monopoly of wa
ter, monopoly of air, monopoly of pro-
ductlon, monopoly of land, and chief
Moloch of them all, monopoly of money,
find their faithful ally in tariff, which
prevents their victims, the people, the
producers, the tollers, buylrg where
they please and how they please.
Now feed us tariff taffy-hold up the
blind, like screen before a dive, to
hide the financial and industrial robbie
ry and debauchery behind-howl for
Grand-pa's hat, and high tariff, or for
Grover, the fat free trade and tariff
for revenue; swing the bloody shirt and
carpet bag; howl about British DONNA
tian and anarchy; talk about good roads
Chill, Behring sea, force bill, sympathy
for Russia, slavery, Jerry's socks, Mrs.
Leases mouth, Peffer's whiskers-any-
thing but the financial and industrial
problem, for that is loaded-Ioaded with
dynamite-loa6ed for 'bar."