Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-10-21
PROTECTION---BOODL
THE CORRUPT ALLIANCE EXISTING
BETWEEN THEM.

General Thomas Ewing ON the Tariff
Tax-How the Republican Party Per
petuates Itself-Reform Possible Only
Through the Democracy.
Looking back over its career for a
quarter of century, we see the Repub-
lican party at all times dominated on
tariff questions by the capitalists who
own the protected industries and whose
vast fortunes have been made by the in
creased prices given them by excluding
foreign productions from the home mar
kets. These increased prices of course
are extracted from the pockets of the
people, and chiefly from those whose
labor and products are not much, if at
all, enhanced by the tariff.
The chief beneficiaries of the tariff
have written the tariff laws ever since
the war. When change is proposed
they are at the Capitol in person or by
their attorneys. The Republican party,
in every presidential campaign except
the last, solennly promised the Ameri-
can people that the enormous war duties
this promise. It has made on the aver
age no considerable reductions, but has
held the great burden originally laid as
war necessity on the shoulders of the
people, shifting it little from time to
time in seeming compliance with its
pledges, but never making q change ex-
cept at the dictation or with the assent
Of the manufacturers. Meantime it has
resisted and defeated every reduction at
tempted by the Democracy.
The protected manufacturers, In re-
turn for the service rendered them by
the Republican party in making them
millionaires at the expense of the peo-
pie, have furnished that party with
ample corruption funds in every presi-
Dental campaign. The alliance between
them and the Republican party has
grown closer and more obvious every
year. They lean on and trust each other
give and take. In the last presidential
election it was these benefciaries of the
tariff who supplied Doodle for the float
ing votes in New York and Indiana, and
who for their reward were allowed to
dictate the Mckinley tariff. Because Of
this indissoluble partnership it is inpos-
sible that any substantial tariff reduc-
ton in the interests of the people can
come through the Republican party.
But it can and will come through the
Democracy. Each Democratic house of
representatives since the war has labored
faithfully for tariff reform. Witness
the Morrison bill, the Mills bill and the
four most reasonable tariff reform meas
ures which passed the house last session
and are now pigeonholed in the senate.
None Of these proposed measures would
have been destructive to existing indus
tries. The Democracy has shown itself in
sympathy with the wage men in the
protected manufactures, as we'll as with
the general masses who get little or no
benefit from the tariff. It has shown
itself worthy to be trusted by the peo-
pie. 1t proposes no sudden and de-
structive reductions. It threatens only
the abolition of monopoies, trusts, cor
ruptlon funds, unnecessary and burden
some taxes-tho evil growths of tariff
favoritism. 1t promises to greatly in
crease manufactures by making raw
materials free; to relieve labor by I'M
taxing the necessities of life; to purify
national politics by striking down the
league between the political boodlers
and the tariff sbarons.