Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-06
A GREAT MEETING.
Continued from 9th page.

though many people looked upon it as
something very intricate, it was
simple as the multiplication table when
it was sifted down. MANY people have
told me that they did not understand the
tariff ard that they never saw anyone
that did end they looked me in the face
when they said it,"
Could be Learned In Five Minutes.
He commended, however, that this was
not true and that by little pains the
true foundation and workings of a tariff
system could be learned in five minutes.
In the first piece the speaker said that
one OF the primary principles of the
democratic party was to allow every man
who had anything to sell TO take it to
for it'll is the constitution of this coun-
try guarantees to every man, and Sec
ondlv, democracy grants the right to buy
in that market where he can get the most
for his money. They also agree that the
government should levy sufficient
amount to support itself, but there it
must stop. The republican idea was dia-
metrically oppoeite-not to allow the
citizen to purchase where he saw fl, for
if he did so it would not be protection to
home industries, IS they cal 1t.
Protection Protects Who?
This being the case, continued Mr..
Spris ger. allows the manufacturer here
to fix the price. for unless it does there is
no protection. This enables the homs
manufacturer TO raise the prices on do
mestlc products so that he can extort ex-
travagant profits from the consumer.
When the Mckinley bill was passed and
the democrats all over the country said
that prices were being raised. the repub-
licans said they were lying, but the ladies
were the first to find it out and they told
their husbands and brothers and you saw
the result two years ago by the rousing
majority sent to congress. The speaker
then corrected few statements made by
F Y. Schoonmsker in his recent speech
there, in which lie told the people how q
higher tariff made lower prices and a
lower tariff made high prices. He next
exposed the fallacy Of the foreigner-pay-
ing-the-tsx arguments, and spoke
of the Mckinley statements at
the republican convention, in which he
said that a way had been discovered Of
on the foreigners. What a pretty senti~
ment," said the speaker. Suppose for q
moment such thing were possible;
would you be in favor of itf' [Cries OF
mol nol1 Think of it, he con-
tinued, the grsndest and wealthiest
country on the globe passing the hat
among the pauper lsborers of Europe to
pay pensions.
Supporting the Thrones of Europe.
but this is not all. 5upposing that it
could be operated SUCCESSFULLY Two
could play at the same game, and where
would we be when it came to expectation
if we had to support the royal .llendor
of the thrones of Europe? When goods
are sold here in Moline and put aboard
the cars you do not know nor care where
they are going. 1t is the same with the
man in Europe; he pays nothing toward
the Importation here. J.V .Fsrwell & Co.,
Marshall Field & Co and James a. Walker
& Co. of Chicago import 80 per cent Of
the goods for Illinois and the entire
northwest, and either of them after hav~
ing their agent in Europe purchase an
invoice Of goods have their bookkeeper
figure the cost Of that agent abroad, the
ainh nd dnfinc and = n II IN h
Of the goods to which is alec added their
own per cent of the profit, all of which
is include in the price they sell them at
and there is absolutely no other way to
figure it. Take for instance the ship-
ment of pearl buttons imported by Far
we'll & Co short time ago ,haticost them
in Europe 81 400 and the duty on which
was So 900. Suppose ,.Fa well had said
.Iwon't make the consumer pay the tariff
but will stand it myst II, how long would
it be before Mr. Farwell who is now 90
millionaire would be 30 million-paupsr.
No one could do business that way
Taxing the Toilers to Make MilliOnaires.
He roundly denounced a system of
taxation that would tax the toiling
masses to make milliouaires OF few.
Mr.. Springer then spoke of the tariff
schedule, in which Moline. as well as
other manufacturers used iron
taxed SO per cent, and wood taxed 90
per cent, adding that if given the raw
material free they can put their products
on the market at least 50 per cent cheap
er tina at present. "Yes; but would theyT
shouted voice in the aud nee. IF they