The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1892-06-29

whenever a tax is unnecessary
it is unjustifiable; that when
ustom-house taxation is levied
upon articles Of any kind pro-
duced in this country the differ.
ence between the cost of labor
here and labor abroad, when
such difference exists fully
measures any possible benefits
to labor and the enormous addi.
tional impositions Of the exist.
ing tariff fall with crushing
force upon our farmers and
workingmen, and for the mere
advantage of the few whom ii
enriches, exacts from labor a
grossly unjust share of the ex-
penses of the government, and
we demand such a revision OF
the tariff laws as will remove
their iniquitous inequalities,
tighten their expressions and
put them in a constitutional
and equitable basis. But in
making reductions in taxes, it
is not proposed to injure any
domestic industries, but rather
to promote their healthy
growth. From the foundation
of this government the taxes
collected at the custom house
have been the chief source of
federal revenue. Such they
must continue to be. More
over, many industries have
come to rely upon legislation
for successful continuance, so
that any change Of law must be
at every step regardful of the
labor and capital thus involved
The process of reform must be
subject in the execution of this
plain dictate of justice. We
denounce the Mckinley tariff
law enacted by the Fifty-first
Congress as the eliminating
atrocity of class legislation.
We endorse the efforts made by
the democrats of the present
Con gress to modify its most
oppressive features in the di.
rection of free, raw material
and cheaper manufactured
goods than enter into home
consumption, and we propose
its repeal as one Of the benefi
cial results that will follow the
action of the people in entrust.
ing power to the democratic
party. Since the Mckinley
tariff went into operation there
have been ten reductions oi
wages of laboring men to one
increase. We deny that there
has been any increase of pros
perity to the country since thai
tariff went into operation, ant
we point to the dullness anC
distress, the wage reductions
and strikes in the iron trade al
the best evidence that no sucl
prosperity has resulted from
the Mckinley act. We call thu
attention of thoughtful mer.
chants to the fact that TO
thirty years of restrictive ia "a
tion against importations o
foreign products in exchang,
for our agricultural products
the homes and farms of tn,
country have become burdene'
with a real estate mortgage o.
two thousand five hundred mil
lion dollars, exclusive of al
other forms of indebtedness
that in one of the chief agri
cultural States Of the west ther
appears a real estate mortgag,
debt averaging Si65 per capita
and that similar conditions ar
shown to exist in other agricul
tural exporting States. We de
nounce a policy which foste
no industry so much as il doe
that of the sheriff.
Sec. 4. Trade interchang
on the basis Of reciprocal ad
vantage to the countries par
ticipating IN a time.honore
do ,trine of the democratr
faith, but we denounce th
sham reciprocity which iuggle
with the peoples desire for er
larged foreign markets an
freer exchanges by pretendin
to establish trade relations for
country whose articles of e1
port are almost exclusive agri
cultural while erecting a Gus
tom house barrier Of prohibitiy
: tariff taxes against the ricf
, est countries of the world whe
they stand ready to take OF
I entire surplus Of products an
, TO exchange there for comm,
dies which are necessary an
, are comforts Of life among OF
. own people.
! Sec. 5. We recognize
: trusts and monopolies, whiC
: are designed by capital to 3
) cure more than their Just shai
p, Of the joint product Of capt.
!, and labor--a natural cons
. quence of prohibitive take
= which prevent the free Compi
q tition, which is the life OF ho
!, est trade, but we believe the
D worst evils can be abated
: law, and we demand the rig
q enforcement Of laws made