The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-28

| than Ia the farmer protection has proved
1 q delusior and snare. In no instance
| has Is opened UP 80 the farmer 'addi-
tionai market for q pound OF meat or
| n bushel of grain" Has IL in a single
| instance given to the mechanic or iaborer
| increased wagesf The present hlgh
! tariff adds largely to the cost of articles
necessary 60 the comfort of the wage
Garner. How has he been benefited!
| Has it increased his wages! Has Il in
any manner benefited his co9ditiOnl Re
| cent events connected with the most
highly protected establishments of this
country sadly attest the fact that q
| high protective tariff affords no pFotec-
ton to those who earn their bread by
daily toll. it was never intended to
benefit them. Long enough has the
wage-eamer been deluded by the cry
that high tariff means high wages Tar
ifs have no effect upon wages, except 70
diminish their purchasing power The
higher the tariff the less the purchasing
power of the wages. Wages are gov
erned by the great law Of supply and de-
mand. If the claim OF the protection
ist is we'll founded. why have not wages
increased. as tariffs have increased!
WHY constant reduction Of wages in the
most highly protected establishments III
the landI
To the toiler the Mckinley bin has
Kept the word Of promise to the ear,
but broken il to the hope
I'm his great speech against the high
tariff corn laws in the British Parlla-
ment in 1913. the matchleSs orator, Dan
iel OConneH, said: But what is the
meaning of protection? it means an adj
dtiOnai siXpence for each loaf; that is
the Irish of il. If he had not the protec-
ton the leaf would sell for shilling;
but if he has protection It viii sell Tor
one and siXpence. Protection Is the
English for sixpence and what is more,
it is the English for an extorted SIX
pence. The real meaning for protection,
therefore is robbery robbery Of the poor
by the rich"
/ have shown that instead Of n sur
plus Of little less than one hundred mil
lion dollars left by the Cleveland admin
iStratiOn. the treasury is now confronted
bv bankruptcy. This is the result in
part Of the reckless extravaganza OF a
Republican Congress. IL is in large
measure the necessary result of the Nc
Kinley tariff. BY that bill the treasury
was deprived Of fifty millions Of revenue
by repeating the sugar tax; but IN or
der to compensate the sugar grower for
this loss of the protection afforded nm
ten millions of dollars annually Tor III
teen years are TO be paid him ont OF the
treasurv as a bounty. The consumer is
TO be deluded into the belief that he Is
the recipient of great benefits under tile
free sugar clause Of this bill, while I'M
der another section of the same bill ten
million dollars are TO be taken annually
from 1.-THE pockets of the tax payers and
given TO the sugar growers. IN addition
10 this. whatever benefit might come TO
the consumer by the free sugar clause
of the bill is 0verbalanced many fold by
the largely increased cost of WOODEN
goods and of all other ncCessaries Of HE.
The repeal Of the sugar tax was simply
intended TO reconcile the consumer 10
1.-THE still greater tax laid upon NM
Heretofore the persistent claim OF the
protectionist has been the tariff taxes are
not paid by the consumer. ms claim
is now abandoned. The advocates OF
the Mckinley law cOncede the tax upon
sugar TO have been paid by the consumer.
Else why take so much credit to them
selves for removing it? Is there no dam
ger that the consumer may inquire, II
removing the tariff tax upon sugar les
sens its cost. why would not the same
blessed result follow a reduction OF
tariff taxes upon all of the other neces-
saries of life"
The Democratic House OF Represen-
tatives of the present Congress has
PASSED n bill removing the increased duty
imposed by the Mckinley bin upon tin
plate and providing that within q few
years it shall 20 upon the free list IL
has also passed the free wool and cheap
clothing bill. by which wool is admitted
free of duty, and large reduction
sought 20 Doe effected in the tarlh upon
Ia. Sc oil IcuovfrffoTa IL has
also removed the tariff upon binding
Irvine. But for the hostility Of a Re
publican Senate these measures. so just,
so beneficial to the people would now be
upon our statute books. Our present
tariff laws need careful revision. Their
claring Inconsistencies should be cor
rected. Ii is to the interest of manutac-
tuFer and consumer alike that IN the
main raw material be admitted free OF
duty. Working the raw material into
the finished product would give employ
ment TO our skilled workmen. The re-
ductiOn Of tariff taxes to the minimum
up0n the necessarics of life is important
to all Of our people; it would prove of
inestimabe value 20 the millions who
earn their bread by daily toll.
Nv fcllow-citizcns-TO you The tariff
is the all-imp0rtant question. The ques-
ton is not how much OF your earnings
shall be given to the support of the gov
eminent. but how much shall under the
forms of law, be seized by the favored
the protected classes.
When the tariff bill Of 1861, increas-
ing the average Of tariff taxes from
nineteen 10 thirty-hye per cent. was
under consideration. Mr. Morrill,, the
Republican author of the bill, said: 1T
was not designed as n permanent sys-
tenn but only as a temporary measure
As already shown, this war tax instead of
being reduced when the war had closed,
was by successive Republican Congress
as increased TO an average OF forty
seven per cent. The Republican party
responded TO the demand Of the people
for reduced taxation by the passage OF
the Mckinley tariff bill of 1870, thus
heavily increasing war taxes upon the
people twenty-five years after the war
had closed. Are your interests safe in
the hands of a party controlled By the
protected mOnOp0iists of this country
This is the important question for your
determination at the polls. The Demo
cratic party wages no warfare on any
business interest. Il fayors no legisla-
ton hostile to the true interests of any
business enterprise We believe that the
burdens of taxation should be equally dis
tributed. We oppose all legislation that
enriches the few by taxing the many.
The contest upon which we have now
entered is Of deep significance 10 the
American people. Shall nigh tariff, con-
tinuaiiy increasing with the demands Of
the protected classes, he the settled policy
Of our Government or shall there be re-
lief 30 the people from the burdens of un-
just taxation?
TIE FORCE BILL.
Another issue of great moment in the
pending contest is the Force bill. The
magnitude of this issue cannot be over
stated. II may mean the control of
the election Of Representatives in Con
gress by the bayonct.