Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-08-05

Suppose Mr.. Washburn of the Min
neapolis feur mills exchanges cargo
of flour in Liverpool, England, for
goods to be sold in New York or
Boston does he become a foreigner
when paying the tariff taxes and in
stantly afterwards became an Ameri-
can!
Do the readers of the Witness be-
lieVe it?
If the foreigner pays the tax why
did the foolheaded Mckinley Bill take
the tax off sugar? Dear, dear what a
mistake! The foreigner was paying the
Government about $55,O00,000 every
twelve months for the privilege of
selling us sugar and molasses. don't
wonder Mckinley and his fellows fell
"outside the breast works" when the
people saw how they had been cheated.
Does The Witness suppose its read
ers have forgotten the tongues of
flames which Tapped up ten acres of
stately buildings in Chicago in 1871,
and how her homeless, moneyless peo-
pie turned to Congress, then in ses-
sion, for relief?
What do you suppose the delegation
of Chicago people which waited on
Congress asked for? Money or bonds i?
Not at all.
They asked and obtained law TAX
ing the tax off foreign lumber, lathes,
shingles, roof-tin, cornice stuff, iron
plates, girders, beams, columns, nails,
spikes, glass, locks, etc., in fact build
ing materials. And they got it, too, ex-
cept on lumber, the lumber barons Of
this state and Michigan could not en-
dure the thought of having the tax
on foreign lumber taken off.
And the people of Chicago not only
got untaxed building material, but in
doing so they got lying, impudent
majority of protectionists in that Con-
gress to do when appealed to as men
something their petty organs have
tried ever since to cover up.
Did you ever think why it is that
these foreigners insist on exchanging
their goods for our goods. Protection
lists confess when you pin them down
that it is a detestable thing for foreign
ers to do. And it is a mean thing
for a man to offer you suit of good
clothes for TWENTY DOLLARS when
our manufacturers will sell you just as
good suit for THIRTY DOLLARS.
Of course Protectionists have done
their best to prevent this trade, they
have made it a crime for foreigners to
offer to trade on even terms and have
piled the tax on to foreign goods, and
in doing it have made it a crime for
| us to buy or sell with them on even
terms. But it don't seem to do much
good, those plaguey foreigners keep
imposing on us by offering their goods.
It may be, Il would not say so for the
world that some of us would like to
drive good bargain and are encourag-
ing the foreigner to bring his goods
here.
May be If we get a little closer to
this we'll see it better: the tariff tax
is collected at the Custom House first,
then the goods may be offered for sale.
In 1890 foreigners sold to us ONE
MILLION FOUR HUNDRED TWO THoUs-
AND DOLLARS worth of window glass.
The foreigner Of course paid the tax.
it was ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED
THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS.
ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX THOUSAND
DOLLARS more than they sold it to us
for.
You see when it comes to business
the foreigner is not in it.
The same year our people paid
EIGHT HUNDRED EIGIITY-NINE DOL
LARS for foreign white lead. What do
you suppose the tariff laws made the
foreigner pay into the treasury
ELEVEN HUNDRED NINETEEN DOLLARS.
In the language of Carnegie "Ameri-
cans know when they have a good
thing"
In that year we paid for foreign bay
rum 49,, 1927, and the foreigner poor
idiot paid the treasury $63,914 for the
privilege
The same year for foreign rice $967,-
$50, and the foreigner in order to sell
it to US, in gush of generosity handed
to the treasury as tariff tax $1,l23,5O5.
For starch that year we paid the
foreigner $23.S27 and the foreigner
in innocent pleasantly paid it $685.
934) all back and ONE HUNDRED AND
SEVEN DOLLARS more.
The list might be extended to
hundred of items and to millions of
dollars each year, showing how keen