Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-10-06

stated this history TO distinguished
editor who seemed ignorant of his party
history OH the question, he sad i'll re-
plv that our criticisms of the Repuoii-
cans who voted for free coal, was to get
the miners vote. l Indignantly deny
the statement, and say that i'll denounc-
ing Republican free coal, that my par
" was in dead earnest and meant what
if said. I DENY the statements imputed
to me by the partisan press; deny that l
appealed for protection, and say that
what | did say III that direction was
this: THAT with the Democratic PTccc-
dent before us, we could not hope to
keep this State Democratic upon plat
form and campaign of free coal.
have written and telegrdphed for my
statement before the committee, but
have been unable as yet to get 1t. My
position is Just this: The Democratic
party is pledged to correct the lnequai-
ties and undue burdens of the tariff. IS
it correcting the inequalities Of the tar
if to place duty on the other products OF
the country and place our only great
product on the free list? l am tariff
rcformer, absolutely so, and when It IS
the theory Of the party that the eX-
penses of the government should be
paid bv the tariff | want my State TO
have her fair share of the tariff. | APP
peal TO the sixteen thousand miners llv-
ing in our hills, earning their bread by
the sweat oftheir brow. They are taxed
the very highest price upon the tools
they dig their coal with; on the wooden
goods that cover their nakedncsS; upon
their scant furniture; upon everything
they eat; how can you explain to them,
when YOU take away from them the
scant revenue derived from the product
of their labor? l appeal TO every farm
or who has coal underlying his home,
and which he expects to support him
when he can no longer work. l appeal
TO the merchants and business men who
! make their living by this great indus
try. Is it right or Just thai when this
! great government has to raise nearly
four hundred millions by tariff duty
that YOU are TO be left out? We are will
ing TO take fair and honest reduction,
as other products are; no more, no less;
and today the tariff averages 50 per
cent on everything else; coal with It's re-
bate has only about onc-half that.
This is directly i'll the line of the tariff
for revenue only. If coal under the
Walker tariff at s.. 80 a ton was for rev
enue, surely under our present high list,
at Is cents ton ii is still tariff for rev
enue. We have made New England
rich by paving her tariffs for her. and
to-day it is New England who wants her
free coal to aid her to make Chcaply her
manufactures and sell them high to us;
she is clamoring for free coal; she is
pushing the free coal, and will the Dem
ocratic party be led blindly into her
tolls? The New England delegation, as
it has voted, will again vote for free
coal, and it is the narrow and selfish
doctrine Of New England which de
mands protection for her products and
denies a fair revenue tariff to anything
else In looking over the Democratic
book for 1888, l was struck with the to!-
lowing paragraph: con March 10th,
1871, MI. Blaine said on the floor of the
House to B. +. Butler: Il was i'll favor Of
the repeal of the coal tariff, and the gen
tleman was not; Maine delegation
solid have not discussed the eCOno-
mic aspect in reference TO coal; have
only discussed the Democratic doctrine,
and upon that Democratic doctrine l
plant myself and say that with its rec
ord before it the Democratic party can
not make a campaign on free trade i'll
coal. With sixteen thousand miners i'll
this State, it would be ruinous policy
to the party and departure from every
one of its prcccdents l have not plead
for protection, and say that when l
asked for IS cents ton on coal am
only demanding the duty which the
revenue reform policy of the Democratic
party demands, for certainly If 81. 80
was revenue under the great Walker
tariff with 20 per cent duty, IS cents IS
no more than tariff for revenue only
with coal at its present tariff, and Ill
claiming her fair share of the revenue
tariff West Virginia only claims what
rightly belongs to her, and i'll crlticlMnS
the Governor of this State for his posi-
ton the press of the State has not dit.
fercntiatcd between protection and tariff
for revenue, and TO show the injustice
which the press is doing to its party, l
wish to add thatit the present Democratic
House retains coal as 1t has been for all
these years, and Mr.. William l.. Wilson,
the chairman of the present ways and
means committee, who was then on the
Mills ways and means committee, and
is not likely TO change his opinions III
four years flor he then voted for coal
at e cents Il ton)-how will the present
press comments be justified III case the
Democratic party retains coal on the
list as have above stated? Should 1t
not wait until the action of the House IS
taken? Would it not be best to see
whether l am stating what will be the
Democratic doctrine? And l now say
and ask Democrats to recall what | do
saw, that at this time next year Demo
cratic orators will be talking this doc
trinc and Democratic doctrine to the
miners of West Virginia. VIII any
sensible man tell me that the Democrats
can carry this State on free coal plat
form? l care not for the CarplngS OF
few newspapers; l know as well as they
what the sentiment among the mass OF
the people is, and say that when | went
to Washington 1t was of my own free
will and accord, knowing exactly what
| was doing, and believe that the doc
trine will be maintained by the party i'll
its coming campaign. | have not dis
cusSed the economic question, but Will
ask Just one moment for that and see
how it effects West Virginia.
"The whole absolute prosperity of
this State is founded on coal; we have
the best coal and more coal than any
State in the Union. We have been en-
gagged for twenty five years in conflict
with Pennsylvania for coal supremacy,
and Just now when we are seeing the
light, shall we adopt 4 free coal plat
form and have capitalists wait for an
other FIVE or ten years to see what the
effect will be, before they will invest in
our mines and in our hills? Some have
said they can see no difference between
Carnegie & Co. asking for protection
and the West Virginians asking for a
revenue tariff for their coal. l repeat
that the manufacturers have two, three
and four times as much tariff as we
have, and we are only asking what
rightfully belongs to the State, when we
ask for the pitiful revenue tariff of IS
cents per ton on coal. The miners are
getting just as little as they can live on;
there is not an over rich coal corpora