Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-07-21
POWER WITHOUT RIGHT.

oO Sdlu IIle SIcdb CIdtndln more IMAM
century ago.
Let me illustrate and verify the
truth of the great Commoner's utter
ance by a scrap Of recent history, so,
recent indeed, as the FIRST day Of the
present month.
There lies at the bottom Of Lake
Erie, off The wharf Of the city OF CIeve-
land, O., twelve thousand bushel Of
wheat, every kernel OF 1T an arraign-
ment Of the protective tariff Of this
country. 1t lies there without an OWL
er and withoat country, dumped into
the water because of Il few high takers
in the year 1890, had it in their power
to fasten apon the United States what
is known as the Mckinley Law.
The steamer Sitka, on the way from
the Northwest to Buffalo, loaded with
$1,000 bushels Of wheat to go on
bond across the United Sta oes to an
ocean steamer in New York, ran on a
reef in Lake Superior and twelve
thousand bushels of her cargo was
wet. The customs authorizes at Buff
falo those sentinels on the watch
tower of Zion, demanded the full duty
of twenty-five cents FER bushel if the
wet grain were offered for sale in the
United States. Across the Lake on
the Canadian side, the same pig headed
tariff law exists; and as twenty cents
per bushel was all that was offered for
it, or five cents per bushel less than
the tax, the God-giyen bounty of the
western wheat fields, outlawed, spurn-
ed and damned as an unclean thing
by the tariff, must be sunk in the lake.
Had the entire cargo, had million
bushels been damaged, the owner,
under the protective turn the word
over in your mind moment,) tariff
could not realize cent on his wheat,
though there were buyers in plenty
offering twenty cents per bushel for it,;
he was as helpless between the tapiff
walls on either side Of the Lake as
would be an infant to save itself if
thrown into the middle of the ifake e.
Does any man who reads. this be-
lieve that a few men haYe the right
to put such power into the hands of
the customs officers?
CONSULAR, SERVICE.
Take another instance in which
detestable features Of protection re-
veal themselves. We boast of our
ability to send abroad men of genius
as cousuls to foreign governments, as
well we may, for much their ability
and genius are needed in the light of
the duties thrust upon them by our
government whose policy it is to dis
courage foreign trade.
i The consul who goes to Liverpool,
Manchester, Lyons or Havre, is sent
into the land of the stranger, to spy
out the cunning theyeof-to outwit
if possible the keen, trained jntellects
of the business men of Europe.
He ought not to discover methods
by which the commerce of his country
may be increased, but in what manner
it may be restricted. His reports oaght
not to tell Of people to whom AneMcan
goods might be sold, but of those. who
are criminally trying to sell to, Ameri-
cans, goods that are cheaEs2 than their
home made articles, anGs Il he does not
perform this task it is, because he does
not understand the nature Of the obi
cation imposed o3 the tariff laws, or
else he is incompetent.
He must be. TIE sentinel Of the GUS
tomhouse,. tae spy and the informer
of the collector. He must meet the
alert, expeRienced American importer,
who like the foreign importer exerts
his ingenuity to defeat the tariff law
and those who administer it. So, too,
must he cope with the protected man
ufacturer, who, unwilling to loose for
a moment his grip which the law gives
him on the consumer of his goods, is
yet straining to the the utmost to i'm
port at low valuation his materials for
manufacture.
Thus are the foreign business COM
munity, Importers American import
ers, and even American manufacturers
at work concocting schemes to evade
the protective tax. Thus does trade,
the great civilizer insist on sweep
ing aside the artificial obstacles in it's
way.
That we have men competent to fill
the trying and peculiar position of
consul may speak volumes for the
versatility of American genius, but to
commission a man consul and give
him the duties of veritable sleuth-
hound, it is not to cover with glory
country that has system of taxes re-