Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-21

strings. By its use in this connection he condemns himself as being either grossly uninformed or very insincere. If the former he should not ask the support of intelligent people, especially laboring men; if the latter he is guilty of unbecom- ing, not to say unmanly, evasion which sensible and truthful men cannot condone, and which will never rebound to his credit as politician.
 Mir. Aldrich belongs to and is the candi- date of the party of high protection, and those from whom he asks aid to elect him as their representative in the law making body of the Nation have right to dis tinct and unequivocable statement of his views. There should be no. ''ifs'' nor ''ands" about-it. His supporters claim that he has extraordinary. merits as a busi- ness man. and, granting the claim is well founded, he cannot take refuge, behind the corners of glittering generaiitles and smart evasions. When he asks laboring men and would seduce Democrats to support the party that has burdened them swith intol- erable taxation for twenty five years, un- der the pretense that protection protects, and that the tariff is intendedsto cover the difference between "foreign pauper labor'' anu AhShiSdu idooi, py fotlpB TUT hihi ao its candidate ~he~.should, ,~-iu -good con- science, explain(how it does.: and thereby remove many very grave and serious doubts as to the truth of that assertion.
 MT. Aldrich has been too long and too closely identified with and made too much money out of theD' highly protected indus tries of this section not to know what ef- feet high protection has upon them, and upon the wages of laborers in their em- ploy. He knows every detail of the facts. For instance, under the old tariff the duty on iron ore was 70 cents per ton, on coal 70 cents per ton, on pig iron $672 per ton. It would be kindness, to which they are really entitled, if Mfr. All drich would tell the wage earners in these industries, in all of " hich he has been and is more or less interested, how much of this 10 cents per ton on coal and iron ore, respectively, and SC. 72 per ton on pig iron went into their pockets after what was paid them for their work. The information would be especially grateful and pertinent in view of the fact that none of them have ever learned, and the further fact that the only ground assigned or reason urged for that protection has been and is that it is only intended to cover the difference be- tween "foreign pauper labor" and Amcri- can labor; and if this be true, coal and ore miners and laborers about the furnaces should have it all-the law so intended.
 Again, under the present law the tariff on iron ore is 40 cents, on coal 40 cents, and on pig iron $4 per ton. This is 8 Demo- cratic tariff for revenue without any clap. trap and false pretense of protection to laboring men, for in fact and in truth it does cover any and all possible differences between ''foreign pauper labor'' and American labor engaged in these indus tries. Will Mir. Aldrich not kindly inform the people, for he Is seeking their support, especially the working men, if this tariff does not more than. cover the, alleged difference in wages ccaplained .oi; will he nr. go further and tell them the entire truth-they nave the right to it--that this tariff is in fact more than the entire labor cost of the articles on which 1t is levied and that therefore there can be no excuse whatever for the reduction of the wages of 8 single iron ore or coal miner or iron worker in the South on account of the present tariff; that the reduction of the tariff has nothing to do with their wages; l; that under the theory of protective tariff they are entitled to the same wages under the present law as they were under the old, and any cut of their wages will be arbitrary and without justification. r~
 Will he not tell them the further fact that this Democratic tariff will greatly re- duce the cost of living to them, has already done so, by enabling them to purchase their clothing, household necessaries and comforts, and the tools implements and supplies they have to work with, at much lower prices. Do this, MT. Aldrich, or stand convicted of withholding material facts from the people whose votes you seek
 When MT. Aldrich favors the working men whose votes he seeks, with satisfac-. tory explanations on the foregoing points, we will make further continents on his portentous "if.'