The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-01-25
TOM JOHNSON TARIFlES EN-.

Tom johnson, the single tax de-
mocratic member from the Twenty.
Grst district Of Ohio, created a sensa-
ton in the house on Wednesday,
says the Washington correspondent
of the Nonconformist. He "spoke
out in meeting" AMI told the
PLAIN truth. 1t is so very seldom
that man undertakes to speak with
out equivocation in that body the
astonishment of the house and gal
leries was indiscribable. 1t is the
first time they have heard the truth
and it settled the whole croud.
Every man knows that the Wilson
bill is fraud. Tom johnson is the
first Democrat who had the courage
to sav so. Here are few extracts:
Put before republican house by
a republican ways and means COM
m,ttee," he said, sit would ftly re-
present the idea Of protection amend
ed by the friends Of protection But
proposed bv a democratic ways and
means committee to q democratic
house, as representing the idea of al
administration elected on platform
declaring protection an unconstit:-
tional fraud and robbery, it is an
evasion Of promise aud a political
blunder of the graves: kind, con,
fession that the democratic part,
lacks courage and honesty"
I'VE cannot abolish trusts by laws
condemning them aud providing for
their legal prosecution; We can only
abolish them by abOlishing the mon
opoly on which they are based, and
where they depend on the tariff, as
most Of them do, by putting on the
free list every arctlcle in which We
have reason to suppose \ trust has
been or is being formed. Yet our
committee seems to have taken the
trusts under it's special care, and in
this bill, to have been as careful not
to hurt them as though it had been or
ganized by and for them"
| "Take steel rails of which I hap
pen to know something, as l am /;
manufacturer of steel rails. TIE
present duty on steel rails is $13.44
per ton, which is estimated to bt
equivalent to 50.44 per cent al Va
loren. The committee has reduced
this to 25 per cent. This seems lik'
a great reduction, but it is only nom
inal, for 25 per cent is all street raj
trust wants. 1t as good to them a
1000 per cent for it is practically
prohibitory duty. Steel can be mad
here as cheap as anywhere else in tn
world and would not now bc impol
ted except in exceptional cases, eve
if there were no duty, while the ter
E dency of invention and improvement
: is in favor of the United States a
aginst Europe. Now it costs les
}. than - ton to make steel rail
+ bloome, including Strengthening an
: punching. On t.'days market ste'
blooms are selling at less than $li
d steel rails should, therefore, lot brin
G over $l9. They did fall nearly
6 that price few weeks ago, during
!. temporary break in the steel-rail poo
3 But that pool was quietly re-organi
Il ed. and the price of steel rails ":
Il put up. and is now maintained at s.
e a ton, so that by virtue Of the du'
u which keeps out foreign rails, Il
r pool is compelling the user of ste
|" rails to pay them 25 per ce"t mol
l. than fair price. This new ste
d rail pool is composed of seven ma
o ufacturers, headed by Carnegie, vi
o absolutely control the product (
J more than one-half rolled steel pr
u duced in the United States, and vi
) have combined together to pay 9th
Il large manufacturers heavy annu
sums to close their works. discI,arS
It their men and make no steel.
Take Mr.. Andrew Carnegie, vi
.. lives like prince out of the million
the tariff has enabled him to til
from his fellow citizens. He Civ
like u prince from his more th:
- princely income, but he does n