St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-31

selection. If the doctrine of protection.
as go eloquently preached by Maj. Nc
Kinley and Thomas B. Reed, of Maine,
be right, then those countries which
have adopted high tariff are the rich
est and most prosperous. and these
which adopted free trade, the opposite.
What are the facts?
China is and has been highly pro.
tected country for the past 1000 years.
and yet the wages received by the aver
age Chinaman do not exceed 10 cents
per day. Do American workmen desire
that kind of prosperity and happiness?
On the other hand Holland and England
are the two great free trade countries.
In the former there is more wealth per
capita than in any other country in the
world, and the condition of the laboring
classes of England is UNNECESSARILY SUI
perior to that of the working man of
Germany, a highly protected country.
A Vicious System.
Indirect taxation is vicious system
in itself. 1t is based not on the wealth
of the people, but on their wants. To
illustrate this, Steven Girard, of Phila-
delphia, was a bachelor, living in a very
frugal manner. Though possessed of
millions, many of his tenants paid more
in the form of indirect taxes to support
the national government than did he.
Ii taxation were direct no man would
willingly consent 10 pay one dollar
for the support OF any other mans prl-
vate business. Under the indirect sys.
tenn all men are necessarily Ignorant of
+, the amount which any one particular
man pays. He hoped that he would
never live to see the day that he woulo
gloat over misery caused to the people
OF Austria, as did Maj. Mckinley, when
their factories were closed and the
operatives in the pearl button factories
thrown out into the streets by the 0per-
alton Of his bill. But such vicious legis-
lation brings its own retribution. These
very same operatives with either starva-
ton OF emigration as choice became
the pauper emlgrants OF this country,
competing with American labor and
forcing down American wages. If Maj.
Mckinley would but put 60 per cent
; tax OH the labor coming in duty free. as
| we'll as OH the products of that labor.
then there would be collected on every
emigranJ landing Oh American shores
, about $40 as the average duration Of
life of such emigrants is thirty years,
and his annual wages $500.
On the contrary, the American labOrer
is forced to compete. with such free
labor, and in turn pay 60 per cent more
for the goods that he consumes, if i'm
ported. than he otherwise would. In
England, since the adoption of free
trade, wages have increased from to
Is per cent. and the hours of labor have
been shortened 20 per cent. The impor-
tation of beef, butter. coffee, tea and
other necessarieS of life has increased
during the same period more than 400
per cent. while the population has only
doubled.
In New South Wales and Victoria,
the former free trade and the latter pro-
tected, striking contrast is presented.
In the fol mer there are relatively more
schools, more publications, more owners
Of homes and more general diffusion of
wealth than in the latter. If such re-
suits are obtainable from the two sys-
TENS where the conditions are identical
i'll So far as climate, soil and geOgraph-
ical position are concerned. why should
Mckinley and Reed forever weary the
people with reiterating the statement
that the higher wages paid i'll the United
States than in England result from pro-
tecllon in the former and fres trade in
the latter? In this country the popula-
ton is only one-twentleth as dense as in
England. while the natural advantages
and resources OF the country are incom-
parably greater. How long would the
people Of Minneapolis endure the inn
position of an indirect taxation for the
benefit of any of her private citizens?
John G. Carlisle stated, and proved
his statement to be true. that the system
of indirect taxation takes from the taX>
payer Sc for every dollar needed by the
government for its use. If the
county commissioners of Hennepin
county should raise six times
the amount of taxes needed
by the county and give for every dollar
80 required by the county dollar to
Mr.. Lowry, one to MIR. Donaldson, one
to Mr.. Winston, one to James J. Hill
and one to c. A. Pillsbury. in order that
| their profits might be thereby increased,
would the Republicans themselves Of
Hennepin county submit to such a sys-
tenn? Certainly, the Democrats wonld
not.
Mr.. Harter was listened to with great
attention throughout his discourse. At
no time was great enthusiasm arodsed,
but every one present showed an
anxiety to learn. At the close of the
meeting hundreds patiently waited
with hope Of grasping the hand of the
fearless exponent of Republican cor
ruptiOn and higb-prOtected robbery.