The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-05-22

section Of country, 1t is tax on the
people who use the article protected.
For instance, the New England fisher
men, in getting a tariff on fish to pro-
tect them against the Newfoundland
fishermen, in reality levy tax on fish,
which l and my Fall River friend have
to pay If we buy any fish. This vir-
tually places the power of taxation in
the hands of private individuals. Here
is where we must look for the cause of
hard times in these United States to-
day, for instead of being caused by the
Democratic party, as your Fall River
philosopher says, the contrary is true.
for the Republican is, and always has
been, the high protective tariff party,
as official documents will show. The
tariff rate from 1847 to 1861 averaged
about 20 per cent, the highest 1854 "a
per cent, and the lowest 0S6D IA per
cent. This was before the Republican
party ever were in power. From 1862
to the passing of the Wilson Bill" the
under the Mckinley bill. The first Pc
Rod was under Democratic rule, the
last under Republican-except during
President Cleveland's first term, which,
by the way, our Fall River friend ig-
nores, when he was powerless to act ON
account of the Republicans being in a
majority in the Senate. Will our Fall
River friend, or any one else, dare to
say that the condition of the American
farmer is as good or ever was as good,
since 1862 as 1t was previous to that
period? If they dare, the number of
our millionaires, and paupers, and
criminals, and tramps, the increase in
farm renters compared to those who own
the farms they till would answer them
in no uncertain tones.
The fact of the matter is that our
government tod avis nothing but rope
OF sand. 1t is, as Lord Macauley said
1T would become, "All sail and no an
Choir; as Tom Moore said it would be-
come, Rotten before it is ripe It is
individualism run mad. Every one is
trying to tax 100000 Of people for
their own private benefit.
The New England fishermen not only
want to tax the rest of their country
men, but they would plunge their coun-
try into war with England because the
fishermen of the British Provinces would
not let them steal their fish. There is
not one person in one hundred thou
sand in the United States would care
copper If the Behring Sea and all it
contains were blotted off the face of
the earth, but few dozen wealthy men,
who styled themselves "The American
Fur C0mpany"-the late j. G.. Blaine
being one of them,-would have set the
whole English speaking race at logger
heads In order to get monopoly of the
fur business.
Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin
and the Southern parts of the British
Possessions adjoining are one vast for
est. The land for the most part in the
states named belongs to them, and that
means, of course to the people of the
states. The land is not worth much for
agricultural purposes, but the timber
thereon is very valuable, as the region
south for hundreds of miles is depend
ent on it for building material. 1t has
been the custom of the states to sell
the trees on the land under the name
Of "stumpage," the proceeds going to
the support of our public schools. A
tariff tax of two dollars per thousand
feet was placed on lumber, which we
prairie farmers have had to pay. 1t
now turns out that these timber barons,
as they were called, but who are now
called timber thieves, in connivance
with the state officials have been pay
ing for about one-fifth of the timber
they got and stealing the other four
fifths. These are "All, all honorable
men," To make matters worse, they
have allowed to settle by paying a fine
amounting to a mere trifle compared
with the amount they have stolen. l
will conclude by saying, "All's a mud
de-" The national government does not
know where its authority begins or
ends, and, of course, the state govern
ments are in the same fix. A United
States deputy marshal set the Governor
of Colorado at defiance short time ago
Our law courts are in the same tumble
one judge will over-rule another of the
same grade. A United States judge will
set aside the rulings of state judge
or vice-versa; but money bags" will
knock the whole crowd out" or buy
them out. It was formerly said that
every citizen of the United States was
sovereign. This is no longer true, If
it ever was. We are ruled now by a
multitude Of kings and "rings"-rail,
road, whisky, gold coal, iron, oil, and
others too numerous to mention. We
should have had batch of "silver
kings" but the golden ones dethroned
them.
1t would be very easy matter to
dethrone the whole pack of them if II
were not for such philosophers as your
correspondent from Fall River. Or is
he little boss, clothed with a brief
authority by some tariff-pampered man
ufacturer, with whom he is playing
''Simon said wig wag?" The English
little Tommy is said to love a lord'
the American little Tommy" loves the
dollar, whether the title has been gained
by wrcching a railroad train, bank
state, or if it wrecked the nation. But
it matters not whether our Fall River
friend is tool or fool to say that the
Democratic party is responsible for the
present hard times is as untrue and un-
just as it would be to charge the parish
doctor with the murder of played-out
debauchee, who had come to the work
house to die. SETH BOTTONILEY.
Nashville Center, Martin County,
Mimi, U. S., January Sth, 1895.
RIGHT TO THE POINT.