Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1895-10-11
A Ghost Story.

The tariff involves no principle in
legislation. 1t is simply fight be-
tween opposing interests as to arrang-
ing a schedule of duties that shall.ben-
eft the business or occupation of each
contestant, or that shall not, at least
do it an injury. 1t is the irrepres-
sible ghost that is always trotted out
to alarm the people Whenever they
are looking after the methods of the
money power and the ready and con-
slant means it applies to their plumber.
The current annual expenses of the
government approximates 400 million
dollars. What republicans denominate
q free trade policy is one seeking to
obtain this revenue through tariff
schedule, and the socalled protective
policy is striving for the same result
from a differently arranged schedule.
With these differences in shedules the
mass of the people have no interest.
What they are interested in is having
the means to buy and pay for the
needed articles. To obtain this there
must be sufficient supply of money
that the products of labor will bear a
price that affords not only a compen-
sation, but also reasonable profit for
its production. With the present
money supply of the country the
prices of most of the great staple pro-
ducts of the farm is unjustly out of all
proportion to it's cost. The effect of
better prices as the result of more
abundant supply of money would mean
better remuneration to the farmer for
his products; the employment of more
labor in its production would mean
more mouths fed in abundance, more
backs clothed and more comfortable
homes; this would mean more trade
for the merchant with prompt pay
ment; more work for the manufacto-
ries of cloths, and of the implements
OF husbandry, it would mean labor
and comfort for every one of the three
million idle men who need employ
ment with the comfort that steady
employment and good wages would
bring to their several families and
homes. The adjustment of tariff sched-
uies-Mill never bring these, or make
any material modification of present
conditions. 1t is not the tariff but the
financial question that needs settling
by an increase of the medium oil pay
ment and exchange to sum sufficient
to handle the products of labor at a
profit to the producer, regardless of
the interests of the small cotcrie of
shylocks who have control of the
money of the country and who have
cornered the price of all its products
and of property. This selfish gang
are intent upon making the tariff an
issue in every campaign because it
diverts the attention OF the people
away from the real cause of their
troubles, resulting from scarcity OF
money thereby causing low prices.
Their tactics is not unlike that of the
whaler. He espies one Of the huge
monsters of the deep, the boat is low
cred, the harpoon attached to it's long
line, is in place and with the crew is
carried a large tub. When the har-
poon is thrown and has plunged deep
into the back Of the whale in its rage
it starts in pursuit of the boat and It's
crew, who throw overheard the tub,
and whilst the whale is combating
this harmless tub, the boats crew es-
cape from the danger of its fury. Sc
the people, who have been harpooned
by shylock and his crew of emissaries,
start in pursuit have their attention
diverted by an adroit throwing of the
tariff tub into their midst, shylock es-
Gaping with his plumber while the
people are fighting over tariff sched-
uleS,